What is it about Vietnam War Movies that make them so cool? Was it the music? The tiger striped rag tag troops? The dark spooky jungles? An enemy called charlie? The hum of the hueys? The ass kicking gung ho attitude? The special forces? The drugs? The heat? The anti war message (in most films) or maybe it was just a combination of all those things. I have loved Vietnam War Movies since I was a kid, and for what it's worth. Here's my Top Ten.
10. The Green Berets 1968
WW2 movies always had a 'we're doing the right thing' feel about them, rooting for the good guys against the evil SS Nazis or Japanese; these were also, big box office hits. So, along comes the Vietnam war, so why mess with the formula? the studios can still make patriotic movies about the good old US of A doing the right thing and kicking the ass of those evil commies...or could they? So along comes John Wayne in 1968’s 'The Green Berets' filmed mostly on location at Fort Benning in Georgia in 1967, the movie was in production during the height of US involvement, but just before the key Tet offensive which turned the tide of the war in favour of the North and turned the majority of US public opinion against involvement and wanting to see withdrawal. Essentially The Green Berets is a WW2 movie about the Vietnam War and is worth watching if only to compare with the later movies, it’s made it into my top ten for this reason. The movie was made when the war was thought to be righteous and winnable. This is the final scene, very 'Hollywood' and not what we've come to expect from Vietnam movies.
9. The Boys in Company C
I first saw this shortly after it was released on VHS as a kid. And loved it, I went round quoting it for weeks. This movie was definitely a forerunner to the big Vietnam movies of the mid 80's, we even see R. Lee Ermey in the same drill instructor role we later see him play in Full Metal Jacket (if you didn't know Ermey is the real deal, he was a USMC drill instructor and served in Vietnam), watching it now it may seem cliché heavy, but remember, that's only because movies that came after it, copied it. The Boys in Company C is not as well known as other Vietnam movies and often gets overlooked. Here is the trailer.
8. Bat 21
Your worst nightmare in the Nam? Getting stuck behind enemy lines, especially for the pilots. There was no love lost between the USAF and Charlie... they were the ones dropping the napalm. BAT 21 has more of a thriller feel to it than most formulaic Nam movies, and it works, first time I saw it, it kept me firmly on the edge of my seat. It’s based on a true story, Gene Hackman plays top colonel 'Ham' Hambleton an expert and a man the air force cannot afford to lose. He is shot down in an area about to be carpet bombed, so they need to get him out fast. But, Charlie is hot on his tale at every turn as the VC want to take him alive. With Charlie listening in to the radio transmissions and honing in on Ham, he needs to think fast. As a keen golfer, he uses a golf course layout known to him and the pilot (Danny Glover) assigned to get him out. What the movie lacks in art direction it makes up for in its thrilling narrative.
7. Born on the Fourth of July
So, what happens when the fighting is over? Born on the Fourth of July is the second of Oliver Stone’s Vietnam trilogy (If you didn't know, Oliver Stone is an actual Vietnam Vet, so he knows his onions). This is the true story of Ron Kovic, an idealistic all American kid who wants to serve his country just like his dad and granddad did in the wars before him. The first part of the movie perfectly captures the way that the pride/stupidity/naivety of youth is exploited by the old lie 'dulce et decorum est pro patria mori'. We see the shiny buttoned USMC marine corps recruitment officers turn up at high school and it’s as if the young Kovic is hypnotized by the very sight of them, and no quicker is he dancing to moon river at the high school prom, than he is knee deep in shit on the Mekong river in South Vietnam. Don't expect a lot of action footage, although the bits there are, are good and show the early part of the war - they're still using M14's. It doesn't take long before Kovic is shot and paralysed. Then we see how the idealism soon turns to the abject depressing reality of what it’s really all about. Tom Cruise is brilliant as Kovic, and really gets across the anger and frustration that this kid must have felt. Kovic then embarks on an anti-war crusade and becomes one of the most prolific speakers of the anti-war movement. A great movie, which even those that are not particularly into war films will enjoy.
6. Missing In Action
An uncomfortable aftermath of the Vietnam war were the stories of the POW's still being held captive long after hostilities had ended, initially denied and brushed under the carpet by Washington, more and more evidence came to light. Parents and loved ones of MIA's became increasingly vocal in their attempts to the get the government to do something. However, due to the lack of any diplomatic relations between the two former belligerents, nothing was going to get done. Cue Chuck Norris. This ex vet and martial arts kung fu expert lost a brother in Nam (in real life) so wasn't going to let this go. Missing in Action sees Chuck single handed utilizing his kung fu skills and an M60 with an endless supply of rounds, go in kick some ass and get em out. Comparisons with Rambo II are obvious, but this came out before it and as a huge First Blood fan, I found Rambo II a big letdown. Plus, Chuck Norris actually served in the far east and is a proper kung fu expert. So Missing in action makes it easily into the top ten.
