There seems to be people here that do not like "The Deer Hunter", "Platoon", "Full Metal Jacket", and a host of other movies that depict that war.
Myself, not ever having served, let alone been to Viet Nam, am not a good judge of which movie depicts the war with any real believability.
So, to all that were there during those awful years, which movie gets your vote for the most realistic portrayal of the fighting man in Viet Nam?
Were there any scenes in a movie that stood out as being particularly accurate?
Please don't feel obligated to limit your choices to the three movies listed above.
Are there any movies that actually capture the feel and reality of that war? Then again, maybe a movie will never be able to accomplish that.

There isn't and won't be any movie that "accurately" describes the Viet Nam War. Unlike WWII, there are a million conflicting feelings about US involvement from soldires, civilians, politicians, etc., so the movies will always be dramatizations on a more personal level rather than a larger consensus like Saving Private Ryan. That's not necessarily a bad thing. The Viet Nam War's underpinnings were much more complex than WWII, and I don't mind seeing filmmakers' different takes on it.

My 'Nam time was spent just off the coast, but for good movies, I like Hambuger Hill and We Were Solders.

Rumor of War gives one disenheartened veteran's view. So does Born on the Fourth of July.

Scott

"Regret to Inform"?

Operation Dumbo Drop, was the most realistic to me.
GG

I had an uncle who was there and he said Platoon was a fairly accurate depiction of how things were there. Of course the problem with Platoon wasn't the way they portrayed Vietnam...but the fact that the conflict in the movie was as much between Taylor, Barnes and Elias as with the enemy. Hamburger Hill was also one of the better movies about Vietnam I saw. Haven't seen We Were Soldiers yet though. As long as they weren't some damn Chuck Norris or David Carradine movie, I generally liked them.

Although not a movie, the tv series Tour Of Duty, which aired on CBS from 1987 into the very early 90's was kind of historically accurate. Of course the main characters in this show usually survived (they had to maintain an audience) and they always brought in some cameo appearance to take a bullet! LOL. But this was my favorite all time tv show. TNT had been running this series for the past couple of years, minus all of the original 1960's music they used in the original production. TNT was so cheap they didn't pay for using it or something.

China Beach from the same period on ABC also hinted at some of the horrors witnessed by the medical personnel. But this one got a little weird from time to time, maybe too weird. Dana Delaney sure looked nice though! "Lt. McMurphy" sure was a hottie when she donned her bright orange/red bathing suit and was lying on the beach. Never cared much for K.C. though who was played by Marg Helgenberger. Funny, I think Hirtenberger when I say that name! LOL.

The Killing Fields

If you want to know about Vietnam and its war...Watch the History Channel... Vietnam: The Ten Thousand Day War - (a little bias but much better than Hollywood)

Don't believe what Hollywood put out.

Although I was not in the 'bush' in Nam (USAF Da Nang '67), 'We Were Soldiers' stirred the most memories and emotions.

IMHO the surreal 'AN' could have only been relevant to any 'doper' that made it back.

AR_Rifle is absolutely right about the PBS series. You get the real story from those that were there!

I was on the phone last night to my last Lt. Ist time I had talked to him in 30 some yrs..We talked for three hours or so.. In great detail about past events missions gone bad ..bad decisions and successes..like it was yesterday
Movies..no there are no movies.. movies arent about your friends they dont have smells..there is no music in the real thing..the movie is over in two hours..you get to eat popcorn without the person sitting next to you's blood all over it..you dont piss or crap in your pants in the movie..(or at least most people dont...unless its winos get in free night) you arent wet and cold and cramped from amoebic dsyentery or have a fever or jungle rot so bad your feet are bleeding and burning from infection.The temperature in the theater isnt 105 with 100% humidity. There are no snipers booby traps spider holes in the theater. You dont spend your time thinking about back home while you are watching the movie. There is no lingering doubt that you arent going make it out of the theater..You dont hide under your seat when the rounds come in..You dont kiss the ground in the parking lot when its over and you get to go home..And the movie doesnt keep you from a good nights rest now and again for thirty years..No there are no movies imo...

I think one of the best depictions is in Forrest Gump.

Good post brother. I hope some of you young'ens thinking of enlisting read this about 3 times. Make sure YOUR war is worth it...

I was born around the time the Vietnam War was really starting to heat up so my pick is....

Rambo: Firstblood Part II!

Did you see the part were he took out all Spetsnaz and even got to blow up the NVA officer who tortured him.

The part where he was hiding in the mud was very realistic.  I never saw it coming...[;)]

Guys, don't be so hard on me for being a smart a$$. [BD]

And sly stallone was a draft dodger, just like billy bob clinton (I failed to capitalize either name purposely).

I dunno...I am kinda partial to AIR AMERICA!

Like Older_Crow, I spent my time with the USAF at Da Nang - '71.  I pretty much feel like Osprey21 that, in most of the better movies of the era, you will see things that rouse your memories and emotions.  But at the same time, all of them also contain a certain amount of BS for entertainment value.

9divdoc,

Excellent post. Movies just aren't real life, no matter how hard they try.

Too bad some of the piss ant clowns that think they are bad ass gang members, and can go around shooting people on a whim, without fear of repercussion don't have to serve in a "real" war zone. Maybe that would get the point across.

