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Olimme sotilaita

Original title: We Were Soldiers
  • 20022002
  • K-15K-15
  • 2h 18min
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
136K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,770
240
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Mel Gibson in We Were Soldiers (2002)
Home Video Trailer from Paramount Home Entertainment
Play trailer2:52
1 Video
99+ Photos
ActionDramaHistory

The story of the first major battle of the American phase of the Vietnam War, and the soldiers on both sides that fought it, while their wives wait nervously and anxiously at home for the go... Read allThe story of the first major battle of the American phase of the Vietnam War, and the soldiers on both sides that fought it, while their wives wait nervously and anxiously at home for the good news or the bad news.The story of the first major battle of the American phase of the Vietnam War, and the soldiers on both sides that fought it, while their wives wait nervously and anxiously at home for the good news or the bad news.

IMDb RATING
7.2/10
136K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,770
240
  • Director
    • Randall Wallace
  • Writers
    • Harold G. Moore(book "We Were Soldiers Once... and Young")
    • Joseph Lee Galloway(book "We Were Soldiers Once... and Young")
    • Randall Wallace(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Mel Gibson
    • Madeleine Stowe
    • Greg Kinnear
Top credits
  • Director
    • Randall Wallace
  • Writers
    • Harold G. Moore(book "We Were Soldiers Once... and Young")
    • Joseph Lee Galloway(book "We Were Soldiers Once... and Young")
    • Randall Wallace(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Mel Gibson
    • Madeleine Stowe
    • Greg Kinnear
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 797User reviews
    • 152Critic reviews
    • 65Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 3 wins & 5 nominations

    Videos1

    We Were Soldiers
    Trailer 2:52
    We Were Soldiers

    Photos126

    Mel Gibson and Sam Elliott in We Were Soldiers (2002)
    Mel Gibson and Sam Elliott in We Were Soldiers (2002)
    We Were Soldiers (2002)
    Mel Gibson and Sam Elliott in We Were Soldiers (2002)
    Mel Gibson in We Were Soldiers (2002)
    We Were Soldiers (2002)
    Barry Pepper in We Were Soldiers (2002)
    Mel Gibson in We Were Soldiers (2002)
    We Were Soldiers (2002)
    Mel Gibson and Chris Klein in We Were Soldiers (2002)
    We Were Soldiers (2002)
    Madeleine Stowe, Keri Russell, and Simbi Kali in We Were Soldiers (2002)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Mel Gibson
    Mel Gibson
    • Lt. Col. Hal Mooreas Lt. Col. Hal Moore
    Madeleine Stowe
    Madeleine Stowe
    • Julie Mooreas Julie Moore
    Greg Kinnear
    Greg Kinnear
    • Maj. Bruce Crandallas Maj. Bruce Crandall
    Sam Elliott
    Sam Elliott
    • Sgt. Maj. Basil Plumleyas Sgt. Maj. Basil Plumley
    Chris Klein
    Chris Klein
    • 2nd Lt. Jack Geogheganas 2nd Lt. Jack Geoghegan
    Keri Russell
    Keri Russell
    • Barbara Geogheganas Barbara Geoghegan
    Barry Pepper
    Barry Pepper
    • Joe Gallowayas Joe Galloway
    Duong Don
    Duong Don
    • Lt. Col. Nguyen Huu Anas Lt. Col. Nguyen Huu An
    Ryan Hurst
    Ryan Hurst
    • Sgt. Ernie Savageas Sgt. Ernie Savage
    Robert Bagnell
    Robert Bagnell
    • 1st Lt. Charlie Hastingsas 1st Lt. Charlie Hastings
    Marc Blucas
    Marc Blucas
    • 2nd Lt. Henry Herrickas 2nd Lt. Henry Herrick
    Josh Daugherty
    Josh Daugherty
    • Sp4 Robert Ouelletteas Sp4 Robert Ouellette
    Jsu Garcia
    Jsu Garcia
    • Capt. Tony Nadalas Capt. Tony Nadal
    Jon Hamm
    Jon Hamm
    • Capt. Matt Dillonas Capt. Matt Dillon
    Clark Gregg
    Clark Gregg
    • Capt. Tom Metskeras Capt. Tom Metsker
    Desmond Harrington
    Desmond Harrington
    • Sp4 Bill Beckas Sp4 Bill Beck
    Blake Heron
    Blake Heron
    • Sp4 Galen Bungumas Sp4 Galen Bungum
    Erik MacArthur
    Erik MacArthur
    • Sp4 Russell Adamsas Sp4 Russell Adams
    • Director
      • Randall Wallace
    • Writers
      • Harold G. Moore(book "We Were Soldiers Once... and Young")
      • Joseph Lee Galloway(book "We Were Soldiers Once... and Young")
      • Randall Wallace(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit
    A telling of the 1st Battalion, 7 Cavalry Regiment, 1st Calvary Division's battle against overwhelming odds in the Ia Drang valley of Vietnam in 1965. Seen through the eyes of the battalion's commander, Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore (played by Mel Gibson), we see him take command of the battalion and its preparations to go into Vietnam. We also see how the French had, years earlier, been defeated in the same area. The battle was to be the first major engagement between U.S. and N.V.A. forces in South Vietnam, and showed the use of helicopters as mobility providers and assault support aircraft. —grantss
    battlesoldiervietnam warhelicopterbased on true story154 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Father. Husband. Brother. No man is just a soldier.
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Drama
      • History
      • War
    • Certificate
      • K-15
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The real Joseph D. Galloway stepped out of the movie theater during a scene, but still approved the film. His explanation was "That was my nightmare for 36 years. I don't want to see it again."
    • Goofs
      In the beginning, the French Group Mobile 100 is ambushed and killed to the last man. In reality, the group was ambushed several times and in all of them, they were able to escape, though only after suffering severe casualties.
    • Quotes

