Well if you're looking to watch this because you just think its a great or interesting story that needed to be told - you're probably barking up the wrong tree.
I felt as if this story was straight up dumb, mostly forgettable and overall just not that important that it's worth telling in an expensive movie.. Even if everything they portrayed is 100% accurate (can't even be bothered to check) it still is largely irrelevant and had no effect on history.. It's a bit of a 'who cares?' sort of story.
If you remove the actual storyline of the movie being about a 'beer run' and look at it more in a critical manner of the vietnam war then it becomes a more compelling movie.
One thing I think they did an excellent job of is portraying the similarity/parallels between what Americans did in Vietnam and what present day Russians are doing in Ukraine. The similarities were always there - this movie just did an excellent job of portraying it on a personal level.
Americans invaded a small little nation out of the fear that Russians would soon be on their doorstep.. Sound familiar in an opposite context? The geography may be vastly different but the context (and insanity) is identical. This 'phenomenon' was referred to as the 'domino effect'. People believed it wholeheartedly..
The parallels extended all the way down through into the brain washed citizens.. You may see Russians in those homemade public interviews and think 'how did they get so brainwashed?' while the vast majority of Americans don't recognize their country acted the same way for 50+ years.. This was really the environment in america back then.. For every long haired peace loving hippy that modern times loves to tell us about - there were multiple facist brainwashed Americans that would call you a traitor if you didn't follow the government line on the war.
It did seem like it was an intentional part of the scripting, the line that most convinced me was when the sister says something along the lines of 'the government won't even call it a war'. That was the only area that seemed a little obvious in its intention to relate the two. I can't say if that is a realistic talking point of the Vietnam war or not, it just felt like it was intentionally placed in order to relate the two for those that could not figure it out.
I'm sure a lot of americans will watch this and either dissagree with the notion that A) the war was wrong B) the war was not shunned by all, everyone was a hippy back then or C) just see it as a movie about a beer run - but hey not everyone can understand the same things..
The vast majority (nearly all) Americans talk about the Vietnam war in a proud and noble sort of way - particularly about the veterans. I would guess the majority have no clue they even lost the war.. I have never heard 'My dad was a Vietnam veteran' be stated in a negative way.. They'll never follow that up with 'and shot up a village of civilians' or 'committed war crimes with agent orange and napalm'. It's always a talking point of pride and expected admiration. It's brought up - still to this day - as a sign of patriotism to have fought in that war..
For those that still do not understand or do not believe - go watch Peter Davis's 'Hearts and Minds'. The most honest and realistic documentary made about the Vietnam war that I've ever seen. May give a good context behind why this movie was so well told.
I felt as if this story was straight up dumb, mostly forgettable and overall just not that important that it's worth telling in an expensive movie.. Even if everything they portrayed is 100% accurate (can't even be bothered to check) it still is largely irrelevant and had no effect on history.. It's a bit of a 'who cares?' sort of story.
If you remove the actual storyline of the movie being about a 'beer run' and look at it more in a critical manner of the vietnam war then it becomes a more compelling movie.
One thing I think they did an excellent job of is portraying the similarity/parallels between what Americans did in Vietnam and what present day Russians are doing in Ukraine. The similarities were always there - this movie just did an excellent job of portraying it on a personal level.
Americans invaded a small little nation out of the fear that Russians would soon be on their doorstep.. Sound familiar in an opposite context? The geography may be vastly different but the context (and insanity) is identical. This 'phenomenon' was referred to as the 'domino effect'. People believed it wholeheartedly..
The parallels extended all the way down through into the brain washed citizens.. You may see Russians in those homemade public interviews and think 'how did they get so brainwashed?' while the vast majority of Americans don't recognize their country acted the same way for 50+ years.. This was really the environment in america back then.. For every long haired peace loving hippy that modern times loves to tell us about - there were multiple facist brainwashed Americans that would call you a traitor if you didn't follow the government line on the war.
It did seem like it was an intentional part of the scripting, the line that most convinced me was when the sister says something along the lines of 'the government won't even call it a war'. That was the only area that seemed a little obvious in its intention to relate the two. I can't say if that is a realistic talking point of the Vietnam war or not, it just felt like it was intentionally placed in order to relate the two for those that could not figure it out.
I'm sure a lot of americans will watch this and either dissagree with the notion that A) the war was wrong B) the war was not shunned by all, everyone was a hippy back then or C) just see it as a movie about a beer run - but hey not everyone can understand the same things..
The vast majority (nearly all) Americans talk about the Vietnam war in a proud and noble sort of way - particularly about the veterans. I would guess the majority have no clue they even lost the war.. I have never heard 'My dad was a Vietnam veteran' be stated in a negative way.. They'll never follow that up with 'and shot up a village of civilians' or 'committed war crimes with agent orange and napalm'. It's always a talking point of pride and expected admiration. It's brought up - still to this day - as a sign of patriotism to have fought in that war..
For those that still do not understand or do not believe - go watch Peter Davis's 'Hearts and Minds'. The most honest and realistic documentary made about the Vietnam war that I've ever seen. May give a good context behind why this movie was so well told.