True story of U.S. Calvary troops who fought the first major American battle in Vietnam.

Graphic war violence, strategic action, heroic courage and dismal pain are the aspects that bring We Were Soldiers together. Gibson and Elliot are a nice fit as the experienced officers that lead the young men into battle. Count on at least a couple gut-wrenching scenes of war trauma and a bit of cat and mouse action to keep fans of the war genre intrigued.

The emotional struggle that went on with the soldiers' wives on the home front was not ignored in the story. In fact, it is of greater interest than how similar situations have been portrayed in other films. However, this is also the area were the film disappoints a bit. After a young mother learns of the death of her husband, there is little aftermath of this event shown. The script does a nice job of getting us to care for these characters, and lets us down a bit in this regard.

But if that's the film's major flaw, then we're still left with a fantastic war movie and an impressive effort in filmmaking.

Directed by Randall Wallace.