Best Vietnam Film?

[HouWarrior]

I essentially agree with this list with regards to Vietnam war movies.  It is funny, war movies are often uplifting with a happy ending (a group of misfits come together to blow up a bridge or something), but the Vietnam war movies never seem to be.  As a result, they don't do much for me, compared to other war movies.

Movies tend to parallel the conflict. WW2 had line to line combat, winners and losers and highly defined good guy/bad guy propaganda positions. Good ground for the movies you like.

Korea was well....just confusing and deeply inconclusive. Hardly a single movie made about it.

Vietnam was guerilla hit and run style, protracted, highly polarizing and very politically divisive. Most movies of this war arent just war action pics and many dealt with the soldier left behind, those coming home or the many post service traumas. Not up lifting, but still important in our efforts to understand war.

Not until the mideast conflicts (Afganistan, Iraq) of more recent times have moviemakers tackled what its like for the soldiers in action in a confusing ongoing insurrection and ill defined mission. They clarify what Vietnam flicks (ex. Hamburger Hill/Deer Hunter) hinted at....you fight for your buddies and unit first and "country/USA" is for those back home.

Currently "Enjoyable" conflict movies have shifted to the realm of the apocalyptic, end times, zombie, comic book etc to spin the more predictable positive outcome stories that WW2 used to give us.

Real war just got too complicated for  the "good" war movies you've liked

[CTWarrior]

Movies tend to parallel the conflict. WW2 had line to line combat, winners and losers and highly defined good guy/bad guy propaganda positions. Good ground for the movies you like.

Korea was well....just confusing and deeply inconclusive. Hardly a single movie made about it.

Vietnam was guerilla hit and run style, protracted, highly polarizing and very politically divisive. Most movies of this war arent just war action pics and many dealt with the soldier left behind, those coming home or the many post service traumas. Not up lifting, but still important in our efforts to understand war.

Not until the mideast conflicts (Afganistan, Iraq) of more recent times have moviemakers tackled what its like for the soldiers in action in a confusing ongoing insurrection and ill defined mission. They clarify what Vietnam flicks (ex. Hamburger Hill/Deer Hunter) hinted at....you fight for your buddies and unit first and "country/USA" is for those back home.

Currently "Enjoyable" conflict movies have shifted to the realm of the apocalyptic, end times, zombie, comic book etc to spin the more predictable positive outcome stories that WW2 used to give us.

Real war just got too complicated for  the "good" war movies you've liked

Very well said. 

[MU82]

I thought 1917 was a very good movie about a subject that is under-covered, WWI. It was nominated for the Oscar, and I thought it was a worthy contender.

It was not gratuitously gory, but obviously it showed the horrors of war. It was well-acted (including the guy who played GOT's Tommen). It was good story-telling.