I'm a big fan of Mel Gibson and liked the idea of him in a war movie so thought I'd give this one a go. I also liked the title and thought it sounded dramatic. I'm not a big fan of war films so I watched this film purely due to Mel Gibson playing the lead.

Introduction:

This 2002 American war film dramatizes the Battle of Dang in 1965 and was the first military engagement in the United States war against Vietnam. It is based on the book We Were Soldiers Once... And Young by Lieutenant General (Ret.) Hal Moore and reporter Joseph L. Galloway, both of whom were at the battle. The film was directed by Randall Wallace and stars Mel Gibson.

Plot:

Lt. Colonel Hal Moore (Mel Gibson) leads 400 young men from the elite American combat division to a small clearing called landing zone X-Ray where they are out numbered by 2000 Vietnamese soldiers. The battle that took place was one of the most savage in U.S history.

My Opinion:

This film is a great tribute to those men that died in battle. It doesn't glamorise war and shows us the harsh reality of loosing a loved one. It is unique in the way it also shows us the North Vietnamese prospective so is not one sided. The film does not hold back and the battle scenes are very realistic and are shockingly gruesome. The film really gets the emotions of war across and is similiar to Saving Private Ryan in places. Mel Gibson puts in a believable and powerful performance as Lt. Colonel Hal Moore. This has to be one of my favourite war movies next to Private Ryan.