Don’t get me wrong. There are great scenes in here, especially in the film’s second and third act. But it’s just surrounded by dull and uninteresting material. The first act goes on for far too long, and the film’s pacing is unnecessarily sluggish. Overall, this is a film that simply didn’t age well, especially when so many other better films about Vietnam would be made in its wake (Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, Born on the Fourth of July). It might be interesting to watch if you want to understand the Zietgeist of the late 70s with regards to Vietnam, or if you simply want to be a Best Picture completionist, but other than that, there’s not enough that’s great here to warrant a recommendation.
Rating: 3/5
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