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We Were Soldiers is the story of the battle at Ia
Drang and it is a no-holds barred war movie that is exciting,
bloody and very moving.
For apart from non-stop battle scenes, the movie allows you
to meet the families of the men who fought the battle and,
more poignantly, lets you watch their wives as they receive
telegrams delivered by taxis that tell them their loved ones
are dead or wounded.
Madeleine Stowe plays Moore's wife Julie and she, with a
junior officer's lady Barbara (Keri Russell) have important
roles in the film that bring the human-cost balance to what
could have been just a war movie.
The action is full on and the surrounded troopers must have
known what it was like when George Armstrong Custer, also
of 7th cavalry fame, found himself trapped and facing enemy
hordes.
It is bloody, with bullets ripping people apart, and one
really yukky scene where a napalmed-soldier's skin comes off
in the hands of a guy trying to rescue him.
Gibson is the professional soldier Moore and plays it perfectly.
He's God-fearing, family-loving and holds his boys very dear
to his heart and while it would be easy to fall into a caricature
of the top soldier, Gibson keeps it all in check.
Greg Kinnear is excellent as the regiment's head chopper
pilot Major Bruce Crandall and the support cast includes such
top talent as Sam Elliot, Barry Pepper and Chris Klein. Elliott
is the super tough Sergeant Major Plumley, Pepper is photojournalist
Joe Galloway and Klein is the promising young lieutenant Jack
Geoghegan.
All the characters are real, which adds greater emotional
weight to We Were Soldiers, and the surviving ones
are interviewed in the extras
on the DVD.
The video transfer of We Were Soldiers is excellent
with few visual problems. One major one, however, was a glaringly
obvious moire on a TV screen. The colours are excellent, the
imagery generally very sharp and the sound is awesome.
We Were Soldiers is a first-class movie that in no
way glorifies war, but does pay homage to the guys who actually
go out to fight and their families.
Conclusion: Movie 85%, Extras 80%
Continued:
DVD details at a glance >
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