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Mel Gibson, Sam Elliott, Clark Gregg, Denis Leary, Keri Russell ... see more see more... , Madeleine Stowe , Dylan Walsh , Greg Kinnear , Blake Heron , Ryan Hurst , Barry Pepper , Don Duong , Chris Klein , Desmond Harrington , Taylor Momsen , Marc Blucas , Jon Hamm , Robert Bagnell , Josh Daugherty , Jsu Garcia , Erik MacArthur

Screenwriter Randall Wallace, a specialist in sweeping historical epics, steps behind the camera for this fact-based Vietnam War drama that reunites him with his Braveheart (1995) star Mel Gibson. Gib... read more read more...son is Lt. Col. Hal Moore, commander of the First Battalion, Seventh Cavalry, the same regiment fatefully led by George Armstrong Custer. As part of the Pleiku Campaign of late 1965, Moore is assigned to an action at Landing Zone X-Ray in the Drang Valley, an area that would come to be known as the "The Valley of Death." Moore soon finds himself and his men contained to an area about the size of a football field, surrounded by more than 2,000 enemy troops and engaged in the first major battle of the war. Heroism becomes the order of the day as men like Moore, chopper pilot Bruce Crandall (Greg Kinnear), and Lt. Henry Herrick (Marc Blucas) refuse to yield, in spite of heavy losses of life. The film co-stars Madeleine Stowe, Chris Klein, Keri Russell, and Sam Elliott. We Were Soldiers is based on the book We Were Soldiers Once...and Young by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore (retired) and UPI reporter Joe Galloway (played in the film by Barry Pepper). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Flixster Users

84% liked it

181,222 ratings

Critics

63% liked it

143 critics

R, 2 hr. 17 min.

Directed by: Randall Wallace

Release Date: March 1, 2002

Keywords: war

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DVD Release Date: August 20, 2002

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Stats: 8,547 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (8,547)

  • paulkoh110
    February 7, 2012
    paulkoh110
    Its just so cliche. The action, music, and acting aren't motivating at all. The montage sequences drone on. Its just not that great.
  • FiLmCrAzY
    June 3, 2011
    FiLmCrAzY
    I didn't like this war movie very much.
    I'm a huge fan of war movies and there has been some truly amazing , brillant war movies but i don't think this one is up to scratch.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    October 17, 2010
    TheDudeLebowski65
    We Were Soldiers is quite possibly the best Vietnam war film since Platoon. Based on Colonel Harold Moore's, We Were Soldiers Once... And Young. We Were Soldiers tells a compelling story about the first major engagement during the Vietnam war. Braveheart screenwriter, Randall Wal... read morelace directs this film with great accuracy. The film is not flawless, but for the most part, it does a great job at being authentic. The film does a great job at establishing the characters, unlike previous war films where you are shown little character development, We Were Soldiers demonstrates perfect character development and you sympathize when one of the characters are killed in combat. I found We Were Soldier to be very different than any other Vietnam war film because it shows the human side of these soldiers, we are shown the family side of the soldiers, and unlike every other Vietnam war film, we are shown that these soldiers have sympathy and aren't blood thirsty animals who are "baby killers". We Were Soldier an achievement in war films as it shows the carnage of war, and shows us the human side of it as well. Randall Wallace has crafted a phenomenal war film, and the cast he directs give stunning, poignant performances. We Were Soldiers is the best Vietnam war film to come along in a long time, and like I've said before, it's a very different one as well. Of course one of the best parts of this film is that it shows that the soldiers fighting this war weren't monsters, and for me that is a positive thing. The battle scenes are incredible, and very intense and suspenseful. Not flawless, but very close, We Were Soldiers is yet another memorable addition to the war genre. A fine film, and may I add also a misunderstood one at that.
  • deano
    March 17, 2010
    deano
    Stirring drama depicts, in graphic and heart-wrenching detail, what became the first major encounter between the soldiers of North Vietnam and the United States.
    Mel Gibson credibly conveys the tortured nobility of a leader who recognises the heavy responsibility of charisma. Th... read moree storytelling here is powerful and unforgettable, the tone Shakespearean.
  • ythelastman89
    January 19, 2010
    ythelastman89
    It's got a decent enough script and cast, the problem is it was too little too late. It relays the same message about Vietnam and brings almost nothing new to the table. However, it's still a fun movie even if the message is nearly lost. The action sequences and performances are ... read moregood enough to make it worthwhile.
  • ScoopOnline
    December 7, 2009
    ScoopOnline
    I have a huge respect for all the Soldiers out there fighting for us, but it is really sad, what this Movies even shows, "fake wars" in the name of the freedom.
  • flixsterman
    July 6, 2009
    flixsterman
    Revisiting this one some seven years after it's theatrical release I find that time has neither lessened nor strengthened its impact. Historically speaking, the events portrayed here are immensely important and heroic. From a technical/theatrical point of view, We Were Soldi... read moreers is just off the mark. Instead of depicting the events honestly and unbiasedly, there's an aire of propaganda here that's hard to shake. The film makers could have been a little less preachy and let the gallantry of the soldiers (on both sides) speak for itself, .

