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The Green Berets (1968) More at IMDbPro »

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119 comments in total

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107 out of 137 people found the following comment useful :-
About as viable as most Vietnam war movies, 16 January 2006
Author: ubercommando from London

No, seriously. "The Green Berets" is about as viable and creditable as "The Boys in Company C" or "Casualties of War". It's hard to find a Vietnam war movie that DOESN'T come full of distortions based on the film makers political agendas; it's just this time "The Green Berets" comes from the pro-involvement side.

We've heard the negatives about this movie, and most of them are basically correct but there are a few things to say that, if not positive, put the movie in a less negative light.

First, this isn't your usual piece about 19 year old conscripts being called up to fight in a war they don't understand. The real Special Forces are career professionals who have very high standards of training and discipline. "The Green Berets" isn't a movie about your average grunt; it's about commandos and a lot of the training, tactics and equipment is accurate for the time. The experience of the special forces in Vietnam was widely different from line conscripts; and they won a lot of victories.

Second, it was a bold move to make a movie about the Vietnam war whilst it was still going on. The movie was made shortly before the Tet Offensive of 1968 when the initiative was still with the US and South Vietnamese forces. This is a Vietnam war movie from the early part of the war...something "Platoon" falls down on is depicting the unit in a state of disorganisation, with the usual drug taking and indiscipline scenes that have become cliché, in 1967 when the reality was that discipline and cohesion in the field in '67 was a lot tighter. Stone depicts events that would not become common in front line troops until '69-'70. Yes, I know he served a tour of duty over there but a number of his fellow veterans have called his depiction of events into question.

Third, the early part of the movie with the relationships between US Special Forces officers and ARVN counterparts is fairly well done. The SF had been present in Vietnam from '62 onwards and by '67-'68 had built up a good working relationship with ARVN Ranger units (the only South Vietnamese army units that were well trained and led).

Now the pine tree issue. Well, I hate to break it to people but not all of Vietnam is palm trees and jungle. In the area of Cochinchina just north of Saigon and into the hilly Montangnard country, there are a lot of deciduous and evergreen trees. I was surprised to find this when doing research on the US 25th Infantry Division and finding a lot of their patrol area wasn't in jungle but hilly woodland. Pine trees maybe stretching things a little bit though but it's not impossible.

The politics. Yes, the Duke is on the right wing campaign trail but other film makers have used the Vietnam war to promote the liberal left agenda so I don't get why that is acceptable and an alternative view that doesn't conform to that is inherently wrong. The scene at the beginning of the movie has Aldo Ray explaining how China, Czechoslovakia and the Soviet Union were sending aid to North Vietnam...so Oliver Stone's assertions that the VC were self-liberating and proudly defiant are deeply wrong. The VC and NVA were tools of a communist regime that were being heavily supplied and subsidised by other Communist regimes. I'm not advocating that the US's involvement in a war in Vietnam was right, just that people understand the involvement of other nations as well.

For those who think this movie is bad because it doesn't depict American atrocities, drug taking and insubordination like other Vietnam war movies have merely bought into another set of falsehoods. This goes back to my original point; "The Green Berets" isn't particularly realistic...but then again, neither are most other movies about that war.

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69 out of 100 people found the following comment useful :-
Pine trees in Viet Nam, 1 November 2004
Author: jodyh54uk from Viet Nam

For the person who comments on there not being any pine trees in Viet Nam. (as shown in the'Green Berets') Have you ever been to Viet Nam? Sorry to inform you, but there ARE pine trees in Viet Nam. Try visiting Lam Dong Province and I am sure you will realize your comments are wrong. I am an American living and working here, and personally can attest to this. You must take time to study the geography and flora of this country and it will surprise you. In fact, there is desert here, just like you might see in Arizona. It lies between Phan Tiet and Nha Trang along the coast. Furthermore, if one converses with some of the former Vietnamese soldiers who fought along-side the US here, you will hear many stories of how they appreciated the US effort during the war. Many tell me a different story that the US did belong here. Before commenting-come and see for yourself.

