We Were Soldiers

ActionHistoryWar
Overview : The story of the first major battle of the American phase of the Vietnam War and the soldiers on both sides that fought it.
Budget : 75000000USD
language : en
Runtime : 138 min
Release Date : 2002-03-01
Imdb ID : tt0277434
Status : Released

Cast

Mel Gibson
Lt. Col. Hal Moore

Madeleine Stowe
Julie Moore

Greg Kinnear
Maj. Bruce 'Snake' Crandall

Sam Elliott
Sgt. Maj. Basil Plumley

Chris Klein
2nd Lt. Jack Geoghegan

Keri Russell
Barbara Geoghegan

Barry Pepper
Joe Galloway

Duong Don
Lt. Col. Nguyen Huu An

Ryan Hurst
Sgt. Ernie Savage

Robert Bagnell
1st Lt. Charlie Hastings

Marc Blucas
2nd Lt. Henry Herrick

Josh Daugherty
Sp4 Robert Ouellette

Jsu Garcia
Capt. Tony Nadal

Jon Hamm
Capt. Matt Dillon

Clark Gregg
Capt. Tom Metsker

Desmond Harrington
Sp4 Bill Beck

Blake Heron
Sp4 Galen Bungum

Erik MacArthur
Sp4 Russell Adams

Dylan Walsh
Capt. Robert Edwards

Mark McCracken
Capt. Ed 'Too Tall' Freeman

Edwin EdVanzd
Pfc. Willie Godboldt

Brian Tee
Pfc. Jimmy Nakayama

Sloane Momsen
Cecile Moore

Bellamy Young
Catherine Metsker

Simbi Khali
Alma Givens

Jim Grimshaw
Maj. Gen. Henry Kinnard

Forry Smith
Sfc. Carl Palmer

Steven Nelson
Sp5 Charlie 'Doc' Lose

Vincent Angell
Capt. Robert 'Doc' Carrera

Michael Tomlinson
Col. Tim Brown

Keith Szarabajka
Diplomatic Spook

Tim Abell
Army Intelligence Officer

Patrick St. Esprit
General in Hallway

Mike White
Sfc. Bob White, Mortar Sergeant

Daniel Roebuck
Medevac CO

Maia Lien
Army Wife

Dan Beene
Cab Driver

Taylor Momsen
Daughter Julie Moore

Joshua McLaurin
Greg Moore

Devon Werkheiser
Steve Moore

Luke Benward
David Moore

Billinjer C. Tran
Viet Minh Sergeant

Vien Hong
Mr. Nik

Joseph Tran
NVA Prisoner

Joseph Hieu
NVA Officer

Lam Nguyen
NVA Soldier with Bayonet

Diep Bui
NVA Wife

Andrew Wallace
French Bugler

Nicholas Hosking
French Captain

Michael Giordani
French Lieutenant

Shepard Koster
Reporter

Kate Lombardi
Reporter

Ingrid Semler
Reporter

Jason Powell
Sgt. Robert Stokes

Doug C. Cook
Capt. Ray Lefebvre

Sean Bunch
Trooper on Fire

F. Lee Reynolds
Chopper Crewman

Stephen Zapotoczny
Edwards' Radio Operator

Frank Kostenko Jr.
Foxhole Trooper

Ben Allison
Lt. Cochran (uncredited)

Brian Carpenter
Sec. of Defense Robert McNamara (uncredited)

Chris Cate
Soldier (uncredited)

張佐治
NVA Officer (uncredited)

Greg Craft
Soldier (uncredited)

Donald DeNoyer
Soldier (uncredited)

Cliff Fleming
Capt. Jon Mills (uncredited)

Brendan Ford
Jump Coordinator (uncredited)

Kelli Franklin
Mrs. Charlie Hastings (uncredited)

Christian Gibson
Soldier (uncredited)

William Gibson
Soldier (uncredited)

Anthony Gilbert
Soldier (uncredited)

Justin Gordon
French Officer (uncredited)

Shannon M. Hart
Army Wife (uncredited)

Kimby Jagnandan
Spectator (uncredited)

Lyndon B. Johnson
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Derrell Keith Lester
Black Private (uncredited)

Will Klipstine
Private Davey (uncredited)

Matthew Lang
1st Lt. John Arrington (uncredited)

Danny Le Boyer
Sergeant (uncredited)

Blake Lena
Soldier (uncredited)

Matt Mangum
Pvt. Soprano (uncredited)

Johnny Nguyen
Young NVA Lieutenant (uncredited)

Randy Oglesby
Lt. Col. List (uncredited)

Jonathan Parks Jordan
White Private (uncredited)

John Paul Rice
Pvt. John Henry (uncredited)

Keni Thomas
Sergeant (uncredited)

Phong Atwood Vo
North Vietnamese Soldier - South Vietnamese and Villager (voice) (uncredited)

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Reviews

Geronimo1967
Mel Gibson ("Col. Moore") takes charge of training for, and then execution of, a perilous operation in the Vietnamese highlands in 1965. We know from the start of the film how difficult that task is going to be - the previous French troops met with ruthless treatment at the hands of the N.V.A. and so "Moore" and his motivational deputy "Crandall" (Greg Kinnear) know that they are going to have their work cut out for them. Their mission is to combat an enemy with overwhelming superiority of numbers and try to capture and hold a mountain. Needless to say, their hosts are none too keen on that a plan and what ensues is a brutally depicted, bloody and gory, series of well photographed combat scenes that test the mettle of both sides as the body count mounts. There is a poignant angle added too, as back home we see the colonel's wife "Julie" (Madeleine Stowe) take responsibility for delivery of the letters that are sent to the families on the base intimating bad - even tragic - news to those left behind. Sam Elliott adds well some stoic discipline as "Sgt. Maj. Plumley" and Chris Klein's portrayal of the recent father "Lt. Geoghegan" also contributes a strong human angle to this story. Sadly, though, this is all way too long and though certainly potent at the start, that is washed away in a sea of repetition. What makes us sit up and take notice at the start becomes much less effective; the pyrotechnics lose their impressiveness a bit and to be honest, Gibson just hasn't the on-screen presence to carry this for 2¼ hours. It does emphasise just how modern - airborne, usually - warfare can provide smaller groups with greater superiority and as an example of the ghastliness and futility of war it is a worth watching.