    .
  • TheMachinist
    May 14, 2009
    TheMachinist
    "They went to war because their country ordered them to, but in the end they fought not for country or their flag, they fought for each other."

    You wanna know why I watched this film in the first place, 7 years ago? Because of the helicopters. Not because of Mel Gibson or the ge... read morenre, I do like war films like any other guy, but only because of the choppers. Sadly Mel Gibson is babbling about patriotic and heroicly foolish things almost constantly, but where's my goddamn choppers! I thought this movie was supposed to be about how the US Army started to customize and use MedEvac choppers for infantry transports to hot zones, but all it is, is just another movie that tries too much to be powerful and moving.

    Considering that Randall Wallace, who wrote 'Pearl Harbor' a year earlier, was involved with the film should've had me on alert status. But he has also written 'Braveheart', which is one of my all-time favourites so I had to give it a shot. So now we have, as examples. one great film and one of the worst films ever made. Were does 'We Were Soldiers' belong?

    "I'll never forgive myself.
    - For what, sir?
    That my men... That my men died and I didn't."

    After all the basic training in the movie has been given and the troops are transported to "The Valley of Death" for combat, the film does give some nice battle scenes. Especially the napalm scene where the flesh of the bodies is being ripped off when the medics try to evacuate them. Gory as hell and, yes... effective. The battle scenes are almost too frantic for my taste. Some of the soldiers seem to have some kind of supersenses, they always know where the enemies are and shoot highly accurate shots when they're under pressure and when visibility is nonexistent. Guess the US Army's training is much more on a higher level then other nations armies...

    The acting is.. well, highly overrated. Mel Gibson, in my opinion, does one of his worst performances I've seen and Sam Elliott, as the obligatory NCO, non-commissioned officer, is grunting through the whole movie and showing these rookies how to fight. With a pistol. You see, he doesn't believe in assault rifles... And talking about obligatory characters, there has to be a proper, heroic young officer, like Chris Klein's character, who has a beautiful wife and a child on the way to bring drama to the movie.

    So, where does 'We Were Soldiers' belong? It's highly patriotic and religious, with lots of dramatic scenes that tend to go a bit over the top, some nifty battle scenes but to be honest, films like these are in the end very mediocre and instantly forgettable. There's so much better Vietnam movies available ('Platoon') so if you tend to get sick watching melodramatic war movies where God is a greater support to troops then the artillery or the Air Force, you might wanna skip this one.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    August 21, 2008
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    In a place soon to be known as The Valley of Death, in a small clearing called landing zone X-Ray, Lt. Colonel Hal Moore (Mel Gibson) and 400 young fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons, all troopers from an elite American combat division, were surrounded by 2,000 North Vietnames... read moree soldiers. The ensuing battle was one of the most savage in U.S. history. We Were Soldiers Once...And Young is a tribute to the nobility of those men under fire, their common acts of uncommon valor, and their loyalty to and love for one another.

    As a war movie, this was breathtaking, showing heroism on the part of soldiers, which is what war movies do. The ending where Kinnear shows up and zaps the North Vietnamese with Gatling guns. Where were these guns before? The artillery did a great job, and the ability to call in air strikes almost instantaneously was amazing. In the story arc, it was interesting to contrast the Mel Gibson plan, which he learned from the French who did it wrong by being passive, to take the battle to the enemy when they least expect it. If we had not given up politically, we could have won the war in Vietnam. Sam Elliott was his usual great gruff self. Mel was often melodramatic and the women back home were stereotypes and Madeleine Stowe had the world's biggest lips.