Regards

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62 out of 88 people found the following comment useful :-
" A refreshing Change!", 30 January 2007

Author: unreasonableboy from Dallas, Texas

When I first saw the Green Berets back in the late 1970's early 80's it was widely criticized by contemporary film buffs as being jingoistic and 'gun ho'. Obviously, with John Wayne being the leading role, it only served to reinforce this view. Sure it is patriotic but no more than many of the WWII and Korean War films that were made in the 1950's and 1960's. So when recently I had a chance to see the movie, (the first time in over 15 years) what I noticed was that it was actually a refreshing change to the, anti- American, soul searching, self-loathing anti Vietnam war movies made from the late 1970's onwards.

If the Green Berets was guilty of overdoing the nobility, and righteousness of the Vietnam War, the later movies only served to give comfort to the anti-war, self-indulgent Vietnam movement years later. Apocalypse now, the Deer hunter, Platoon, etc., (you know the ones) are just a few of the movies that ignored the barbarism of both the Viet Cong and Khamer rouge in indo-china, conveniently overlook the global political realities of the time as well as unfairly mock the military.

Years later, the Green Berets actually offer a different viewpoint. If one is to keep it into perspective it comes across quite well as it highlights how the US was welcomed in many parts of Vietnam and how indifferent the North Vietnamese were to their own people. The millions of people murdered in the communist controlled parts of Indo-china during and after the American withdrawal are well documented. Check the movie out

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58 out of 83 people found the following comment useful :-
Hugely Misunderstood Film, 2 May 1999
Author: Bruce L. Jones (bjones@accex.net) from Southern California

It is probably impossible to assess the content of this film in other than the context in which it was developed and presented. My own first viewing was in 1968 a matter of mere weeks before having to report for duty in the US Armed Forces. At that time I did not know whether or not I would have to go to Viet Nam as many of my friends already had. Some had already been killed or wounded in action. In this context, the film is one I will never forget.

John Wayne made this as a political film in an attempt to counter the rising tide of what he and others like him saw as treasonous protests against the government and the military over the conflict in Viet Nam. This horrid almost-war was tearing many families apart in controversy. Wayne wanted to make a patriotic statement of support for the Armed Forces who had been so good to him. He was denied several attempts at enlistment in WWII and was classified 4F. He made films to support the allied war effort then and hoped to show support again even though this was never a real war. Instead he was widely ridiculed by a rabid leftist press.

Yes, the film was definitely not accurate in the way we have come to demand of today's films. Such accuracy may have been impossible in the political climate of the day. There was deep seated anger in the upper military echelon for not being allowed to wage an actual war. Every engagement between forces was won by the Americans, but they were forbidden from the beginning to the end from pressing an attack. The result was perhaps history's worst military "Catch 22"; fight and then wait for the enemy to regroup, rearm and reattack. I still know military people who hate the entire media for the brow-beating they gave the military and Congress, who - in turn - forbade the military from pressing more aggressive action.

Wayne was also attempting to counter people in the entertainment industry whom he and others considered traitors (then and still) such as Jane Fonda, who visited and spoke in support of North Viet Nam.

It was this climate Wayne stepped into. His effort was genuine but it resulted in a cameo of the war rather than something palpable. Something that good has yet to be made. Much of what went on, real high drama and touching personal stories, has been almost entirely ignored by Hollywood. Thus, this also remains one of the few films of the hugely controversial era.

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44 out of 60 people found the following comment useful :-
Reminds Me of Wayne's Other Movie - They Were Expendable, 30 May 2005

Author: electrictroy from United States

Although "They Were Expendable" is a better film overall, "Green Berets" is also quite good, and both movies have a lot in common.

- They show the enemy as the enemy - vicious killers.

- And they show Americans as being flawed, but good & brave.

- They were both made *during* the war.

- Which means the outcome was unknown - would we win or lose? - And finally, they show that the Americans are there to HELP - The Americans were helping the Filipinos in WW2's They Were Expendable, and the South Vietnamese in Green Berets. They both treat their Asian allies as equals (no racism here).

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Given all that, with movies that are nearly identical to one another in plot & purpose (rally the homefront to support the war), it seems odd the Green Berets is so hated, while They Were Expendable is so loved.

