That was an excellent one.

Sorry, this movie sucks

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Coppola's fine production is unparalleled. The conflict between Caan and Huston is a tremendous and balanced treatment of the anti-war v. the military. If there is one movie which reflects the times. in all its facets ... this is it.Caan's finest role, I believe, played perfectly.Jones' voice, his carriage, etc. all combine into a truly believable, hard nosed yet, compassionate Sergeant Major. I think every member of the cast brought something to the movie, something good and grand."Here's to us and those like us.""Damn few left."

The garden is Arlington National Cemetery, where soldiers fallen in combat are interred under the watchful eyes of the Old Home Guard, a spit and polish regiment of self-styled Toy Soldiers organized for one purpose: to honor the dead, with pomp and circumstance. It's hard to imagine a better setting for a home front reflection on the horror of Vietnam, half a world away, but any war film so far removed from the battleground runs a risk of being too remote and detached, which is exactly what happens here. What could have been a stateside companion piece to 'Apocalypse Now is', instead, a strangely inert melodrama insulated from any genuine feeling for the era. The notable cast is let down by a sometimes overwrought screenplay (step forward, Ron Bass) with little to offer except a surrogate father/son relationship torn apart by the distant war. All that remains are some tantalizing hints of what the film could have achieved, as seen in the contrast between the formal precision of military ceremony and the illogical slaughter in Southeast Asia.

Strangely quiet, gentle movie considering the subject matter. Not much action, but quite a bit of discussion of the ramifications and consequences of war.Portrays the contrasts between p*ss-and-vinegar young soldiers, and the old-hand leadership of Sergeant Hazard and the Sergeant Major.The death of Jackie Willow is stunning, and the scenes afterward are sensitively done, and very sad. There is much to consider in the prices we all pay for being so ready to get into combat. Sergeant Hazard understands the costs, and wants to get back into the action, if only to ensure no more young men enthusiastically stumble into death.Very well done, and very well acted.

I saw this movie on video, soon after its original release, while attending college on a NROTC scholarship. It is a fine work, with a unique perspective on the Vietnam War. It was especially poignant, as I was preparing for military service during the Reagan/Bush years. This was not a film about the soldiers in the rice paddies; or protesters in Washington. This is the story of the men who had to bury the dead and honor their memories. These were soldiers who might be going to Vietnam, and those who had come back from there. It's about the senseless loss of life that war brings and the hubris of youth.Spoilers-James Caan gives an outstanding performance. He has seen Vietnam and would rather be over there or in a training position, where he feels he could help bring some of these boys back alive, rather than burying them. He is torn up by the knowledge that he can't help. He meets and falls in love with Anjelica Huston, a reporter who opposes the war, but is attracted to Caan. Caan tries to make her see his point, that he doesn't love the war, but has the knowledge hat could save some of the men who have to fight it.DB Sweeny has some fine moments as the young soldier who is itching to be in the middle of the war. He is the face of so many who did their duty and paid a horrible price.There are many fine performances in this film, but it doesn't always come together. Still, it is greater than its faults.I didn't notice this in the goofs; but, in the original video release, you could clearly see the boom mic in frame during the restaurant conversation between Sweeny and his girl. My friends and I used to laugh hysterically during this scene, as the mic would swivel between actors as they said their lines. When I later bought a copy, the mic was missing. I assume it was erased when it was remastered for laser and dvd.