Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

Smartorhypo Highly Overrated But Still Good

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Cissy Évelyne It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

navy_mo I was fortunate enough to see this film at its sneak preview in Dallas a few years ago. This is a truly great film. The POWs featured tell their amazing, inspiring stories. They describe in graphic detail the hardships they endured, and the tremendous measures they took to survive and persevere. It also tells the stories of their families waiting at home. These men exemplified the core values of our nation's military. By the end of the film, nearly the entire audience, which was almost exclusively comprised of grown men, was in tears. Every American should see this film. This film solidifies the debt we owe to so many.

lou-50 Men face the camera and recant their prisoner of war ordeal over thirty years ago yet their voice and mannerism do not betray any animosity nor cry for retribution. Instead there is humility and a surprising resilience and sanity you would hardly expect from men isolated and tortured by North Vietnamese soldiers, some for as long as eight years. The remarkable film, "Return With Honor", chronicles in no uncertain terms about the strength of the American character and the steadfastness to pride and dignity then and now, embodied in young cadets schooled at the Air Force Academy. It is a tale of young, determined airmen who leave their families behind to fight a war they hardly understood. Their missions are already known to the Viet Cong and they become easy prey to enemy fire. Those who survive are marched around unceremoniously as war propaganda. One black airman is singled out for dishonor so as to break the morale of fellow black soldiers fighting in South Vietnam while another pilot, highly publicized in the cover of ‘Time Magazine' is made to look utterly powerless. They are put in the tombs of the ‘Hanoi Hilton' where their spirits are broken by their own torture as well as the horrific screams of the fellow pilots. Imprisoned, they learn to fight back. They develop their own communication with a 5x5 alphabetic code and their leaders, Risner, Denton, and Stockdale stand steadfast in their code of honor. Upon realization that they will not go home soon, they develop a shield epitomized by ‘tough luck' - getting use to confinement. One man builds a house in his mind and repeatedly goes over the specifications while another memorizes all the squalor and humiliation that he will later painfully sketch out on canvas. They memorize all 260 names of fellow pilots so that they can keep track of each other. They defiantly tell the world about their predicament, one blinks out in Morse Code the word ‘torture' as he is publicly displayed, another has both his middle fingers extended even as he bows in submission, while another writes to his wife about the ‘darkness at noon', his cryptic warning of his plight. Repeated attempts to escape only land them back in confinement with more torture while, ironically, they later refuse early release because to do so would be to return without honor. Finally with the Paris Peace Accords, they are released. One man asked for a steak and 19 fried eggs and others cannot sleep on mattresses with clean sheets because they have had only concrete and wooden boards. Yet these men, robbed of productive years of their lives, are not embittered. One learns that a survivor of Auschwitz is greeting them and states he should be greeting her. They moved ahead with their lives - one (Pete Petersen) comes back as the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam, another (John McCain) is a U.S. Senator, another (James Stockdale) becomes a Vice-Presidential Candidate. What makes "Return With Honor" a great film is that no one had to act their roles to give us a remarkable portrait of courageous Americans - by their mere retelling, they speak volumes about their steadfast character.

George Carr I saw this film in March 1999 at the Cleveland International Film Festival, and was blown away. Remarkably candid, disturbing, and honest revelations from Vietnam veterans about their captivity and release, combined with remarkable archival footage of the prisoners from the war, made this film touching and inspiring. The directors are both previous Oscar winners, and this film shows their experience and skill in the medium. Wonderful film about a difficult topic, told by the veterans themselves.

squab An incredible doc interweaving interviews with P.O.W.s with amazing footage from the Vietnam war. Interviews include Arizona Senator John McCain & Ross Perot's Veep James Stackpole.Really charasmatic storytellers and first rate production really make this movie an entirely riveting experience. How the hell did they get this footage? Very American (and patriatic film).Would have liked to heard some of the Vietnamese's perspective but after all...it is the P.O.W.'s story. Very very engaging docu