Having just watched both movies back-to-back on TCM and AMC, via Memorial Day marathons, I don't see why one is loved & the other hated. I thought John Wayne did an excellent job in both movies, and that both movies should be considered classics.

Bottom Line: If you have a chance to see either of these two movies, don't hesitate to sit down & enjoy them. They're definitely worth your time.

troy

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40 out of 53 people found the following comment useful :-
Give Credit Where Credit Is Due, 29 June 2000

Author: Doc23 from Callahan, Florida

This was a good movie regardless of the problems of special effects or location. I have always liked John Wayne and his bigger than life characters and this was no exception. It was suppose to be entertainment and it was then and still is now.

I also think it deserves credit for being one of the only movie during Vietnam depicting Vietnam. People say it was propaganda, maybe it was but it was also entertainment; besides, how many other films during other time periods were propaganda also? I admire Wayne's courage in going through with this project knowing how unpopular his beliefs were to many people. But even now as a young person I do not fault him one bit for doing what he believed in. Yes, I might be sappy but I like the song and I like the movie.

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36 out of 46 people found the following comment useful :-
Pro-Vietnam War, 15 February 2000

Author: hughbra (hmbtmynx@aol.com) from Aubrey, Texas

Probably the only major motion picture to actively support the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam conflict, John Wayne leads an elite team of Green Berets on a search-and-destroy mission to capture a leading NVA general. Well acted action film worthy of a look even if its sentiments might be a bit dated by today's standards.

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33 out of 42 people found the following comment useful :-
A movie that's better than the movie critics say, 5 February 1999

Author: jhawk-2 from Eastern Washington

Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide gave this movie a rating of BOMB.That is just so ridiculous. Clearly, too many movie reviewers let their anti-Vietnam war politics color their review of this movie. It has some pretty good action scenes and holds your interest the whole way through the movie, although the movie is a little long.This is not a great movie by any means, but it doesn't deserve the absolute ridicule that the mostly left-wing movie critics have given it. Even if you don't like the politics in the movie, I think you can still enjoy it as an action/war film.

One final thing about the movie. The movie critics enjoy making fun of the final scene where John Wayne and the Vietnamese boy walk on the beach as the sun sets in the east. It is patently unfair to single out this movie scene as bad movie-making. Hollywood takes artistic license with movie scenes all the time. Most ignorant actors don't even know how to give a proper military salute when they play a soldier. Settings and locations in movies often have no resemblance to the places they are trying to portray in real life.

In short, forget the politics and just enjoy this decent war movie on its own merits.

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30 out of 37 people found the following comment useful :-
excellent action film, 3 October 2006

Author: terriannjohnson from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

politics aside the green berets is an excellent action and war picture -yes its dated,yes its campy,yes its sometimes cheesy and borders on the unrealistic-the helicopter crash for example and unbelievable-But i still like this movie-and i am not really a fan of john Wayne,but i find this film to be one of his best war movies-if not the best.after doing some research on this film i discovered that the some parts of the film-the gung-ho speeches at the start, the fire base,the ruthlessness of the Viet Cong,the boobytraps,and the fire fights were pretty accurate portrayals.john Wayne actually asked president Johnson for the army's technical assistance and after looking over the script told Wayne he would have what he needed,the film was shot at Georgia's fort benning in the summer and fall of 1967.But be warned the second half of the films trumped up Vietnamese matahari secret commando mission is pure Hollywood hokum from another era and reeks of old cheese and is strangely remaniscent of the mission from the dirty dozen.

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33 out of 43 people found the following comment useful :-
Excellent Piece of Work !, 17 July 2000

Author: msuitgheavyarms from Ft Bragg, N.C

It was a very good movie and it had a plot like none other . To me this movie is very unique and tells the adventures of a Detachment literally dropped into a struggling Special Forces Camp . I liked the role of David Janssen as George Beckworth. At the beginning , he was a reporter thinking that the U.S Military Community shouldnt be involved in Southeast Asia, then after the basecamp is hit , we see him with a rifle now truly enlisted in the Army . Jim Hutton played a very good part in the movie , he really had the stuff to play the role of Seargeant Peterson though I dont understand why you get dropped in a hotzone after stealing from a Special Forces Group . The movie had no faults and should be one of the greatest movies of all time !

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