Movie Review

'Soldiers' head into inner hearts

by Alex Serena
Staff Writer

Instead of glorifying war, "We Were Soldiers" tells the story of soldiers who died on the battlefield and the families they left behind. It helps us understand the dynamics of the battle, however chaotic it may have seemed on the surface.

The year is 1965 and a new war is beginning. The news of a first battle was supposed to remain quiet from the American public, but when things do not go exactly as planned and politicians change plans, a war eventually breaks out. "We Were Soldiers" is the war drama based on the 1993 memoir: "We Were SoldiersAnd Young," by Lt. Col. Harold Moore and reporter Joe Galloway, who covered and became a part of it.

Mel Gibson portrays fearless Lt. Col. Moore as he led the seventh U.S. Air Calvary into the three-day battle into the Central Highlands of Vietnam. Sam Elliot plays the blood and guts sidekick Sgt. Major Basil Plumly, whose method of fighting off soldiers is with his trusty .45 caliber pistol. His sarcastic and witty remarks throughout the movie give the audience moments of relief from the harsh reality of the environment the soldiers were in.

Roughly 400 soldiers were taken to the Ia Drang Valley known as the Valley of Death. Surrounded by more than 2,000 enemy soldiers, the battle ended up being one of the most savage in history.

"We Were Soldiers" has impressive and graphic battle scenes that flow smoothly. It did not exploit them for shock value or depend on them to carry the action of the story.

Lt. Col. Moore wanted his troops to feel confident that they would not be thrown out into a battle without someone backing them up. He tried to instill in his men that they form a bond to look after each other's back and to make sure no one is ever left behind. Moore had always prided himself with knowing how many men he had in the beginning of a given battle and that all were accounted for afterwards, dead or alive.

"I will leave no one behind, dead or alive. We will all come home together, so help me God," said Lt. Moore. He wanted his men to know that during the war, the only people looking after them are each other. He told the troop leaders, "Take care of your men, and teach them to take care of each other."

The story made the audience feel empathy by introducing Moore and his families. Viewers see many of the men that will go into combat at home with their loved ones. We learn that for most of the soldiers, this is the first time they are going into battle and leaving families behind.

One soldier is Lt. Jack Geoghegan, played by Chris Klein. His wife, Barbara, portrayed by Keri Russell, just had their first child. Before he goes off to battle, he is in a chapel praying and questioning the risk of losing his life, never being able to see his daughter grow up. When Moore joined him, Geoghegan said, "God put me on earth to protect orphans, not make them." Before they leave the chapel, they pray together to ask God to protect them.

"Soldiers" did a good job describing Moore's tactical dilemma, because his men are transported by helicopter in which only 60 can arrive and leave at a time. His first troops will be vulnerable to the overwhelming number of enemies surrounding the landing zone and leaving the option of a fast retreat impossible.

One courageous helicopter pilot is Maj. Bruce Crandall (Greg Kinnear), who led the helicopters to the hot zone of the battle countless times.

As Lt. Col. Moore's soldiers got ready to charge the base camp, Major Crandall appears from nowhere with a heavy armed helicopter assisting the ground troops in fighting off the Vietnamese opposition.

Since this was foreign territory to most of the soldiers, they did not realize what they were getting into. Moore had the impression that his troops were getting dropped into a "Custer's last stand" situation so he studied extensively to avoid his troops being massacred by the Vietnamese and their knowledgeable commander.

During the battle, a United Press International photographer named Joe Galloway (Barry Pepper) drops in the middle of the battle, snapping away pictures that will forever stay in American's hearts. Lt. Moore observed the photographer taking snapshots of the battle without any worry of getting shot; he wondered why Joe was not in the war. When asked by Moore during battle why he was not a soldier, the photographer replied, "I don't think I can do anything to stop this war, but instead I want people to understand what the war is about."

After almost being killed himself, the photographer is given a gun and joins the rest of the soldiers in fighting off the Vietnamese front.

Throughout the movie, the action goes back to the Fort Benning, Ga., where some of the soldier's wives are receiving telegrams of their husband's death. One scene in particular shows Moore's wife, Julie, picking up a pile of telegrams not knowing if her husband's name is among them.

The reason this movie was made was to give the viewer a better understanding of what the means of fighting a war are. It gave us a few stories about unsung heroes that would've never been heard of because of the obscure battles they fought in.

Soldiers unselfishly left for war, stopping their lives for the sake of their country to defend their beliefs and ideas. The American public has taken for granted these brave men and women always being there to fight for our country. It's time now to reflect on the past and what it took for this nation to be as powerful as it is yet understand that we are just as vulnerable as any other country. Wisdom and experience in the past is a powerful weapon against anyone. The characters portrayed in the movie proved it.

This movie keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. It keeps them well informed of what's going on and erases all confusion on what the events are all about. You never know if Lt. Moore's troops will make it out alive in the end.