5. Good Morning Vietnam
In a modern army, for every front line soldier there are up to 10 rear echelon soldiers that support him, from drivers, clerks, medics, cooks, signallers, engineers and even DJ's. And all of them experience their own war, and this is what I like about this movie. It gives us a look at the Vietnam War from a most unlikely perspective of a USAF DJ. Based on the true story of and co written by Adrian Cronauer, and once again it’s a film that non war fans and war fans will enjoy equally, Robin Williams as Cronauer is excellent and is at his genial comedy best. Large parts of the movie are dealing with non combat situations, so when they do happen, they're all the more hard hitting.
4. The Deer Hunter
This 1978 masterpiece takes an in-depth look at how the Vietnam War affected a group of friends from a small Pennsylvanian Russian Orthodox community. The movie was nominated for numerous awards and won 5 Oscars. The Deer Hunter boasts a stellar cast including, Robert De Niro, John Cazale, Christopher Walken and Meryl Streep, plus an unforgettable soundtrack by John Williams. The first part of the movie focuses on the period before they leave for war, Steven (John Savage) marries his pregnant wife in a wedding ceremony, which in itself is like a movie all of its own, look out for the spilled drop of wine...very powerful piece of cinema. Then the friends head off on one final hunting trip before they leave for the Nam. Over in South East Asia, fate sees their paths cross once more as they meet amidst the most horrific of circumstances in a Vietnamese POW camp. Here the prisoners lives are played with in deadly games of Russian roulette on which the Vietnamese guards bet on to pass the time. The Deer Hunter is a heart wrenching and beautifully made film which captures the true meaning of friendship in adverse circumstances. A definite must see for any Nam movie fan.
3. Full Metal Jacket
As a rule Stanley Kubrick does not make bad films, and his 1987 masterpiece only goes to back me up on this point. Full Metal Jacket, put simply, is amazing. It follows a group of US Marines from their boot camp basic training on Paris Island right through to the battle grounds of Vietnam. A film of two halves, the first half is the training, where the star of the show is drill instructor Gunnery Sergeant Hartman, played once again by R. Lee Ermey, he is spellbinding, hilarious and scary in equal measures and his own private war with the useless yet psychotic Private Pyle will have you completely engrossed. There are many jaw droppingly great moments in this movie and be warned some happen early on. The second part of the film follows private Joker’s journey bang into the middle of the tet offensive. What I love about the combat scenes in FMJ is they’re urban. I don’t know of any other Nam moives that show great urban combat scenes and there were some huge inner city battles during the Vietnam war such as in the ancient city of Hue. Did you know the combat scenes were filmed in London’s docklands? look out for the great one of the final scenes of the troops singing the theme tune to Mickey Mouse in an apocalyptic war torn landscape (link below). Stanley Kubrick was a genius and made some of the greatest movies of all time, so as Vietnam War film fans, we are very, very lucky he made this film for us. Thank you Stanley Kubrick.
2. Platoon
It takes something special to beat Full Metal Jacket in the pecking order, but look no further than the first of Oliver Stone’s Vietnam trilogy to find it. Maybe, artistically and technically Full Metal Jacket is the better film? But the first time I watched Platoon I genuinely felt like I’d just comeback from Vietnam, I was fourteen years old, somehow I managed to get in to the cinema to see it, and I was walking around with a thousand yard stare for at least two weeks after. Charlie sheen was perfectly cast as ‘Chris’ the university rich kid drop out that, gave it all up to volunteer for combat in Vietnam. Oliver Stone based this on his own experiences in Vietnam, which gives this film kudos more so than many others. There is no hanging around; the first scene is the arrival in Vietnam, you can almost feel the heat and smell the dust. Then there is Samuel Barber’s adagio for strings. Mmmmm. How much does add to the emotional feel of the film? The cast is unbelievable, we even see a young Jonny Depp get a line. But Defoe and Berenger steal the show as a civil war breaks out in the platoon between Sergeants Elias and Barnes. The Platoon splits into two, on one side you've got the evil rednecks that don’t see anything wrong with burning villages and killing kids, then there’s the pot smoking collection of home boys, surfers and misplaced hippies that just don’t want to be there. The movie is called Platoon and that’s exactly what it’s about, a platoon of men at war and the private war that is going on between them, they’re too busy fighting each other to effectively fight the enemy. For me Platoon is the closest we will ever get on film to what it must of been like to have actually fought in Vietnam and so it makes it to the lofty heights of Number 2 in my list. Great art direction (apart from the air strike at the end) great characterisation, dialogue, costume, effects etc, etc. Stone wrote this in 1971 and send a copy to Jim Morrison, when Morrison was found dead in his Paris apartment he had a copy of the script with him. Now imagine what a movie that would’ve been.
