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Movies / On DVD / We Were Soldiers
We Were Soldiers

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We Were Soldiers (2002)

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Reviews Counted:141

Fresh:88

Rotten:53

Average Rating:6.4/10

Consensus: The war cliches are laid on a bit thick, but the movie succeeds at putting a human face on soldiers of both sides in the Vietnam War.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for sustained sequences of graphic war violence, and for language

Runtime: 2 hrs 18 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Mar 1, 2002 Wide

Box Office: $78,064,284

Synopsis: In 1965, 400 American troops faced an ambush by 2,000 enemy troops in the Ia Drang Valley (also known as the Valley of Death), in one of the most gruesome fights of the Vietnam War. WE WERE... In 1965, 400 American troops faced an ambush by 2,000 enemy troops in the Ia Drang Valley (also known as the Valley of Death), in one of the most gruesome fights of the Vietnam War. WE WERE SOLDIERS is a detailed recreation of this true story: of the strategies, obstacles, and human cost faced by the troops that participated. The story focuses on the lieutenant colonel that led the attack, Hal Moore (Mel Gibson), and a civilian reporter who accompanied them, Joseph Galloway (Barry Pepper), as well as a number of other soldiers who were involved. This is an unusual Vietnam film in that it also shows the North Vietnamese perspective on the battle; their leader Lieutenant General Nguyen Huu An (Don Duong) is depicted as a brave soldier and smart commander. And in addition to the many gory battlefield sequences--which seem to have been influenced by SAVING PRIVATE RYAN--we also see how the carnage of war affects those left behind, the soldiers' wives and children. Ultimately this is a moving anti-war film, which, by sticking close to the true stories of real soldiers, very effectively brings home the overwhelming horror of war. [More]

Starring: Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe, Greg Kinnear, Sam Elliott

Starring: Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe, Greg Kinnear, Sam Elliott, Chris Klein, Keri Russell, Barry Pepper

Director: Randall Wallace

Director: Randall Wallace
Screenwriter: Randall Wallace
Producer: Bruce Davey, Stephen McEveety, Randall Wallace
Composer: Nick Glennie-Smith
Studio: Paramount Pictures

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Release:

Aug 20, 2002

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Reviews for We Were Soldiers

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
08/18/08
David Ansen
David Ansen
Newsweek
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

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Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
07/24/08
Todd McCarthy
Todd McCarthy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The war genre, vigorously energized with Saving Private Ryan and Black Hawk Down, takes several steps backward with this old-fashioned moralistic saga, a tribute not only to the soldiers in combat in Vietnam but also to the homefront.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
12/22/06
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

I was impressed by Wallace's emphasis of Moore's faith, but the violence struck me as excessive, taking valuable time that could have been used to develop characters.

Full Review Source: Looking Closer | comment Comment
12/06/04
Jeffrey Overstreet
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
01/12/04
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

... A fitting tribute to all the men and women who have fought and died for their country -- and for each other.

Full Review Source: Star-Democrat (Easton, MD) | comment Comment
01/07/04
Greg Maki
Greg Maki
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: This is London | comment Comment
12/15/03
Alexander Walker
Alexander Walker
This is London
N/R

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Full Review Source: Daily Mail [UK] | comment Comment
12/15/03
Christopher Tookey
Christopher Tookey
Daily Mail [UK]

Gibson wears a rictus of distaste which seems more suggestive of dodgy on-set catering than the horrors of combat.

Full Review Source: Daily Telegraph | comment Comment
10/19/03
Tim Robey
Tim Robey
Daily Telegraph

Mais uma patriotada que mostra os americanos matando milhares de vietcongues, mas sendo mais 'humanos' que os inimigos.

comment Comment
07/25/03
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

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Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
04/05/03
Andrea Chase
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews
N/R

Ultimately, it staggers out bloodied, partially bowed, but at least not totally beaten.

Full Review Source: RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland) | comment Comment
02/13/03
Tom Grealis
Tom Grealis
RTE Interactive (Dublin, Ireland)

...A gripping, fast-moving film that will be added to the short list of quality movies focused on the U.S. conflict in Vietnam.

Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | comment Comment
02/08/03
John R. McEwen
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online

Almost always competent, but never brilliant. Its textbook approach to moviemaking is so common in Hollywood war films that it can't be called new or enlightening.

Full Review Source: Radio Free Entertainment | comment Comment
01/13/03
Andrew Manning
Andrew Manning
Radio Free Entertainment

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment Comment
01/10/03
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

I didn’t mind the film’s sentimental view of GIs. It’s stuff like this that gets me crying, especially in times of combat like now. I wasn’t the only one wiping tears away. It’s hard not to when you’re proud to be an American.

Full Review Source: Billings Outpost (Montana) | comment Comment
12/19/02
Josh Gilchrist
Josh Gilchrist
Billings Outpost (Montana)

This is a good film; strong, honest, strikingly photographed (by Dean Semler) and appropriately devastating.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
David Grove
David Grove
Film Threat
 
 
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