neumu [ cinematronic ]




	We Were Soldiers
	Randall Wallace Mel Gibson, Madeleine Stowe, Greg Kinnear, Sam Elliot, Chris Klein, Keri Russell, Barry Pepper 2002		Disguised as an action-packed ensemble picture, "We Were Soldiers" is a square-jawed, ham-fisted Mel Gibson vehicle based on a memoir by Lt. General Harold G. Moore and journalist Joseph L. Galloway. The movie, set in 1965, is a somewhat jingoistic drama about the first big battle between U.S. and North Vietnamese forces in central Vietnam. Re-examining the blood-'n'-guts of an unpopular war, it's meant as a paean to the heroism and sacrifice of American soldiers, putting it right in tune with the country's post-9/11 climate of patriotism under fire. Gibson is cast as no-nonsense leader-with-a-heart Moore, a career Army officer thrust into an unwinnable situation with inexperienced troops. Ordered to lead his men into a potential massacre, Moore does his best to fight the good fight and leave no one behind on the battlefield. Back home, his wife (Madeleine Stowe) has the unenviable task of bringing casualty news to other military wives. Note: Director Randall Wallace wrote "Braveheart" for Gibson.