1. Apocalypse Now / Apocalypse Now Redux
I was eight years old when I first watched this film. It was at my friends 8thbirthday party, his dad had hired a VCR player for the party, but slyly only hired films for himself and not the kids. Twenty minutes in and the rest of the kids had gone out to the garden to play, but not me, I ended up watching the entire 2 and a half hours with my friends dad in bemused and numb amazement. I particularly remember the scene of the sacrifice of the cow, I think it had a profound effect on my young mind as I am sure did the rest of this film. Thank you Mr Adams.
Since then I have watched it many, many times, as well as the newer, revised Redux version and its 49minutes of unseen footage. Firstly there are two things you must know about this movie. Whether you agree or disagree Citizen Kane by Orson Wells is generally sited in many all time top 100 lists as the greatest film of all, however, it was not Wells first choice. He wanted to make a movie of the ‘Heart of Darkness’ the 1899 novel by Joseph Conrad, the story of Charles Marlows trip up the Congo to return a Belgian Ivory trader named Kurtz to civilisation. Heart of Darkness looks with man’s inhumanity to fellow man and the ever present darkness hiding in every soul like the darkness that hides in the jungle. Orson Wells never got to make the movie he wanted to because of budget constraints. However Francis Ford Coppola did, Apocalypse Now is the Heart of Darkness but set in Vietnam. The second thing you need to do, is watch the documentary made by his wife Eleanor Coppola (to give her something to do while Francis made the movie) this documentary is called ‘heart of darkness’ and needs to be seen to truly appreciated the Apocalypse Now experience.
So, the movie. Copolla was hot off the heals off The Godfather so ended up funding it himself, many actors where lined up to play Willard including Steve McQueen and Harvey Kietel (the latter played him for 2 weeks on set but Copolla decided to change for Martin Sheen, which turned out as the perfect choice). The movie follows Sheen as 'Capt. Willard' on a top secret mission up river to find the insane Col. Walter E. Kurtz (Marlon Brando) and terminate his command with extreme prejudice, look out for small part by a young Harrison Ford. Willard hitches a ride with on a patrol boat with the rank and file of your drafted men, Chief is the captain of the boat and along with Mr. Clean (a youthful Larry Fishburne) Chef from New Orleans and Lance the surfer make an excellently entertaining crew. The boat snakes up the river and takes you on a surreal and insane journey you will never forget. The further the boat is sucked up river, the more uneasy you become and you feel as though you are becoming more and more detached from the world and normality. For me the enjoyment of the film is in it's 'road movie' like feel of the journey up the river, you never know what's going to happen next, just like the war itself. There are so many great moments on this journey, any one of which could carry a movie. There's the water skiing to 'satisfaction' by the rolling stones, the attack of the Air Cav to Wagner’s Rride of Valkyries, Jimmy Hendrix and The Roach at the 'do long' bridge, the French plantation scene, the playboy bunnies, the surfing scene, Martin Sheen’s opening scene (which was real) and the choice of The Doors 'The End' is perfect. The song may as well of been written for Apocalypse now.
So, when the boat reaches its destination, you know one thing. That this place is not a good place to be and it’s the closest to hell on earth you'll ever see. Heads on spikes, savages with painted faces, and Dennis Hopper at his insane best. Colonel Kurtz is pure evil, he has gone over the edge and Brando's performance captures this perfectly. "Slithering down the edge of a straight razor" he whispers, and this, for me sums up the viewers experience of Apocalypse now, watching this film is like slithering down the edge of a straight razor. Enjoy The Horror, The Horror.
So, when the boat reaches its destination, you know one thing. That this place is not a good place to be and it’s the closest to hell on earth you'll ever see. Heads on spikes, savages with painted faces, and Dennis Hopper at his insane best. Colonel Kurtz is pure evil, he has gone over the edge and Brando's performance captures this perfectly. "Slithering down the edge of a straight razor" he whispers, and this, for me sums up the viewers experience of Apocalypse now, watching this film is like slithering down the edge of a straight razor. Enjoy The Horror, The Horror.
