An exceptionally good documentary. I love documentaries and rented this because it got good reviews and I didn't know a huge amount about the Vietnam war. I wasn't disappointed. There is no real narrative and no commentary, but this documentary conveys the horrors of the Vietnam war expertly.
This film uses war footage, interviews with soldiers, politicians, parents, victims, and is expertly edited in a way that the horror of the Vietnam war, is felt with a tangible force.
It's interesting, and heartbreaking to watch in the context of current events. American presidents lied to their citizens, waged war on false pretexts, started wars they didn't know how to finish and served untold horrors onto innocent people 30 years ago, and yet current administrations don't seem to have learnt a hell of a lot. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if they recycled some of the speeches from back then - some of them sound depressingly familiar!
It's a painful film to watch but its a worthwhile exercise. I can't say I 'enjoyed' it, but I was never bored. It's too easy to forget the human tragedy that accompanies the decisions to go to war, and it's the kind of film that people should watch lest they forget just how raw and destructive war is.