WE WERE SOLDIERS (2002)

MORGAN'S RATING

This is the true story of 450 United States soldiers, early in the Vietnam War, who found themselves surrounded by 2,000 Vietnamese regulars in the Ia Drang Walley, in what became the first major battle of the extended conflict. The story will focus on Lt. Colonel Harold Moore, commander of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry, and Joseph Galloway, a reporter.

Mel Gibson (Lt. Colonel Harold Moore), Mark McCracken (Ed "Too Tall" Freeman), Madeline Stowe (Julie Moore), Josh Daugherty (Ouelette), Joshua McLaurin (Greg Moore), Edwin Morrow (Godbolt), Mike White (SFC Haffner), Vincent Angell (Doc Carrara), Robert Bagnell (Charlie Hastings), Luke Benward (David Moore), Marc Blucas (Lt. Herrick), Alan Dale (Westmore-land), Doug Duong (Ahn), Sam Elliott (Plumley), Cliff Fleming (Mills), Michael Giordani (French Lt.), Clark Gregg (Capt. Metsker), Jim Grimshaw (Gen. Kinnard), Jon Hamm (Capt. Dillon), Jsu Garcia (Capt. Nadal), Desmond Harrington (Beck), Blake Heron (Bungum), Vien Hong (Mr. Nik), Ryan Hurst (Sgt. Savage), Sambi Khali (Alma Givens), Greg Kinnear (Crandall), Chris Klein (Geoghegan), Matthew Lang (Lt. John Arrington), Erik MacArthur (Adams), Sloane Momsen (Cecile Moore), Taylor Momsen (Julie Moore), Steve Nelson (Charlie Lose), Randy Oglesby (Lt. Col. List), Barry Pepper (Galloway), John Paul Rice (Pvt. John Perry), Daniel Roebuck (Medivac C.O.), Keri Russell (Barbara Geoghegan), Forray Smith (Sgt. Palmer), Brian Tee (Nakayama), Michael Tomlinson (Col. Brown), Billinjer C. Tran (Viet Minh St.), Dylan Walsh (Capt. Edwards), Devon Werkheiser (Steve Moore), Bellamy Young (Cathy Metsker).

FATHERS, BROTHERS, HUSBANDS & SONS

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

DIRECTOR: Randall Wallace. WRITERS: Randall Wallace, based upon the book by Harold G. Moore and Joseph L. Galloway. PRODUCERS: Bruce Davey, Stephen McEveety and Randall Wallace. ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS: Eveleen Bandy, William Hoy, Danielle Lemmon and Steve Zapotoczny. CO-PRODUCERS: Danielle Lemmon and Steve Zapotoczny. EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Arne Schmidt and Jim Lemley. ORIGINAL MUSIC: Nick Glennie-Smith. DISTRIBUTOR: Paramount Pictures.

QUOTES

Hal Moore: They attack us; no casualties. They retreat into the mountains and, naturally, we follow them. Smell like an ambush to you?

Hal Moore: I wonder what was going through Custer's mind when he realized that he'd led his men into a slaughter? Basil Plumley: Sir, Custer was a pussy. You ain't.

Hal Moore: I'll never forgive myself. Joseph Galloway: For what, sir? Hal Moore: That my men...that my men died and I didn't.

Cecile Moore: Daddy, what's a war? Hal Moore: Well a war is when people hurt other people, and people like daddy try to stop them.

CRITICAL COMMENTS

FACTS

"...succeeds where its recent predecessor miserably fails because it demands that you suffer the dreadfulness of war from both sides." -- Robert Wilonsky, New Times Los Angeles

RELEASE DATE: March 1st, 2002 (USA) DVD RELEASE DATE: August 20th, 2002 (USA) BOX OFFICE OPENING: $20.2 million (USA) BOX OFFICE RESULT: $78.1 million (USA) BUDGET: $75 million (USA) SHOOTING DATES: March 2001  -- July 2001 - The entire film was digitally color corrected at full 2K resolution. - Col. Moore had been said to be mightily motivated to not repeat what happened to a previous 7th Cavalry unit at Little Bighorn. However, his courage, drive and support of his men while grossly outnumbered was 'right out of the book' of the commander for a different 7th Cavalry (Tenn), Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest. - Keni Thomas, who acted as both a military/technical advisor and an extra to this film, fought in Mogadishu with the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment in 1993: the battle depicted in the film Black Hawk Down (2001). - 875,000 feet of film was shot -- roughly 150 hours. It took the editing team six days -- day and night -- to watch it all.

"Mel Gibson fights the good fight in Vietnam in director Randall Wallace's flag waving war flick with a core of decency." -- Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com

"Probably the best thing you can say about We Were Soldiers is that it does justice to an awful conflict." -- Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune

"It's unfortunate that Wallace, who wrote Gibson's Braveheart as well as the recent Pearl Harbor, has such an irrepressible passion for sappy situations and dialogue." -- Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

"The battle sequences in We Were Soldiers aren't quite as head-spinning as Black Hawk Down -- but this film does a much better job of establishing the characters before they plunge into battle." -- Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper