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We Were Soldiers
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We Were Soldiers (2002) More at IMDbPro »

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We Were Soldiers (2002) -- The story of the first major battle of the American phase of the Vietnam War and the soldiers on both sides that fought it.
We Were Soldiers (2002) -- US Home Video Trailer from Paramount

Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   37,566 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 18% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Randall Wallace
Writers (WGA):
Harold G. Moore (book) and
Joseph L. Galloway (book) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for We Were Soldiers on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
1 March 2002 (USA) more
Genre:
Action | History | War more
Tagline:
Fathers, Brothers, Husbands & Sons. more
Plot:
The story of the first major battle of the American phase of the Vietnam War and the soldiers on both sides that fought it. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
1 win & 5 nominations more
User Comments:
Powerful and moving, not a film for everyone however more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Lost Patrol (USA) (original script title)
We Were Soldiers Once... and Young (USA) (working title)
Wir waren Helden (Germany)
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MPAA:
Rated R for sustained sequences of graphic war violence, and for language.
Runtime:
138 min | Argentina:140 min | Germany:126 min (cut) | Spain:143 min | Turkey:124 min (TV version)
Country:
USA | Germany
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Certification:
Australia:M (TV rating) | Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (appeal) | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:18 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
A good amount of the musical score is based around the song "Sgt. McKensie", which plays during the closing credits of the film. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: At the beginning of the film, the officers of French Groupement Mobile 100 are wearing white képis. White képis were, and are, only worn by caporals (corporals) and below. Legionnaires above Caporal, including officers, wear dark blue képis. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
French Captain: Anything?
French Lieutenant: No, Captain.
French Captain: Fucking heat. Fucking grass. Fucking country.
[Vietnamese bullet hits him in the head]
more
Movie Connections:
Spoofed in "Saturday Night Live: Jon Stewart/India.Arie (#27.14)" (2002) more
Soundtrack:
Sgt. MacKenzie more

FAQ

Why did the one VC soldier try and bayonet Col. Moore instead of just shooting him?
more
92 out of 117 people found the following comment useful:-
Powerful and moving, not a film for everyone however, 24 February 2002
10/10
Author: Michael Mason from Vancouver, WA

I was privileged to see a preview of Mel Gibson's new film "We Were Soldiers" based upon the book written by his real life character, Lt. Col. Harold Moore, along with Joe Galloway. I attended a showing along with numerous other Viet Nam vets and it would seem that there were as many opinions about the movie as there were viewers. Like the war itself, each person in attendance probably had some personal experiences that the movie brought back from that deep, and sometimes distant, place we have put them.

The movie was almost overwhelmingly graphical, but afterwards I realized this was instrumental in the telling of the story. For the movie is truly about the leadership that Col. Moore brought to his men of the 1st of the 7th, and his determination that they would not suffer the fate of the French in Viet Nam, nor his own unit's most infamous battle, that of Custer's Stand at Little Big Horn.

It was his determination and commitment that his men be as highly trained, as strongly molded as a unit, and most importantly as well lead as possible that stands out. This determination is obviously rooted in his deeply abiding belief that military leaders shall never forget that when they lead men into war, many of those men will never come back alive, but that those who lead shall never abandon them, even in their shared darkest hours.

And while the movie highly succeeds in conveying the horror and tragedy that war is....has been...and always shall be, it was more difficult for me to realize that our War Department and Army could have been so callous as to have delegated the responsibility of notifying next-of-kin of the death of their loved ones to the local Yellow Cab company. Then I realized that in late 1965 it was all so new and no one knew that this war was going to grow and consume so many young American lives over the next nine years.

The two most significant scenes in the movie for me were firstly, the scene when the course of the battle teeters on the brink of either disaster or success and the most important communication that Col. Moore's superiors have to convey is that General Westmoreland would like for him to leave the battlefield and fly to Saigon so the general can have a briefing. This more than anything pointed out how tragically we were doomed to failure in Viet Nam due to the political will, not the military will, being in control. The second most significant scene was in the airport where one soldier is pushing his buddy through the concourse and the voice over says..."They did not fight for God.....country.....right. They fought for each other", a fact that every Viet Nam vet would attest to.

This a movie worth seeing. It is another testament, with a worthy cinematographic effort, to the futility and absurdity of war, and how that among madness can be greatness. It is a movie that will unlikely leave the viewer devoid of emotion. What those emotions may be are as likely to be as highly personal, as the strength of their feeling.

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Not a great movie, 'Platoon' is definatly better. MbbG
Ia Drang engagement - operation name? alcockell
Dates of the battles? drfavabean
Sorry but I must agree with the critics efilnikufesinFT
Casting chrisk0
Flying High dbokor-1
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