A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

The acting in this movie is really good.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

We were made aware of the documentary through our friendship with artist Binh Pho, one of the Vietnamese left behind in the embassy. He had shared his story many years ago and I had read his biography of how he escaped from Vietnam by Kevin Wallace; RIVER OF DESTINY. He told us about meeting with Rory Kennedy and his admiration for the Kennedy family. It was exciting to hear that he would be sharing some of his story in different places throughout the film. When it came to Dallas we went to the showing and we were taken back to our teenage years and all of the news and drama that Vietnam brought to our country. Seeing the real tragedy of what took place was very tense to watch. Living in the USA is such a blessing that so many of us take for granted, but shouldn't.

The most impressive aspect about Rory Kennedy's Last Days In Vietnam is the wealth of archive footage it has to offer. I marvel at the time investment she must have had to link every shot to a real life anecdote. As such, the documentary does a great job of making those stories come to life. But ultimately it's quite limited. I can see why the Academy liked it, moreso than Life Itself anyway, it's essentially similar to Argo where people are escaping volatile places. And like Argo it focuses on that moment of release rather than any context or consequence, besides the ending results. The film feels like a similar story over and over with little development, though they are interesting in their own right. It's got a very standard documentary approach with its interviews and the emotion, and while it's easy to empathise, it's rather basic rather than conflicted and complex. A good doc but a small missed opportunity for more insightful greatness.7/10

One of the most reviled wars in American history, in term of involvement, is explored through the eyes of sympathetic humanity toward its last days.The war in region known as Vietnam stretched nearly thirty years – and in the Last Days in Vietnam, filmmakers show the chaotic and desperate final weeks before and after the fall of Saigon.Nearing 1975 the war in Vietnam was supposed to be finished through the signing of the Paris Peace Accords. However, North Vietnam continued the offensive and in doing so, violated the treaty. Slowly descending toward the South Vietnam capital of Saigon, and with US troops withdrawing, the scramble for safety intensified. In the final weeks, American soldiers and diplomats stationed in the area are confronted with a moral predicament: obey direct orders from the Executive Branch to only evacuate US citizens and condemn their Southern Vietnamese allies to an unspeakable end OR ignore orders, risk treason, and save as many lives as they can.As someone born close to fifteen years after the end of the Vietnam War, the severity and desperation of that time is but a lesson from a history book for me. I am too young to know about Vietnam extensively, and unfortunately the American public education system rarely catches up to near-current history.The documentary, Last Days in Vietnam, lacks the minute details of a backstory in the opening of the film to catch uninformed viewers up to speed to fully comprehend the complete gravity of the situation during this time. Last Days in Vietnam pretty much wastes no time and jumps right in to the withdrawal of troops and consequential impacts upon the South Vietnamese. From then on it is a fast-paced and suspenseful account of the courageous and hopeless efforts to save civilians while expressing the genuine reverence US soldiers has and have for their allies, who the US government had no direct objective to rescue.Last Days in Vietnam is heart felt and comprehensive, detailing the accounts of those final days and weeks through video, pictures and first-hand personal narratives. The simultaneous use of real chronicles with video and photography makes for a powerful and engaging experience for the viewer.Though the film mentions in passing, the harsh reality and ultimate consequence of war, human lives, especially in the face of imminent conquering and defeat – it does not delve deeper. Nor does Last Days in Vietnam review those civilians who were unable to be rescued or had unresolved resentment toward the Americans for abandoning them. Without these key unexamined pieces, Last Days in Vietnam ends up feeling like an American propaganda documentary – informative but one-sided.Please check out our website for full reviews of all the recent releases and awards contenders.

A couple hours ago, I saw an interesting tweet. It seems that the Oscar-nominated documentary, "Last Days in Vietnam" is now available to watch for free online. Is there a catch? Yep. You need to live in the United States to view this film from Public Broadcasting. Once I learned that this film was financed by PBS and is part of their "American Experience" series, I was a bit surprised however. After all, these films are shown on television here in the States-- so they are not usually eligible for Oscar consideration, though they have received numerous awards such as the Emmy due to their exceptional quality. Apparently, a few "American Experience" films have been shown in theaters (most likely as part of a film festival) and that is why some have been eligible for the Academy Award. In fact, this is the fourth "American Experience" film to be nominated for the Oscar. "Last Days in Vietnam" is about the fall of South Vietnam for the North's forces in the Spring of 1975. And, because it's an American Experience film, it's told from the viewpoint of Americans as well as some of their South Vietnamese allies. However, this does not mean it will not be interesting to everyone. The story is compelling and you really don't need to be an American or Vietnamese in order to appreciate the story. It's an interesting topic as folks today really don't talk about this period in history and when I was teaching American history, our curriculum rarely talked about the South falling to the Communist forces in the North. Like a typical "American Experience" film it's told through lots and lots of interviews as well as stock footage as well as some computer models. It does not have narration--and I actually enjoyed this because instead of talking about what occurred, it lets people who were there explain it in their own words. And, like a typical show in the series, it's exceptionally well made and very interesting. It's clearly a very well made film. However, I would say that it's not necessarily better than any of the other shows in the series, as they are almost always exceptionally well made .So should this win the Oscar? Probably not, as I still prefer "Virunga"--and recommend you see it as well as "Last Days in Vietnam". I should also note that I have not yet seen two of the nominees, "CitzenFour" and "Salt of the Earth"--as finding these documentaries is not always easy. Hopefully I'll get to these before the awards are nominated and I'll update you on my recommendations.Here is the link. I have been told that it will only be available to see online for a limited time--so get to it as soon as you can: http://video.pbs.org/video/2365417082/