So much average

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

I stumbled on this film while browsing YouTube. The documentary is brilliantly and provocatively shot as it ventures into the dark journey for many American GI's that was Vietnam. The innate instinct to kill is explored with brutal honesty. At times, the film suggest an almost moral relativism "on killing" - in that moral choices become the product of time, place, circumstances and the unique experience of every individual. Without moral judgment, the film explores and suggests the genetic memory that lives within us all, a capability to kill that implies consequences far outside the Vietnam experience. This is a must watch film.

This documentary blew my mind! By its content, but also by the way it's presented.In between the interviews you get to see shots that make the mood of this documentary just right for its content. A bird of prey, a toy soldier and tourists visiting old tunnels. Every shot is well balanced and fits right in.Since it is a documentary, its content is equally important as the way it is presented. And that's just the thing where this documentary stands out. You get to see people who liked being in Vietnam, people who don't want to go back because they can't kill people over there anymore. And every word is told honestly, without shame, pure and therefore exciting and alarming. Fundamental questions about mankind rose on me after seeing this. Will people ever stop fighting wars when there are people who love every second off it? Is it wrong to love war? Would I be able to like it?This documentary made me think and still does occasionally. Just see it and be surprised about mankind!Together with 'The fog of war' this documentary is a must-see for those who are interested in Vietnam.

The common war documentary only brings forth the horror and sadness of war and excludes things that might change that simple analysis.This documentary on the contrary, includes the horror and disgust of war, but it also, importantly, stands out to be one of the few documentaries I have ever seen, too explain what I call: 'the libido of war' (which I did not know existed in war). This is done in an exquisite manner by portraying soldiers of the Vietnam War telling the stories of their 'private agendas' out in the jungle.For a viewer interested in the odd and at the same time open for new perspectives on all matters, this movie is a must see!I can actually understand the poor rating of the film, the movie could be done in a faster pace, 'yes', more interviews, yes, and more facts, yes. But the the movie is 'new' in a very specific way, and just for that, it deserves at least 7 out of 10.