The Green Berets (1968, G)

Directed by: John Wayne

Grade: C

John Wayne's war film (one of the first dealing with Vietnam), the Green Berets, was one of the most controversial films released at its time.  During the 60s, America was engulfed in a new war with North Vietnam.  Public attitudes towards the war were negative, but Wayne supported the war as he believed it stood for America’s freedom and for helping other countries, namely South Vietnam, win their independence as well. 

I agree with the Duke on that standpoint, but the last thing I want to do is turn this movie review into my political opinions on matters that have already passed.  Anyway, the Green Berets almost glorifies the war as a whole, and if I had made this film, I don’t think I would have gone that far.  But that’s not the central problem of the film.  The central problem is that the Green Berets is not very well performed at all, especially during the combat sequences, which are not convincing one bit.  At times, it almost feels like cowboys and Indians played out as modern warfare, the American soldiers the cowboys and the North Vietnamese the Indians.  As a result, the movie never really visually depicts the horror of the Vietnam War and what our servicemen really did go through.  Everything seems so stagy throughout the picture. 

I did, however, say visually depicts the horror of the Vietnam War.  It does through some of the dialogue depict the horror.  There are two scenes where there is heated discussion into the crimes committed by the enemy (North Vietnam), and there are two scenes where the Duke’s character goes into his own little monologue about that and why America is here in Vietnam in the first place.  Believe me; these two scenes are absolutely necessary to the picture. The characters also at least have some form of definition to them, and I am proud to report that I was actually a little sorry for the kid in the end when he learns his new friend, an American soldier, has been killed in action. 

The Green Berets is a very mixed bag.  It has what one might call straight intentions for the American people, but it never really could entirely live up for what it stood for.  From the infantryman’s point of view on the war in Nam, the Green Berets fails desolately, but fortunately, it’s obvious that this is a somewhat of a personal film for the Duke.  He grants a few commanding moments in his performance, and that alone shows that he cared for this movie a lot more than any of us did.

Quick Note: why this movie received a G rating from the MPAA I don’t know.  The movie contains a few bloody scenes that in my opinion should at least garner a PG.