Purely Joyful Movie!

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

One of many tight budgeted, well acted films with a good cast and script produced by Australia back in the 70's and 80's and so absent today.This film shows the difference between Australian and US forces in Vietnam is mirrored in film production differences between the two countries. There are no huge explosions, flotillas of helicopters or A grade actors rather; characters that are believable and whose pain is felt when their comrades are killed.This is no fairytale either as only two of the main characters survive unscathed. All the others are either killed or (Bryan Brown) maimed beyond recognition.

When I first saw this movie I was convinced that the actors were in fact real SAS troopers who had been seconded to do a bit of acting. So realistic were their actions, behaviour and kit. Later of course I discovered they were all well-known Australian actors. If anyone wants to know what fighting in Vietnam was like, watch this film. It shows you how it should be done. One foot out of camp and all communication is by hand signals and whispers. Comparing this to some American units in Vietnam who actually went on patrol with transistor radios on their shoulders and you will quickly understand why the Australians did so well and overall the Americans did so badly.I vote this the best war movie ever made.

The posters have been accurate, but there are a couple of points to make.1) When Graham Kennedy made this, it was well past his crow imitating days - he was trying to crack into movies (and doing generally quite well)2) The original novel was based on the experiences of the author. That is how he saw his experiences in the SAS. The movie is an excellent adaptation. So when you ask if these guys would have stormed Kosovo, the answer is 'YES!' There is a very well done scene where they clear out a temple (i hope). This shows the true level of professionalism in the SAS at that time, despite all the nonsense they carry on with....3) What most war films don't do is the extreme boredom felt by soldiers between combat ... this film does do that. Even Saving Private Ryan didn't quite make it...4) Apart from those minor quibbles, I agreed with the reviewers... Find this film and watch it. While it is flawed, it is possibly the best Vietnam film, and the one with the least political baggage...

A really well constructed Australian film, that accurately portrays the Vietnam 'feeling' in this country. Best described as a sad thought provoking work, with some excellent and funny performances by the skilled cast. A low budget film that 'over achieves' its message.