We Were Soldiers (2002)
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The story
In 1965, during the Vietnam War, US Army Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore is chosen to train and lead a battalion. After arriving in Vietnam, he learns that an American base has been attacked and is ordered to take his 400 men after the enemy and eliminate the North Vietnamese attackers. Intelligence has no idea of the number of enemy troops. Moore leads a newly created air cavalry unit into the Ia Drang Valley. After landing, the soldiers capture a North Vietnamese scout and learn that the location they were sent to is the base camp for a veteran North Vietnamese army division of 4,000 men.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The film begins in 1954 with a French unit being ambushed by Viet Minh forces. In 1965, Lt. Col. Hal Moore leads a battalion into the Ia Drang Valley. After discovering they are facing a massive force of 4,000 men, Moore's men face a desperate struggle. A nearby platoon led by 2nd Lt. Henry Herrick is cut off and ambushed, leaving Sgt. Savage to hold the position. Moore manages to hold the main force against the North Vietnamese using artillery and air support. In the U.S., Julia Moore manages the wives on the base. During a critical moment, Moore calls for a 'Broken Arrow' to bring in all available aircraft, which repels the attack but causes friendly fire. Eventually, Moore's forces overrun the enemy command center, and the area is secured. The film ends with Moore being hailed as a hero for his victory, while the North Vietnamese commander reflects on the 'American war' they fought. It is revealed that the land reverted to North Vietnamese hands immediately after the Americans were evacuated.
- First release year
- 2002
- Runtime (minutes)
- 138
- Production countries
- United States; Germany; France
- Original languages
- English; Vietnamese; French
- Directors
- Randall Wallace
- Writers
- Randall Wallace · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Mel Gibson · Hal Moore; Madeleine Stowe · Julia Moore; Greg Kinnear; Sam Elliott; Chris Klein; Keri Russell; Barry Pepper
- Genres
- action; war
- Themes
- leadership; sacrifice; war
- Tone and mood
- serious; realistic
- Setting
- Vietnam, 1965
- Premise and plot tags
- war; historical; action
- Source material / true-story basis
- We Were Soldiers Once… and Young by Lieutenant General (Ret.) Hal Moore and reporter Joseph L. Galloway
- Reception
- The film received generally favorable reviews, with praise for its realistic battle scenes and balanced portrayal of both sides, though some critics felt it presented a too-positive image of the Vietnam War.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 65 · scale: 100 · review count: 37; CinemaScore · score: A · scale: A+ to F
- Production trivia
- The film depicts a heroic charge at the end that was not in the original book.; The film was the first one to get the war right according to Hal Moore.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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