Released in 1978, "Go Tell the Spartans" stars Burt Lancaster as Maj. Barker, the CO of a remote outpost in Vietnam in 1964, when America was still only functioning in an advisory capacity. Barker and his executive officer, Captain Olivetti (Marc Singer), receive four new replacements whom they send to garrison the deserted "village" of Muc Wa deep in the jungle. One of the replacements is draftee Cpl. Courcey (Craig Wasson). Then the Viet Cong attack.
People wanting a conventional war flick should skip this one because, as noted above, Americans were still functioning as military advisors at this early stage, not that there isn't any war action; just that "Go Tell the Spartans" establishes the situation in Vietnam before the USA entered into all-out war.
I like this movie and it provides some good insights about the War, but I can't in good conscience give it a higher rating because I don't want to mislead people into thinking it's better than what it is. For one, it's noticeably low-budget compared to "Apocalypse Now" (1979), "Platoon" (1986), "Casualties of War" (1989) and "We Were Soldiers" (2002). Secondly, it's not as compelling as any of these movies, not to mention it's burdened by a lame, dated score. It's also too talky, which wouldn't be an issue if the dialogue were more interesting.
Despite these criticisms there are numerous positives: It shows what happens when you transplant American youths from the safe haven of the USA into a war-burdened country on the other side of the world where the hardened enemy is literally entrenched in the ground and has been fighting for almost a decade before the Americans even arrived. It's not just a case of culture shock, but also brutal war shock, and the movie successfully shows this. I also like how a certain character makes a stand in the third act, which enlightens someone else and spurs a life-changing decision. Nevertheless, it's a lesser Vietnam War flick and overrated in some circles.
The movie runs 114 minutes and was shot in Valencia, California.
GRADE: C+
People wanting a conventional war flick should skip this one because, as noted above, Americans were still functioning as military advisors at this early stage, not that there isn't any war action; just that "Go Tell the Spartans" establishes the situation in Vietnam before the USA entered into all-out war.
I like this movie and it provides some good insights about the War, but I can't in good conscience give it a higher rating because I don't want to mislead people into thinking it's better than what it is. For one, it's noticeably low-budget compared to "Apocalypse Now" (1979), "Platoon" (1986), "Casualties of War" (1989) and "We Were Soldiers" (2002). Secondly, it's not as compelling as any of these movies, not to mention it's burdened by a lame, dated score. It's also too talky, which wouldn't be an issue if the dialogue were more interesting.
Despite these criticisms there are numerous positives: It shows what happens when you transplant American youths from the safe haven of the USA into a war-burdened country on the other side of the world where the hardened enemy is literally entrenched in the ground and has been fighting for almost a decade before the Americans even arrived. It's not just a case of culture shock, but also brutal war shock, and the movie successfully shows this. I also like how a certain character makes a stand in the third act, which enlightens someone else and spurs a life-changing decision. Nevertheless, it's a lesser Vietnam War flick and overrated in some circles.
The movie runs 114 minutes and was shot in Valencia, California.
GRADE: C+