    4/5
  • CloudStrife84
    April 3, 2008
    CloudStrife84
    Packs quite a punch action-wise, but left much to desire as it came to the directing and overall substance. Another unfortunate downside was its tendency to lean towards the realm of cheesyness and cringe-worthy patriotism. Despite said blemishes and flaws, however, there was s... read moretill something about this movie that had me quite captured and kept me from ever getting bored. Therefore, in the end, I'm pleased to say it's one of the best Vietnam movies I've seen to date, almost being in league with such classics as The Plutoon and Full Metal Jacket.

    Anyway, after checking out IMDB, I came to dig out several interesting facts about this movie, which were kind of fun to contemplate and digest. For one thing, it was written and directed by Randall Wallace, who is actually the man behind the screenplay for Braveheart (an achievement for which I will always be eternally grateful). This would probably explain why Mel Gibson was chosen for the lead role. Another fun fact is that Randall Wallace has also written the screenplay for Pearl Harbor. Now how in the world one and the same person could write both Braveheart and Pearl Harbor is beyond me. It's just one of those great mysteries of life I guess, and an ironic one at that. I'm glad though that We Were Soldiers didn't suffer the same shameful fate, because when all is said and done, this was yet another good movie for Mr.Wallace to take pride in.

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Critic Reviews

Michael Wilmington
July 20, 2002
Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

Probably the best thing you can say about We Were Soldiers is that it does justice to an awful conflict. Full Review

David Edelstein
March 22, 2002
David Edelstein, Slate

Makes you cry for the hundreds of thousands of men and women who died so pointlessly with Geoghegan. And their orphans. Full Review

Andrew Sarris
March 14, 2002
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

As I settled into my World War II memories, I found myself strangely moved by even the corniest and most hackneyed contrivances. Full Review

Rex Reed
March 13, 2002
Rex Reed, New York Observer

After suffering through We Were Soldiers, I think I've seen all the war movies I care to endure for quite some time.

Michael Atkinson
March 5, 2002
Michael Atkinson, Village Voice

By comparison, Oliver Stone's Platoon plays like the experience of a sensibly outraged man worthy of our sympathy. Full Review

Richard Roeper
March 4, 2002
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

The battle sequences in We Were Soldiers aren't quite as head-spinning as in Black Hawk Down -- but this film does a much better job of establishing the characters before they plunge into battle. Full Review

Joel Siegel
March 1, 2002
Joel Siegel, ABCNEWS.COM

The sentimental cliches mar an otherwise excellent film. A powerful performance from Mel Gibson and a brutal 90-minute battle sequence that does everything but issue you a dog-tag and an M-16.

Mike Clark
March 1, 2002
Mike Clark, USA Today

... the first film in recent memory that a major studio has chosen to release early in the year with palpable filmmaking passion and production heft. Full Review

Desson Thomson
March 1, 2002
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

Goes beyond the familiar.

Stephen Hunter
March 1, 2002
Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

The story it tells is both forgotten and relevant, a neat trick.

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    • Major Bruce Crandall: To save innocent and vulnerable people by any means is not called a 'war' between two or more countries its called a genuine and good cause to be there.Americans did not loose a war, they did not surrender, they showed and left an example for other countries to reach for those in need, any day, any time any where in any circumstances, despite having any faith. That's a cause. A reason to live .
    • Lt. Col. Nguyen Huu An: Those who are about to fight and die, I am grateful.
    • Joseph L. Galloway: [narrating] We who have seen war, will never stop seeing it. In the silence of the night, we will always hear the screams. So this is our story, for we were soldiers once, and young.
    • Lt. Col. Harold G. Moore: I will be the first man to walk on to the battlefield, and the last to walk off!
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We Were Soldiers Trivia

  • In which movie do Mel Gibson and Barry Pepper star in together as soldiers in vietnam?  Answer »
  • In which movie was the main charachter " Lt. Col. Hal Moore "  Answer »
  • Flight Music(4 of 6) In which movie would you hear this music while helicopters are flying?  Answer »
  • In what film would u find the quote "When we go into battle I will be the first to step on the field & I will be the last to step off. I will leave no man behind dead or alive"?  Answer »
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