In 1965, 400 American troops faced an ambush by 2,000 enemy troops in the Ia Drang Valley (also known as the Valley of Death), in one of the most gruesome fights of the Vietnam War. WE WERE SOLDIERS is a detailed recreation of this true story: of the strategies, obstacles, and human cost faced by the troops that participated. The story focuses on the lieutenant colonel that led the attack, Hal Moore (Mel Gibson), and a civilian reporter who accompanied them, Joseph Galloway (Barry Pepper), as well as a number of other soldiers who were involved.
This is an unusual Vietnam film in that it also shows the North Vietnamese perspective on the battle; their leader Lieutenant General Nguyen Huu An (Don Duong) is depicted as a brave soldier and smart commander. And in addition to the many gory battlefield sequences--which seem to have been influenced by SAVING PRIVATE RYAN--we also see how the carnage of war affects those left behind, the soldiers' wives and children. Ultimately this is a moving anti-war film, which, by sticking close to the true stories of real soldiers, very effectively brings home the overwhelming horror of war.
Theatrical Release: MARCH 1, 2002
Director of Photography
Dean Semler: Director Of Photography, STEALTH (2005)
Executive Producer
Arne Schmidt: PRODUCER/EXECUTIVE
Executive Producer
Jim Lemley: Executive Producer, WE WERE SOLDIERS (2002)
Production Designer
Tom Sanders: Production Designer, RUMOR HAS IT (2006)
Source Writer
Joseph L. Galloway: Source Writer, WE WERE SOLDIERS (2002)
Source Writer
Lt.Gen Harold Moore, (Ret): Source Writer, WE WERE SOLDIERS (2002)
Costume Designer
Michael T. Boyd:
Review 1:
"...Solemnly forceful....[Elliott] has what could be the best role of his career..."
Source: USA Today
p.10D 03/01/2002
Review 2:
"...The movie, anchored by Mr. Gibson's modest disciplined performance, has a feeling of calm stoicism..."
Source: New York Times
p.E1 03/01/2002
Review 3:
"...[Kinnear] does that thing he does better and better with each role he takes, siphoning humor into a serious situation....[Gibson] discharges his duties maturely and successfully..."
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.44-5 03/08/2002
Review 4:
"...[The battle] is brilliantly designed and shot....The film's major contribution to the Vietnam War movie is its willingness to view the enemy as human beings..."
Source: Hollywood Reporter
p.10-23 02/25/2002
Review 5:
"...The battle, expertly shot by Dean Semler, captures the chaos of guerrilla warfare paralleled in BLACK HAWK DOWN and gives the film a scarring documentary realism..."
Source: Rolling Stone
p.76 03/28/2002
Review 6:
"...This is a true story that brings home the real horror of war, presenting a balanced, thought-provoking record of men who fought..."
Source: Total Film
p.92-3 04/01/2002
Review 7:
"...Deft at pushing emotional buttons..."
Source: Box Office
p.61 05/01/2002
Review 8:
"...[The film] impresses with the overwhelming physicality of its combat sequences..."
Source: Los Angeles Times
p.C1 03/01/2002
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