RyothChatty ridiculous rating

MamaGravity good back-story, and good acting

Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

saddlebumco This is a very good movie about the conditions advisers were confronted with early in Vietnam. Burt Lancaster payed a very good part, even at his age. This movie is heads and shoulders above the "Green Berets". Moc Hoa was an actual USSFG A camp in the delta, a Viet Cong stronghold. Little is shown of the actual camp, but the only issue in the movie is the jungle is at the camp entrance, never happen. That is easy to overlook due to the rest of the movie. The portrayal of the local VC supporters is accurate, friends by day, enemies at night. The bottom line is, you get a feeling what it was like very early in Vietnam, advising the Vietnamese army before it became "The American War". It brings back memories of being in A team 414 at Moc Hoa.

raycib-1 As one who served as an MACV adviser (1965) and later in the infantry in Vietnam (1966), I can only echo those that say this is the best Vietnam film ever made. The cast is excellent. Johnathan Goldsmith was right on with his burnt out NCO portrayal. The overall tone of the film was perfect. This film had no political ax to grind and showed the situation we found ourselves in on a daily basis. No other film about Vietnam comes close to the truth as this one does. Burt Lancaster's best performance since "7 Days in May". Ted Post was never given the credit he richly deserves for his direction. Craig Wasson showed what a "rookie" was up against being thrown into an overwhelming spot. Everyone looked the part of a MACV adviser. I can speak to that from the position of: "Been there, done that, got the T shirt"

sol ***There are Spoilers*** Based on the 1967 Daniel Ford novel "Incident at Muc Wa" the movie "Go Tell the Spartans" shows how the US got slowly drawn into the disastrous Vietnam War in thinking it was both winnable and a noble cause when it fact, as history has shown us, it was anything but.The film starts in that fateful summer of 1964 when the US Military had only an advisory involvement in helping the South Vietnamese Government in its war against the insurgent Communist Vietcong, known as Charlie to the GI's, who were overrunning the country. Maj. Asa Barker, Burt Lancaster, who had served his country in two previous wars, WWII & Korea, is in charge of a South Vietnamese outpost in the Mekong River Delta that's surrounded by hundreds of Vietcong irregulars. The Major is desperately short of both men and ammunition to hold off the Vietcong who are trying cut off his supply lines and then overrun his weakly defended outpost.With the handful of men, both US GI's and local RVN troops, at his disposable Maj. Barker knows that it's only a matter of time before the determined and tenacious Vietcong will achieve their objective. The GI's at the outpost are either green recruits, one being a draftee, or burned out veterans who, despite their superiority in air and fire power, are in no way any match for the seasoned battle hardened Vietcong. The one thing that both Maj. Barker and his Vietnamese interpreter Cowboy, Even C. Kim, knows is that the fight is not only with the Vietcong but most of the Vietnamese population in that area who are not only sympathetic towards the enemy but are in fact the enemy-Vietcong-itself!***SPOILERS*** We get to see in the movie just how totally unprepared the US was in fighting the war for the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese people in the persons of both high and ethically minded Lt. Hamilton, Joe Unger, and Cpl. Courcey, Craig Wesson. It was their high-mindedness, unlike Maj. Barker and Cowboys pragmatic common sense, that lead to the disastrous results that was to soon follow in the movie! One of the best Vietnam War films ever made and at the same time one of the most overlooked. The fact that "Go Tell the Spartans" was made-three years after the war ended-when the wounds of the Vietnam War were barley healed had the movie going Amercan public in no mood to go see it. Even though the film was about as accurate as a description of why and how we got involved in that disastrous war, against the sound advice of men like Maj, Barker, as any movie about the subject that's ever been released! Before and after the Vietnam War ended!Burt Lancaster loved the script so much that he contributed $150,000.00 out of his own pocket to finance "Go Tell the Spartans" when it's budget ran out with a couple days left to be filmed. Lancaster also disregarded a serious knee injury he suffered in order for him to star in the movie which had him limping all throughout the film!

Poseidon-3 This low-key, but thoughtful, examination of the early stages of The Vietnam War offers up a few clichés, but also does a nice job of presenting the conditions and experiences of the soldiers involved in it. Lancaster plays a rebellious Major, assigned to the disbursement of various soldiers in the field who are meant to aid and advise the South Vietnamese in their quest for democracy. Singer plays his cocky sidekick, a Captain with eyes on advancement. When they are instructed to set up a garrison at an abandoned site called Muc Wa, they send in a rag tag assortment of soldiers who don't always compliment each other. Wasson is an idealistic youth who tends to see only the good in people. Goldsmith is a grizzled veteran on the edge of burnout. Unger is placed in charge of the mission, but must overcome a troublesome physical reaction to the surroundings. Howard is a drug addict, assigned as medic. They are assisted by the hotheaded and brutal, but effective, native soldier Kim. Meanwhile, Lancaster is pestered by an efficiency expert-type (Clennon) who uses a computer to assess which areas of the conflict are most susceptible to attack. Other roles include Hong, as an elderly Vietnamese recruit and Kumagai, as a demure local girl who takes a shine to Wasson. Though the film is serious in it's approach to the material, it isn't without doses of humor, mostly coming from Lancaster and his offhand approach to the warmongering around him. He has a combative relationship with his no-nonsense superior Sweet and a flustered rapport with his ever-casual communications officer Hicks. Eventually, the events turn more toward the dramatic as it becomes clear that Muc Wa is going to be targeted by the Communist troops. Lancaster does a nice job in a role that suits his confident persona. The rest of the cast is solid as well with many of the actors enjoying lengthy TV and film careers afterwards. Goldsmith (best known as J.R.'s favorite private investigator on "Dallas") gets what is probably his best showcase ever here and rises to the occasion. Each of them, however, gets his chance to shine. A rather low budget gives the film a certain lack of polish, but also helps keep it rather grounded and prevents it from becoming an operatic, over the top epic as some war films have become.