9divdoc,

Sir, this took my breath away! You words brought back more than all the movies mentioned. I was going to say that these lines should be engraved for all to see, but then, it wouldn't be the same. Would it?

Thank you and I pray you find total serenity!

Salute, brother....

Crow bros...Ed.. I didnt write it for just for myself..I had everybody that has ever served or fought in mind..for those who came home and for those who never did for those whose wounds are a daily painful reminder of what freedom really costs and for those whose who gave up their children and the grandkids they never got to have.

Thank you.

To say thank you

seems like such an easy thing to do

There is no way to repay you for the freedom

you bought us then.  

I am grateful, yet I am humble.

and this nation is forever in debt to you for everything you went through.


Welcome home

There is no movie that gives an accurate representation of ANYTHING historic.  They always take dramatic license and freely change facts for dramatic effect as well as pushing their particular political perspective.

If you want accurate, honest info you need to read some books.  Books are always better than movies.

"We were soldiers Once and Young... The first battle of vietnam in the Ia Drang Valley" by Lt Gen Hal Moore

"Platoon Bravo Company" by Robert Hemphill.  Hemphill was Oliver Stone's commaning officer in Vietnam.  He has a FAR different perspective of what happened in Vietnam.  It is a not similar to Stone's "Platoon".   It relates how there was no drug use and why (read it to find out why).  (And there are no stories of jamming M16s either)

"Stolen Valor"  by Burkett.  Refutes many myths about the Vietnam War and Vietnam Vets (drug use, suicide, Homelessness, phony veterans and assorted liars including the media).

A good site that gives a quick recap of false urban legends relating to 'Nam.
[url]www.vhfcn.org/stats.htm[/url]

A good site for some casualty statistics taken from the government archives www.archives.gov Combat Area Casulaty Files (CACF) is [url]www.1stcavmedic.com/statistics.htm[/url]

The last site points out one very interesting fact about our LOSING (NOT!) the Vietnam War.

The US Gov't would release death and casualty figures on a weekly basis throughout the war while the enemy kept KIA (killed in action) and WIA (wounded in action) totally secret.   The US public would see US casualties but no enemy casualties.  This led the public to believe we were losing.  The enemy, however, would vigorously clear the battlefields of their dead in order to not demoralize their supporters (and keep secret their staggering losses).  If the USA and the North Vietnamese people had been honestly informed of casualties the war may have had a far different outcome.  

The USA lost 48,000 battlefield dead
The NVA (North Vietnamese Army) and VC (Viet Cong) lost 1.1 million battlefield dead (plus 2 million civilian dead)! Plus 600,000 wounded!

We killed them by the million yet we lost?

General Giap was obviously not a great tactician nor a great military leader.  He sent his troops out to be slaughtered, regardless of the cost (to be shot with our jam-o-matic varmint gun M16s.  These casualty figures refute the ineffectiveness of the M16.  The M16 killed about 180,000 NVA/VC while the AK47 killed 18,000 US forces).

The Tet Offensive which caused great political upheaval in the US?  The left portrayed it as a loss.  

Americans killed- 1,500  
NVA/VC killed-45,000

A thirty to one kill ratio, yet we lose?  It is amazing the lies told to the American people regarding the Vietnam War.

Sorry for the long post, I am a Vietnam War history buff.  I just thought I'd post some interesting links.

Edited to get the title of Robert Hemphill's book correct.  It is published by Sergeant Kirkland's.

To ThunderStick:

When i was younger i read a book written by a Lt. in the 'nam. It was his journal and after each entry he would elaborate. I ended up loosing my copy of the book and would like to read it again. I cant remember his name, nor the name of the book.-particularly since the book had no cover. If you remember which book i referring to, please post it.


To Veitnam Vets:

I have a question about the VC and the NVA. How good a soldier were they really? Most films depict them as experienced, battle-hardened troops. Were they very good soldiers who suffered via bad military decisions of their leaders? or poorly trained fighters with unkept equipment? I cant imagine the AK-47 not being a decent jungle rifle. It should be more then sufficient for the range.


[USA]

lib

Libertoon

I had up close and sometime very personal experience with both the VC and NVA from late '67 to early '70.  Mostly in 1968.  I was not a ground pounder but I was in the field for several months and did see a little action during the time I was over there.

There is no easy answer to your question.

They were not the fighters made out by Hollywood.  They were very dangerous and they could kill you, however, I've seen them disengage (run) at the first sign of trouble.  I have also seen them attack against overwhelming odds.  Mostly during the week of Tet.

One on one they could not stand up to the average US ground pounder, however, a half dozen of the son-of-bitches with AKs and SKSs could make your life miserable for a while.    Most of the ones we captured acted like scared children.

We hardly ever saw them in combat.  They were very good at hiding.  We didn't like that.  We were mostly taught to fight WWII over again.  We did not have good tactics for dealing with a jungle encounter.  We carried too much equipment in the field.

Some of my fellow vets may disagree but I thought the VC were a bunch of pusses.  The only time I ever saw any real shit from them was during Tet in '68.  The NVA were a harder foe.

Most of my fellow baby boomers were very interested in doing their job.  They did not have a big interest in "winning" the war.  Nobody that I knew would ever want to let anyone down.

In closing I will only say not to belive everything you see in the movies.

[url]http://www.war-stories.com/index.htm[/url]