"We Are Soldiers" describes the first battle in which the U.S. Army and the Viet Cong confronted each other. In 1965, the U.S. Army dispatched the first battalion of the 7th Cavalry and surrendered to the enemy's position in the Delang Valley by airborne. The U.S. Army was surrounded by nearly 2,000 Viet Congs, and Muhar (Mel Gibson), the commander of the First Battalion of the U.S. Seventh Cavalry, led the soldiers to face this inferior war. There, They stayed in the camp for the longest month of their lives. Finally, the first battle between the United States and the Viet Cong ended with victory.
In the past, most of the war films we saw were from the perspective of soldiers, who viewed the situation and mood of the entire war from the soldiers who participated in the war. "We Are Soldiers" describes this battle from the perspective of a theater commander, and also allows the audience to understand the mentality and complex emotions of high-ranking generals in the war for the first time. Lieutenant Colonel Muhal, played by Mel Gibson, once said something before leading the soldiers out; he cannot guarantee that everyone will come back alive, but he promises that he will be the first to step on the enemy line. They are also the last to leave. They are fathers, husbands, sons and brothers. They regard death as home on the battle line. They are a family and brothers and sisters. Only by taking care of each other can they have the hope of survival.
In the film, war reporters go to the front line to be war-record reporters, betting with their own eyes on the cruelty of war, their love with brothers in the field, and even having to take up guns to fight for self-defense. After experiencing the baptism of war, compatriots are brutal. Sacrifice makes him question why he is fighting? He still picked up his camera to take the tragic scenes of the war, and faithfully recorded what he saw. He said to Lieutenant Colonel Muhar: I don't know how to write this story! Muhar tearfully said to him: I will never be able to forgive myself, because my brother died and I was still alive. Please be sure to report their affairs completely so that the world can understand their bravery. The field commander does not want to lose his brother, but all he can do in the war is to win the country with the least sacrifices! His helpless mood is also conveyed here. At the end of the battle, the US army grabbed the North Vietnamese horn and planted a small broken American flag on the dead wood to represent victory. This film is also the first film without demonizing North Vietnamese officers. At the end of the film, the North Vietnamese officers said in a very human tone: Do you (referring to the US military) think you have won? In fact, it will bring more massacres...
Yes, Lieutenant Colonel Muhar made a promise. He was the first to step into the enemy zone and was the last to leave. But he could not stop the spread of the war. Many soldiers do too, they question why they fight? On the battlefield, they are not fighting for the country, but for the brothers around them. The ruthlessness of war is something we people in a peaceful and prosperous age cannot experience. In such an era, how many people have to bid farewell to their homeland and throw themselves into the battlefield because of the safety of the country. No one can guarantee that they will come back safe and sound. The feelings of helplessness conveyed in the film to people in the war, whether it is soldiers or family members who participated in the war, even if people feel helpless in the environment of the era, no one can provide a reasonable explanation for why the war is necessary? But leaving aside the perspective of war films, In the age of powerlessness, sticking to your post, facing your work with a persistent and serious attitude, and playing your role well is the only right thing you can do.
Such a film seems to make you personally experience the cruelty of war, but it also makes people feel more humanity and warmth. During the filming, I shed tears several times. I can only understand this emotion after watching the film. I also thank the audience who handed me a pack of tissues after the film was over. The warmth created by the characters in the plot, what you gave me is the most true warmth in the world!
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