We Were Soldiers

A very respectable contribution to the genre that’s hindered only by the cheaply conceived visual form and by the overdone affectation (slow-motion shots). Otherwise, however, We Were Soldiers isn’t lacking in pacing or raw realism, or a firm foundation of thought, or a strong leading personality in the form of Mel Gibson, who is the best thing about the whole film. (16/08/2002)

As long as Wallace attacks in the mode of heroic soldiers who shoot, run, or die in slow motion, each shot or fall affects me so strongly that I began to search for a handkerchief surprisingly quickly. However, once the pleasant pathos starts to melt into words and endless diluted phrases about pride, wives, or dying for the homeland, the charm disappears. Then suddenly the sloppiness of the screenplay or occasional visual routine starts to surface. If it weren't for the fact that Hal is literally written for Mel Gibson, who can shoot to the absolute maximum in similar roles, the outcome would be one class lower. (07/05/2006)

Le Massacre... deserved a better screenplay. But leaving out a couple of things would have been enough. The introductory elimination of the French unit is great. So are the excellent battle scenes in the second half, they give that proper touch of reality and the burned, half-dead soldiers will make you feel pretty bad. The disparity with the utterly pathetic lines about dying proudly for one’s country is irritating. Much better movies have been made about Vietnam. Fix bayonets! (12/09/2012)

The Vietnam War is a topic that is essentially inexhaustible. It is possible to make classic, dramatic war films about it, but also psychedelic horrors and even comedies. "Valley of Shadows" is a variant that is dramatic in nature, where it is not just about the action, which is filmed exceptionally well, but also about how the action affects those who have remained at home. Thousands of kilometers through which nothing can be influenced. A powerful story, which is still told with an excess of pathos, but this war deserves it. Or at least the soldiers who were drafted into it. (08/04/2014)

50 years behind Stone and 100 behind Coppola. A propaganda film with a blue-eyed hero and nickel-and-dime moralizing. Some of the action sequences are nice, but they are far away from building on the gems from the 70's and 80's. Incorrigible cinematography, which, after magnificent filmmaking with the idea of turning to the subject of war again, turns to cheap poses and pathos (although undoubtedly well-meaning). (12/02/2007)