Unbiased Reviews by Real People
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Unbiased Reviews by Real People
The Horror ... the horror ...and some great movies!Dec 17, 2005 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Not all of these are war movies, but they all have the Vietnamese War square in the background.
Vietnam war movies kept coming up when I decided to do a Top Ten List of War Movies. I liked the movie treatment of Vietnam even better than that of WWII. TEN - FIRST BLOOD (1982 directed by Ted Kotcheff) Rambo? Yes Rambo, it's part of our cultural conciousness, and Slyvester Stallone's Rambo was a statement about how our society treated veterans of the Vietnam war. (and you thought it was just a dumb action film). At the time it was made, Rambo actually said things that the politically correct disdained. I say good for John Rambo! NINE - BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989 directed by Oliver Stone) Although a bit heavy handed in his direction, I was moved the first time I saw this movie based on the book by Ron Kovic. I was also impressed that Tom Cruise could actually act as he played Ron Kovic, an enthusiastic naive young man who changes his mind on his views of the war in Vietnam when he serves and comes home in a wheelchair. EIGHT - JACOB'S LADDER (1990 directed by Adrian Lyne) This is a psychological horror film starring Tim Robbins as a Vietnam veteran suffering from dreams and flashbacks of his tour in Vietnam. He now lives a quiet life in New York city, but he keeps reliving the war in his dreams... or does he? SEVEN - THE QUIET AMERICAN (2002 directed by Phillip Noyce and based on the novel by Graham Greene) Another film with Michael Caine. This film is set against the political background that eventually led to the war in Vietnam, however, the movie is actually about a love triange between British Correspondent Michael Caine who has as his long standing girlfriend a young Vietnamese girl. Although he won't marry her, he loves her. Along comes Brendan Frasier a CIA operative who interferes with his relationship. How will things turn out? Many times older and wiser beats out younger and stronger. SIX - GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM (1987 directed by Barry Levinson) - A Comedy set in the Vietnam war? Actually this movie worked very well for me, it showed a good hearted man (Robin Williams) with a sense of humor reacting to the worst of situations. The film did show many of the horrors of the war, but it was Williams portrayal of real life Disc Jockey Adrian Cronauer who simply fought to keep the morale of the troops up with humor and a terrific soundtrack. FIVE - CASUALTIES OF WAR (1989 Directed by Brian DePalma) Doing the right thing can be hard, especially if you are in a war setting, and your fellow troops, your sergeant, and all those above you are against you. Sean Penn has no problem leading the gang rape and eventual murder of a young Vietnamese girl, and only Michael J. Foxx seems to have a problem with it. His struggle to do what is right against the odds made a very riveting film based on real events. Even John C. Reilly and John Leguizamo are good as young easily led soldiers. FOUR - PLATOON (1986 Directed by Oliver Stone) Stone actually does a very good job at showing the Vietnam war and the conflict between the soldiers. Charlie Sheen does a very good job as a new soldier who fights with veterans Tom Berenger and Willem Dafoe. I never knew Charlie Sheen could actually act until I saw this movie. THREE - THE DEER HUNTER (1978 directed by Michael Cimino) This movie rounds out the trio of the best vietnam films. This film focuses on the impact of war on a group of friends who all went to Vietnam. I still remember the first time I saw it on television. They ran it uncut and unedited on a local channel and I sat there glued to the screen. DeNiro proves yet again, why he is a great actor. I had never seen Christopher Walken before, and this, one of his first roles, netted him an Oscar, with good reason. Its a haunting movie that may start slow, but by the film's end, you will not forget it. TWO - APOCALYPSE NOW (1979 directed by Francis Ford Coppola) Brilliant film adaptation of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness (which ironically isn't even about Vietnam) You just can't have a list of Vietnam or war films without this film near the top of the list. Martin Sheen, Robert Duvall and Marlon Brando make this film a must see not just for war movie buffs but for movie buffs in general. ONE - FULL METAL JACKET (1987 directed by Stanley Kubrick) Its on my top ten list at number one for best war movies, so it certainly isn't going anywhere else on this list. It's one of the few films that I just sat and watched in stunned silence from start to finish. Not on my list Hamburger Hill from everything I have read is an outstanding film about the Vietnam war, as was Hanoi Hilton. Neither are on my list for the sole reason that I have not seen them yet, and I only include films in my list that I have seen. Wanted to Include, but didn't Forrest Gump Even though Forrest Gump served in Vietnam and it was set in that era, I didn't think the film overall was enough about Vietnam to qualify, but its a great film, and did a great job about capturing the mindset of that era. Not only that, it featured a great soundtrack!  |
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