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The Green Berets (1968)

Rate: 4
Viewed: 3/16

GreenBerets
3/16: You can watch the fat, old John Wayne, a WWII draft dodger, kill Viet Cong in The Green Berets, a film that's often regarded as the first about the Vietnam War.

Unfortunately, the whole thing is bland and runs far too long. I've gotten no idea what's going on in most scenes. Characters come and go, but I can't recall their names or faces except for George Takei because of his Star Trek connection. That's why Platoon is such a great picture because of so many memorable characters.

All I see is John Wayne acting like a director by telling his men to get in position. Also, he went so far to request military assistance to create lots of fireworks which he did get. Many Vietnam vets have lambasted The Green Berets for being inaccurate in details. A reviewer from IMDb explains the following:

"The war was all heat and sweat and dirt and bugs—we were all down sick with something mostly. I never got to see the enemy up close alive, they were just blurs through the bush. Sometimes I didn't even look at them, I just pulled the trigger and hoped I kept breathing. The locals hated us—even those who wanted us to stay and fight for them, so they wouldn't have to do it themselves. They kept trying to sell us cheap dope, cheap girls, and rancid meat, telling us it was 'local cooking.' It was clear that, behind their fear of us, their [sic] was a real contempt. The first three months, I thought I was fighting for my country; then all I was fighting for was to get home."

Psst, John...the sun sets in the west, you fucking racist idiot.

All in all, I had expected to laugh a lot while watching The Green Berets, but I came away bored to tears.