      Lt. Colonel Hal Moore: [Hal Moore speaks to his men before going into battle] Look around you. In the 7th cavalry, we've got a captain from the Ukraine; another from Puerto Rico. We've got Japanese, Chinese, Blacks, Hispanics, Cherokee Indians. Jews and Gentiles. All Americans. Now here in the states, some of you in this unit may have experienced discrimination because of race or creed. But for you and me now, all that is gone. We're moving into the valley of the shadow of death, where you will watch the back of the man next to you, as he will watch yours. And you won't care what color he is, or by what name he calls God. They say we're leaving home. We're going to what home was always supposed to be. Now let us understand the situation. We are going into battle against a tough and determined enemy.

      [pauses]

      Lt. Colonel Hal Moore: I can't promise you that I will bring you all home alive. But this I swear, before you and before Almighty God, that when we go into battle, I will be the first to set foot on the field, and I will be the last to step off, and I will leave no one behind. Dead or alive, we will all come home together. So help me, God.

    • Alternate versions
      Trailers include a scene where Julie Moore explains that the last thing most dying soldiers say is "Tell my wife I love her". This is not included in the theatrical release.
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: We Were Soldiers/40 Days and 40 Nights/Queen of the Damned (2002)
    • Soundtracks
      Hold On I'm Coming
      Written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter

      Performed by Tommy Blaize

      Produced by Nick Glennie-Smith

    User reviews797

    Review
    Top review
    A Movie that Depicts Real Events
    I for one am someone who was inspired to read the book "We were Soldiers Once and Young" after seeing this movie. WWS is about a distinct event that actually happened. SGM Plumley was a soldier's soldier, with five combat jumps in three wars and an astounding three combat infantry badges. LTC Moore was the sort of leader who could keep his head and lead his troops through the worst of battle. People who complain of clichés in this movie might as well complain that people in 18th century movies wear three-cornered hats.

    To those looking for an anti-war message, it is there. When Moore goes to Division headquarters and gets his mission, he asks about projected enemy in his area of operations. The staff officer standing next to the general says "a manageable number." To this Moore responds with words to the effect of "which means you have no idea." It turns out that Moore's battalion gets dropped on top of a vastly larger enemy force (if I remember correctly, they get dropped right next to an NVA brigade). Ordinarily, it order to assure success in attack, you want to have three times the numbers of your enemy. In this case, the ratio was 4:1 going the other way. Then the battle is about how artillery and air support makes up the difference in numbers.

    The obvious criticism here is that the command was fumbling around in the dark. At the end of the movie, the names of the 70+ men who died are prominently displayed on the screen. A military mind is not treasonous and will not disrespect its superiors, but it will let facts speak for themselves.

    The next comment is only tangentially related to this movie. However, many voices here have taken the opportunity to vent their views on Vietnam, so I feel compelled to put things in a broader historical context.

    There was a war that did not take place between 1945 and the fall of the Berlin wall. It would have been called WWIII. The Soviet Union and the US stood eye-to-eye for 40+ years, but did not blink. It was an ideological conflict with an evil that meant death to 50+ million people in communist countries in this century. It was conflict with a system that vastly constrained freedom. Fortunately for the world, the US finally prevailed. The struggle fought between communism and the west was fought in a variety of ways: in public relations, in sports, in propaganda, and in a series of proxy wars. In Korea, Greece, Vietnam, Afghanistan and a variety of smaller stages, East contested with West. To the people caught up in these local conflicts, these wars were absolute tragedies. However, in the grand scheme of things, these conflicts pale to insignificance when compared to the 500,000,000 who would have died in WWIII.
    helpful•110
    68
    • mikefigat
    • Oct 26, 2004

    FAQ2

    • Why did the one VC soldier try and bayonet Col. Moore instead of just shooting him?
    • Why are Col. Moore and other soldiers seen banging their magazines on their helmet before loading them?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 19, 2002 (Finland)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Germany
      • France
    • Official site
      • Wallace Entertainment (United States)
    • Languages
      • English
      • Vietnamese
      • French
    • Also known as
      • The Lost Patrol
    • Filming locations
      • Fort Hunter Liggett, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Icon Entertainment International
      • Motion Picture Production GmbH & Co. Erste KG
      • StudioCanal
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $75,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $78,122,718
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $20,212,543
      • Mar 3, 2002
    • Gross worldwide
      • $115,374,915
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 2h 18min
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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