Best Vietnam War Movie

For accuracy, Hamburger Hill wins, hands down. I'm partial to its accurate portrayal of the conditions in which the men fought and the number of Soldiers lost. It is also considered the turning point of the war.

We Were Soldiers was highly inaccurate. It's portrayal of the exfil is nothing less than shameful. Even though the battle, fought by the first air cavalry unit and had access to helicopters, the exfil was conducted primarily by ground, and the unit suffered a large number of casualties on the trail.

 

Was Platoon the first film that showed the American public that our guys might not have been so nice over there and part of the problem? If that is true, it does deserve credit for that.

For sheer cinematic brilliance, the first half of Full Metal Jacket has to be up there. I have a feeling film schools will be studying the pace of that editing and the repetition on Gunny's tone for decades.

Apocalypse Now was just so epic and grand for it's time. The Charlie Don't Surf battle was fucking epic when you remember that CGI was not available in the 1970s.

 

Full Metal Jacket was my vote.

I have an uncle who was a drill sergeant in the Marines during Vietnam. He said it's the most realistic movie about the war, especially the boot camp part. He said he never hit anyone, but he told me he had some pretty good insults.

I believe I read once that Ermey's lines were not scripted, that everything was ad-libbed.

 

I think Apocalypse Now is pretty frank in its "our guys were not so nice" commentary.

 

This is a tight race. I vote for jacket in part because the first 40 minutes are brilliant and the final scene of the marines singing Mickey Mouse and then the quick cut to the credits with Paint it Black is fantastic.

That being said Platoon is likely the better movie in terms of storytelling, character development and depth. I love AN even though it has its faults. I can't stand Deer Hunter, but will not be begrudge anyone who likes it.

My problems with hunter include:
--the hunting scenes. I hunted deer in PA. We never tried to outrun deer in order to shoot them. Never saw deer that big either.
-- DeNiro having to explain Rolling Rock to Streep. She didn't roll into town that morning on a bus from Ohio. She should know RR.
-- DeNiro wearing a disco-era leisure suit to 1975 vietnam.
-- The overall awkward video angles.

 

"I can't find your legs! I can't find your legs! My friend is all over me!!!!!"

 

AN just was not beleivable. No way could I ever think that would happen. Platoon? I would guess that happened a hundred times over.

 

The most realistic and perhaps best VN movie was "We Were Young"

A Now is my favorite movie but tests the reality for it to be true war movie.

Deer Hunter is also one of my favs but I tend to view it more a movie about friendship than about war.

Also need to give a nod to one of the first VN movies - The Green Berets. Parallels closer to many of the early WWII classics. Came out in 1968 at height of protest against war. Became a lightening rod because of its pro war stance.

Would probably be a pretty good remake.

 

How is James doing?

How is Durant doing?

 

James took his talents to Quang Tri province.

Durant stayed with his unit even after it moved to the sticks, and is thriving.

 

I shocked anyone else has seen 84 Charlie MoPic. It also had two pretty good actors who have done pretty well on TV in Richard Brooks (A.D.A. Paul Robinette in Law and Order) and Glenn Morshower (Secret Service Agent Aaron Pierce in 24 and Landry's father in Friday Night Lights).