"We were soldiers once" : The Vietnam War in Film

I am certainly no expert on Vietnam War films, in fact I remember being less than impressed by most of the early choices. But then came Platoon and the perspective was so fresh and alive, that I was captured. As Mark Deming notes in the All Movie Guide "Platoon is a grunts-eye-view of the war.” Oliver Stone showed the individual soldiers’ perspective and gave a crash course in survival during the Vietnam War.

Unique perspective is the unifying team in the movies I love about the Vietnam War and Stone gives us another in Born on the Fourth of July, just three years after Platoon. Centered on an amazing performance by Tom Cruise, the movie is about the political journey of Ron Kovic who goes from Marine, to paraplegic Vet, and ends up an anti-war activist.

Another unique perspective on the Vietnam War comes from Good Morning Vietnam and brings humor into the mix. Robin Williams plays Adrian Cronauer as a young airman sent to Vietnam to work as a DJ for the Armed Forces Radio Network and he blasts the airwaves with rock and roll and a constant barrage of humor. This sets him at odds with the station and the officers in charge, but makes him a huge hit with the actual soldiers.

The movie version of We Were Soldiers Once and Young is based on actual events, like many of these films. Randall Wallace directs and gives the story unique perspective by cutting between the American troops, the Viet Cong, and the homefront, where Madeleine Stowe gives an excellent performance as the leader of the wives. This gives a great deal of depth to the film.

Werner Herzog brought his unique style to the Vietnam War in Rescue Dawn, another story coming out of actual events. It is the story of Dieter Dengler who is born to fly and credits the United States with giving him wings. He crashes in Laos and is imprisoned, not only by the Viet Cong, but more importantly by the jungle. Christian Bale gives a determined performance as Dengler who becomes obsessed with escaping, bringing himself to the brink of madness. When he does escape, the perilous journey brings him again to the edge as he makes his way to Thailand. This gives the movie a very personal perspective unique in the annals of Vietnam War films and is enhanced by the music used which is classical and introspective rather than rousing adventure stuff.

Matt Laxton
Sno-Isle Libraries