American army chiefs begin to commit troops to Vietnam in 1964, starting with Lt Colonel Hal Moore (Mel Gibson) and his Air Cavalry Division. Training begins, and Moore's wife Julie (Madeleine Stowe) joins the army wives to see the men off to battle. Arriving in South Vietnam, they are assigned a search-and-destroy mission on rural land. Another platoon spots the enemy and gives chase, unaware they are heading toward a stronghold of the North Vietnamese army. Stranded under fire, the pressure is on for Moore's men, who fortify their position and begin a long, intense battle to save their comrades. It is the first of many such encounters in a brutal conflict...
Few things demonstrate the zeitgeist better than war movies. The liberal lobby - from Platoon to Three Kings - has been largely replaced by flag-wrapped salutes like Black Hawk Down and Behind Enemy Lines. We Were Soldiers has a foot in both camps, making it one of the most interesting contributions to a bloated genre.
We Were Soldiers is a Film programme that first aired in 2002 and has been classified a 15 certificate.
