War is nothing like it used to be. The act of military aggression has transformed over the years, but the end result has usually remained the same. No matter what, innocent lives will be lost and casualties will be had on both sides of the combatants. The worst part, is that it's basically people being pitted against each other and being convinced their side is right vs the other. All this because the higher ups in their respective governments either cannot stay out of each other’s business, or because they cannot come to an agreement on a specific issue. It's truly unfortunate when countries just can't get along. There's always someone stirring the pot and messing things up. For the Vietnam war, it was seen as a necessary intervention to prevent the spread of communism, while others felt it wasn't anyone's business to get involved.
The plot about this film is specifically about the battle of Ia Drang, which took roughly three days. Writing and directing was handled by Randall Wallace, adapting this from a book based on the accounts of two soldiers in this film. The soldiers were Hal Moore (Mel Gibson) and Joe Galloway (Barry Pepper), one being a Lieutenant Colonel and other being a photographer. Together, they meet at which the setting takes place and they both take away things from it they never forgot. Randall Wallace was also the writer to Braveheart (1995), The Man in the Iron Mask (1998) and Pearl Harbor (2001). Probably what's the most unique about this feature is the story line and the way it is shown. Other war films tend to show characters as they progress through the war from beginning to end. Here though, it's only for three days. That's it.
What's more interesting though is how much happens in three days So much happens in that short time span and viewers also get to see just how quickly a life can be lost. Predictability is probably the only downside to this film. Like any story, characters are introduced at beginning, For this movie, by actors Greg Kinnear, Sam Elliott, Chris Klein, Ryan Hurst, Jon Hamm, Clark Gregg, Josh Daugherty, Jsu Garcia and Brian Tee. However, since this is a war film, it should be known that not all the characters introduced will live to the end. Mind you this was just list of the actors from the US side. The same is also portrayed for those who fought on the opposing side. Each person had at least someone who was thinking about them. Madeleine Stowe, Keri Russell and Simbi Kali play those kinds of roles - the veteran's wife.
The realism to this film is another huge positive. Much of the production looks like the effects were all practical which can be tough to pull off. Here though it looks good. Whether it be the explosions, gunfire or hand to hand combat, it is a very intense to watch. The sounds will really immerse the audience in the setting. Even when people are talking to each other on the battlefield, it's not the easiest to hear what's being said. It makes sense though because there would be a lot of noise and chaos happening all at once. There's also burns and blood squibs depicted on screen, some of which are not pleasant looking at all. If anything it just shows how serious war is, no matter how much it's fun to play on a video game. In real life, it is by no means a fun experience, there are no cheat codes.
All around the camerawork is visually accurate looking too. Managed by Dean Semler, the footage shot captures the carnage and atmosphere of those fateful days. Semler also worked on Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981), Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), The Three Musketeers (1993), Eye See You (2002) and xXx (2002). Lastly the musical score composed by Nick Glennie-Smith was an interesting work. The score has a mix of thumping drums and music box like tunes that give the viewing an eerie and horror like sound that accompanies the bloody violence on screen. It's effectively left out though for certain scenes to maintain their realism too. Smith also composed for The Rock (1996), Home Alone 3 (1997), The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride (1998) and Highlander: Endgame (2000).
Predictability is the only aspect to this picture experienced viewers will see coming a mile away. Despite that though, the acting, camerawork, realism, practical effects and narrative are a sobering reminder of the casualties of war, no matter how glorified it may seem.
Points Earned --> 8:10
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