Film Snail

7.1

We Were Soldiers

R·2002·138m

Action

History

War

Action

History

War

Summary

The story of the first major battle of the American phase of the Vietnam War and the soldiers on both sides that fought it.

Cast

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

Desmond Harrington

Sp4 Bill Beck

Blake Heron

Sp4 Galen Bungum

Erik MacArthur

Sp4 Russell Adams

Dylan Walsh

Capt. Robert Edwards

Mark McCracken

Capt. Ed 'Too Tall' Freeman

Edwin EdVanzd

Pfc. Willie Godboldt

Brian Tee

Pfc. Jimmy Nakayama

Sloane Momsen

Cecile Moore

Bellamy Young

Catherine Metsker

Simbi Khali

Alma Givens

Jim Grimshaw

Maj. Gen. Henry Kinnard

Forry Smith

Sfc. Carl Palmer

Steven Nelson

Sp5 Charlie 'Doc' Lose

Vincent Angell

Capt. Robert 'Doc' Carrera

Michael Tomlinson

Col. Tim Brown

Keith Szarabajka

Diplomatic Spook

Tim Abell

Army Intelligence Officer

Patrick St. Esprit

General in Hallway

Mike White

Sfc. Bob White, Mortar Sergeant

Daniel Roebuck

Medevac CO

Maia Lien

Army Wife

Dan Beene

Cab Driver

Taylor Momsen

Daughter Julie Moore

Joshua McLaurin

Greg Moore

Devon Werkheiser

Steve Moore

Luke Benward

David Moore

Billinjer C. Tran

Viet Minh Sergeant

Vien Hong

Mr. Nik

Joseph Tran

NVA Prisoner

Joseph Hieu

NVA Officer

Lam Nguyen

NVA Soldier with Bayonet

Diep Bui

NVA Wife

Andrew Wallace

French Bugler

Nicholas Hosking

French Captain

Michael Giordani

French Lieutenant

Shepard Koster

Reporter

Kate Lombardi

Reporter

Ingrid Semler

Reporter

Jason Powell

Sgt. Robert Stokes

Doug C. Cook

Capt. Ray Lefebvre

Sean Bunch

Trooper on Fire

F. Lee Reynolds

Chopper Crewman

Stephen Zapotoczny

Edwards' Radio Operator

Frank Kostenko Jr.

Foxhole Trooper

Ben Allison

Lt. Cochran (uncredited)

Brian Carpenter

Sec. of Defense Robert McNamara (uncredited)

Chris Cate

Soldier (uncredited)

George Cheung

NVA Officer (uncredited)

Greg Craft

Soldier (uncredited)

Donald DeNoyer

Soldier (uncredited)

Cliff Fleming

Capt. Jon Mills (uncredited)

Brendan Ford

Jump Coordinator (uncredited)

Kelli Franklin

Mrs. Charlie Hastings (uncredited)

Christian Gibson

Soldier (uncredited)

William Gibson

Soldier (uncredited)

Anthony Gilbert

Soldier (uncredited)

Justin Gordon

French Officer (uncredited)

Shannon M. Hart

Army Wife (uncredited)

Kimby Jagnandan

Spectator (uncredited)

Lyndon B. Johnson

Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

Derrell Keith Lester

Black Private (uncredited)

Will Klipstine

Private Davey (uncredited)

Matthew Lang

1st Lt. John Arrington (uncredited)

Danny Le Boyer

Sergeant (uncredited)

Blake Lena

Soldier (uncredited)

Matt Mangum

Pvt. Soprano (uncredited)

Johnny Nguyen

Young NVA Lieutenant (uncredited)

Randy Oglesby

Lt. Col. List (uncredited)

Jonathan Parks Jordan

White Private (uncredited)

John Paul Rice

Pvt. John Henry (uncredited)

Keni Thomas

Sergeant (uncredited)

Phong Atwood Vo

North Vietnamese Soldier - South Vietnamese and Villager (voice) (uncredited)

Crew

Director, Screenplay

Randall Wallace

Novel

Harold G. Moore

Novel

Joseph L. Galloway

Reviews

Geronimo1967

July 2, 2022

Mel Gibson ("Col. Moore") takes charge of training for, and then execution of, a perilous operation in the Vietnamese highlands in 1965. We know from the start of the film how difficult that task is going to be - the previous French troops met with ruthless treatment at the hands of the N.V.A. and so "Moore" and his motivational deputy "Crandall" (Greg Kinnear) know that they are going to have their work cut out for them. Their mission is to combat an enemy with overwhelming superiority of numbers and try to capture and hold a mountain. Needless to say, their hosts are none too keen on that a plan and what ensues is a brutally depicted, bloody and gory, series of well photographed combat scenes that test the mettle of both sides as the body count mounts. There is a poignant angle added too, as back home we see the colonel's wife "Julie" (Madeleine Stowe) take responsibility for delivery of the letters that are sent to the families on the base intimating bad - even tragic - news to those left behind. Sam Elliott adds well some stoic discipline as "Sgt. Maj. Plumley" and Chris Klein's portrayal of the recent father "Lt. Geoghegan" also contributes a strong human angle to this story. Sadly, though, this is all way too long and though certainly potent at the start, that is washed away in a sea of repetition. What makes us sit up and take notice at the start becomes much less effective; the pyrotechnics lose their impressiveness a bit and to be honest, Gibson just hasn't the on-screen presence to carry this for 2¼ hours. It does emphasise just how modern - airborne, usually - warfare can provide smaller groups with greater superiority and as an example of the ghastliness and futility of war it is a worth watching.