De Oppresso Liber - To Free the Oppressed - Motto of the Green Berets

Beginning with the thundering snare drums that open the film, viewers of the Warner Brothers Widescreen DVD are in for an action lover's treat as they view Actor/Director John "Duke" Wayne's take on the early stages of the Vietnam War.

The Green Berets were established in the Cold War era to fight unconventional wars, acting as cadres to train local nationals into an effective fighting force in opposition to communism exported by the Soviet Union and Red China. Each member has a specific job and members are cross trained in necessary skills so they have coverage in the event the team must be split or in case of mishap.

The film opens at Ft. Bragg, SC at a press briefing on the U.S. Special Forces Green Berets. After introducing themselves a pair of the Special Forces team (Aldo Ray and Raymond St. Jacques) remain behind to field questions. The press immediately begins to question why the U.S. is involved in Vietnam. While outwardly appearing to be a knuckle-dragging Neanderthal, Master Sergeant Muldoon (Ray) gives the press an impressive and erudite civics lesson that they cannot refute, much to their chagrin, and Sergeant McGee (St. Jacques) explains the communist threat in terms that bring it right home to the sanctimonious and mainly left-wing journalists. For once, the press is left speechless!

Wanting to have the last word, journalist George Beckworth (David Jansen) buttonholes Colonel Mike Kirby (John Wayne) who has been observing the exchange from the sidelines. "Why are we in Vietnam?" he wants to know. Kirby simply asks Beckworth if he has ever been to Southeast Asia, and after admiting he hasn't, Beckworth slinks off.

Soon after, Col. Kirby and his Green Berets are in Da Nang and who shows up but reporter George Beckworth, ashamed because he was writing about things he had no knowledge of. Beckworth tags along with Kirby who, at Beckworth's insistence, takes him out to a half finished firebase.

At first arrogant and questioning motives, Beckworth begins to change his views after he discovers Viet Cong (VC) have infiltrated and live on the firebase along with the Green Berets, South Vietnamese Army (ARVN), and Montagnards. When Muldoon discovers an ARVN pacing off the compound for mortar targets, Beckworth demands "What about due process, colonel?" "Out here, due process is a bullet," says Kirby, handing Beckworth a Zippo lighter found on the ARVN. The engraved lighter had been the property of a Green Beret recently found beheaded in the jungle nearby.

A full-scale night attack by the VC, where a lieutenant is killed saving Beckworth's life finally pushes his loyalties wholeheartedly over to the American side. Beckworth becomes part of a mortar crew and fights the entire night and into the next day until the Americans abandon the firebase. After the good guys are clear, Puff, the Magic Dragon, a C-130 Hercules aircraft, turns its battery of Vulcan cannons loose on the firebase in a display that would do justice to Sam Peckinpah. At 6,000 rounds per minute, the Vulcans tear up the ground at the rate of one bullet per square foot. Nothing is left alive on the firebase and the Americans reclaim it.

Colonel Kirby's Green Berets also participate in a covert operation in enemy territory, showing another facet to the employment of U.S. Special Forces. There is a goodly amount of pro-American sentiment, as in all John Wayne war movies, and it is pleasurable to watch the Duke's tribute to the U.S. Army Special Forces.

The Direction by John Wayne was well done and it caught a lot of the nuances of Army life that would only be known to one who was there. Typical of the attention to detail was the stilted language used by the Army trainers during the initial press briefing, they sounded like the real McCoy. The night attack was very well conceived and photographed. Another feature typical of Wayne's direction is the sentimentality, which he probably learned from John Ford, his longtime director. Each character has a well-defined personality and it hurts the viewer when they are killed. The booby traps that so often are a feature of the terrain look deadly. The special effects vary between somewhat amateurish (helicopter crash) and incredible (booby traps, explosions).

The acting is well done. Wayne at 60 is a bit old perhaps to play Colonel Kirby, but he does a much more vigorous and convincing job of playing a soldier than Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now. Jim Hutton, Raymond St. Jacques, Mike Henry, and Aldo Ray are a few of the Green Berets, while Jack Soo and George Takei play some of the leading ARVNs.

Probably the reason The Green Berets provoked so much controversy when it was released in 1968 was its unabashed pro-American viewpoint, something that did not sit well with the media elite, then or now. Because John Wayne refused to apologize for his patriotism the critics panned the film, making mountains out of minor flaws like any film has. The same critics gave high marks to Platoon, Full Metal Jacket, and Apocalypse Now because of their left-leaning viewpoints, ignoring their flaws, especially in the latter two films.

The Warner Brothers DVD is released in 2.35: 1 Widescreen. The color is very well preserved and the sound is also very good in the 142-minute film. There is a featurette concerning the making of the film, film notes, actor biographies, and theatrical trailer included on the disk.

Altogether, The Green Berets gives a good view of the life of a soldier and will appeal to Action fans as well as fans of the immortal John Wayne. The DVD is bargain priced at under $10.00 and is well worth having in your collection.

Some more Vietnam War films you may wish to see:

We Were Soldiers

Apocalypse Now

Platoon

Full Metal Jacket

Go Tell The Spartans

Happy viewing!



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening