This film introduces familiar characters and develops them as examples of how losing someone to Vietnam (even if they came home) changed the lives of much of our country. The characters are not "important" figures and the film's impact is greater for displaying how common were those experiences. Bruce Willis' acting is superb and John Terry's character may be the most haunting.
34 Reviews
Low-key drama about Vietnam survivors and the teen daughter of one who died in the war
Wuchakk24 May 2019
A 17 year-old girl from western Kentucky (Emily Lloyd) lives with her Vietnam vet uncle (Bruce Willis) while dating a couple of guys (Kevin Anderson & John Terry). She seeks to know more about her father who died in the war when she was in the womb. Joan Allen plays her mother who lives in Lexington while Judith Ivey is on hand as a nurse semi-involved with the uncle.
"In Country" was one of three PTSD Vietnam flicks released in 1989, which also include "Jacknife" and "Born on the 4th of July." "Jacknife" is my favorite while "Born on the 4th of July" is harrowing in its portrayal of the ugly, awful truth. This one takes the understated route and is therefore the most obscure. It's a slice-of-life drama about coming-of-age for the teen and learning of her heritage, but also about vets coming to terms with their time in Vietnam and finding healing.
It's muted yet successfully brings you into the small town world of middle America. You gotta respect a movie that refuses to exaggerate. I watched it right after the death of a precious loved one and it was just what I needed. There are gems to mine.
The film runs 1 hour and 54 minutes and was mostly shot in the Mayfield area of western Kentucky.
GRADE: B-/C+
"In Country" was one of three PTSD Vietnam flicks released in 1989, which also include "Jacknife" and "Born on the 4th of July." "Jacknife" is my favorite while "Born on the 4th of July" is harrowing in its portrayal of the ugly, awful truth. This one takes the understated route and is therefore the most obscure. It's a slice-of-life drama about coming-of-age for the teen and learning of her heritage, but also about vets coming to terms with their time in Vietnam and finding healing.
It's muted yet successfully brings you into the small town world of middle America. You gotta respect a movie that refuses to exaggerate. I watched it right after the death of a precious loved one and it was just what I needed. There are gems to mine.
The film runs 1 hour and 54 minutes and was mostly shot in the Mayfield area of western Kentucky.
GRADE: B-/C+
A good gift for all the American soldiers !
johnng4519 March 2004
I like this movie very much. It's a real good movie ! Every part of the film is so real.The war seems nobody wants to remember.The movie's of a family face to cure the wounds of Vietnam. It catches the thrill of war and the disillusionment of soldiers. It'd be a good present for the Vietnam soldiers !The movie cures some retired American soldiers and their family. We have Bruce Willis , Emily Lloyd & Joan Allen on the movie, and this is another good Bruce Willis movie I ever seen before. He acts successfully to be a reclusive vet! If you don't claim for traditional Hollywood movies, this movie would suit u to watch. God bless the American soldiers !
Sam graduates from high school in Kentucky, then tries to find out who her father was.
TxMike17 February 2002
"In Country" is what soldiers called being in Viet Nam during the war, thus the title of this 1989 film. Emily Lloyd, an 18-year-old English actress credibly plays Sam (Samantha) who is being raised by her uncle (Bruce Willis) while her mother (Jane Allen) lives elsewhere in Kentucky. Sam wonders about her father, who was killed in Viet Nam right before she was born. She found old letters of his to her mom, and this sparks her interest in finding out more about him. The film ends when she finds his name in D.C. at the memorial.
I was drafted in 1968, and only a medical disqualification kept me out of Viet Nam. I'm certain that some of my college buddies, and ROTC mates, went and never returned. For us who remember those times this is an especially meaningful film. It is slow moving in many places, but well-done and perhaps deserving of a bit higher rating on the IMDb.
This is one of the many older movies now being released as budget DVDs. It sold for under $6. It is very basic, no extras, no surround sound. Still, the picture is very true, in fullscreen, and the sound is above average. Includes some good Bruce Springsteen.
I was drafted in 1968, and only a medical disqualification kept me out of Viet Nam. I'm certain that some of my college buddies, and ROTC mates, went and never returned. For us who remember those times this is an especially meaningful film. It is slow moving in many places, but well-done and perhaps deserving of a bit higher rating on the IMDb.
This is one of the many older movies now being released as budget DVDs. It sold for under $6. It is very basic, no extras, no surround sound. Still, the picture is very true, in fullscreen, and the sound is above average. Includes some good Bruce Springsteen.
History and solace. (spoilers)
vertigo_146 May 2005
I had trouble establishing any meaningful connection to the characters in this film, presumably because of a lack of connection to those who fought (and lived or died) in Vietnam. The story here is primarily that of Samantha Hughes (a flamboyant and somewhat over-confident young woman played well by Emily Lloyd) and her jaded (or hardened?) uncle, Emmett Smith (Bruce Willis). This movie, to some extent, reminded me of the uneasy relationship between Randy Quaid and Ilan-Mitchell Smith's characters in "The Wild Life" where Smith's character misunderstood the war and idolized his veteran buddy (played by Randy Quaid) who apparently desperately wanted to forget it. Emily Lloyd's character is not quite as naive, but in reminiscing about her late father, wondering what kind of soldier he was, she does display a certain degree of similar tendencies. The ending of the film, on the other hand, is more like a slight tribute to those who died as the family visit the Vietnam memorial (the events in this movie are somewhat non-linear and scattered).
Not an overall bad movie, but not a great one either simply for lack of a clear story and probably, not such great development of characters (though I do commend Lloyd's performance).
Not an overall bad movie, but not a great one either simply for lack of a clear story and probably, not such great development of characters (though I do commend Lloyd's performance).
plot meanders
SnoopyStyle17 November 2018
It's high school graduation day for Sam Hughes (Emily Lloyd) in Hopewell, Kentucky. Her father died in Vietnam. Her mother Irene has a new family. Sam has been living with her struggling unemployed Vietnam vet uncle Emmett Smith (Bruce Willis). She discovers a box of her father's letters. Emmett and the other vets are less than willing to discuss the war seriously.
Is it weird that the most memorable aspect of the movie are Emily's flailing arms on her runs? That's all I remember from so long ago. I guess not since she's so cute and the plot meanders around seemingly without much of a destination. The odd thing is that the movie always has a specific destiny. It should have stated out loud and be the driving force from the start. I recently watched this again. Emily's energetic spark lights up her performance. I do wonder if this could become Bruce Willis' movie or the opposite making Emmett played by a lesser known actor. I'd probably prefer the second option. He can't help but be Bruce Willis no matter how hard he tries. I think his character needs to be darker and more depressed. He would have more room to grow as a character. Most of all, the movie needs a goal or a destination. The plot goes nowhere for a long time. It's like her dream of escaping her small town. At times, I wonder if the movie could pull it off. This meandering story is not Norman Jewison's best.
Is it weird that the most memorable aspect of the movie are Emily's flailing arms on her runs? That's all I remember from so long ago. I guess not since she's so cute and the plot meanders around seemingly without much of a destination. The odd thing is that the movie always has a specific destiny. It should have stated out loud and be the driving force from the start. I recently watched this again. Emily's energetic spark lights up her performance. I do wonder if this could become Bruce Willis' movie or the opposite making Emmett played by a lesser known actor. I'd probably prefer the second option. He can't help but be Bruce Willis no matter how hard he tries. I think his character needs to be darker and more depressed. He would have more room to grow as a character. Most of all, the movie needs a goal or a destination. The plot goes nowhere for a long time. It's like her dream of escaping her small town. At times, I wonder if the movie could pull it off. This meandering story is not Norman Jewison's best.
The Vietnam war used strictly for sentiment...
moonspinner558 March 2009
Modern-day story has an inquisitive young teen unearthing the past and discovering the father she never knew by reading his diary; he died in combat before her birth, and the girl's interest spurs her war-scarred uncle to take her on an emotional visit to the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial. Opening in late September 1989, this film was touted in all the major newspapers as Bruce Willis' Oscar role (though he was overlooked by the Academy when the time came). Seen today, the picture doesn't seem to have any purpose except to showcase the actor's range (limited as it is) and also to squeeze dry the remaining emotions left behind by the Vietnam experience--Hollywood style. Emily Lloyd, as the kid in question, and Peggy Rea, as Mamaw, are tiresome copies of distinctly old-fashioned archetypes--the wise juvenile and the salty matriarch--used over and over in similar movie scenarios since WWII (and probably beyond). Norman Jewison directed, without an ounce of honest inspiration. Whatever discussions or suspicions are addressed in the script, they're pretty much forgotten by the finale--which does everything just shy of saluting. *1/2 from ****
Bruce Springsteen Propaganda
caspian197821 October 2023
A dead end girl in a dead end town graduates from high school and begins to reflect on the Father she never knew. Considering college, while also considering getting a car and dumoing her boyfriend, In Country is a failed attempt for everything. With a backdrop of a southern town where every white male in thir 30's wants to have sex with Smantha, who, is a recent high school graduate with no job, no skills, no direction and has Daddy issues. Her pointless post sex scene and endless attempts to run around town wearing shorts and tank top adds nothing to her struggle as a character. Emily Lloyd does not capture any audience who would care about her story. With that said, Bruce Willis is the only character worth watching and he is hardly in the movie. Which makes you question thoughout the movie, what the hell is this a story about? Vietnam? A coming of age story about an 18 year old girl? A town called Hopewell where there is no hope and nobody is well? This movie is beneath Norman Jewison who tries to tell a story with a plot and characters that fall flat.
Poorly directed and cut
pocomarc10 December 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Overall a failure as a movie.
Several times at the start the film dies before it has even gotten started: at the very start; at the high school graduation; at the repetitive scenes of the girl running.
Not a good way to start a movie.
The main character certainly fooled me. I would not have guessed she was British.
The only scenes of interest were those dealing with the veterans. The war scenes were pathetically done.
A half-hearted effort by a poor director.
Stay away from this one.
Several times at the start the film dies before it has even gotten started: at the very start; at the high school graduation; at the repetitive scenes of the girl running.
Not a good way to start a movie.
The main character certainly fooled me. I would not have guessed she was British.
The only scenes of interest were those dealing with the veterans. The war scenes were pathetically done.
A half-hearted effort by a poor director.
Stay away from this one.
"C'mon! No one's that southern!" - Tom Servo, MST3k 'Squirm.'
thesar-28 September 2019
30th Anniversary: 1989 - the Best Year in Cinema Marathon Film #70/100: "In Country" (1st Viewing.)
This gurl is. She's so Southern, I believe the title is referencing her. But, besides her accent, there's really not much more. Well, PTSD from 'Nam a decade past and the Suthern Gal's quest to learn about her daddy's life during and previous to the conflict.
It's okay. Not really sure what this movie was about, except her journey to learn about her poppa and taking care of everyone around her. Oh, and buying a car.
Yeah, that's some major plot point. I guess.
This gurl is. She's so Southern, I believe the title is referencing her. But, besides her accent, there's really not much more. Well, PTSD from 'Nam a decade past and the Suthern Gal's quest to learn about her daddy's life during and previous to the conflict.
It's okay. Not really sure what this movie was about, except her journey to learn about her poppa and taking care of everyone around her. Oh, and buying a car.
Yeah, that's some major plot point. I guess.
Very true to Appalachia
jrappold23 February 2002
While many of the comments here have voiced distaste for Emily Lloyd's performance, I've found it , along with the Grandmother, to be very true to Appalachia...I taught many, many students who talked like Sam, and had her personality traits.
The people of Appalachia built this country by working the coal mines and steel mills, and in a very real sense never benefited in the wealth they helped create. In Country brings this out, by telling the story of of some of these people. During the Vietnam War, the press many times focused on either the heroic volunteer, or soldiers from our city ghettos, and left out the stories of the many men from rural areas who made sacrifices.
After having the film on Laserdisc for some time now, I recently saw it priced on DVD for $6.00. It IS an underrated film, and I challenge anyone not to choke up in the final scenes at the Vietnam War Memorial,
The people of Appalachia built this country by working the coal mines and steel mills, and in a very real sense never benefited in the wealth they helped create. In Country brings this out, by telling the story of of some of these people. During the Vietnam War, the press many times focused on either the heroic volunteer, or soldiers from our city ghettos, and left out the stories of the many men from rural areas who made sacrifices.
After having the film on Laserdisc for some time now, I recently saw it priced on DVD for $6.00. It IS an underrated film, and I challenge anyone not to choke up in the final scenes at the Vietnam War Memorial,
Distracting musical score by the composer.
Winfield_Browne3 December 2016
I was watching the film when suddenly I heard what sounded like a version of Watermark, by Enya, wafting through my speakers. I looked up the composer, James Horner, after discovering that Enya did not write this particular composition, Three Generations (piano solo) by James Horner, in the film, In Country.
Further investigation took me to another site for which I learned that James Horner has been roundly criticized for incorporating others' musical talents by borrowing from them and reworking them just enough into his own leaving him mostly inauthentic and unoriginal.
Other tracks in the film score by James Horner for "In Country" sound familiar with other works elsewhere in the music world. Just enough to be a major distraction for film buffs and music lovers everywhere.
All-in-all the film is a rather excellent work but the distraction of the film score sounding so much like other films and musical artists works leaves me baffled as to why Hollywood let him get away with it.
Because of this I can at best only award this very fine film a so-so average of 5 on a scale of 1 to 10.
Further investigation took me to another site for which I learned that James Horner has been roundly criticized for incorporating others' musical talents by borrowing from them and reworking them just enough into his own leaving him mostly inauthentic and unoriginal.
Other tracks in the film score by James Horner for "In Country" sound familiar with other works elsewhere in the music world. Just enough to be a major distraction for film buffs and music lovers everywhere.
All-in-all the film is a rather excellent work but the distraction of the film score sounding so much like other films and musical artists works leaves me baffled as to why Hollywood let him get away with it.
Because of this I can at best only award this very fine film a so-so average of 5 on a scale of 1 to 10.
An intriguing film with an excellent cast!
grjordan4825 November 2002
"In Country" is a film that, to me, gets better with each viewing. Bruce Willis' portrayal of Emmett, a troubled Vietnam veteran, seemed right on; and if he's done any better pure acting, I'm not aware of it. I strongly disagree with a couple of the negative comments on Emily Lloyd's performance in the film. I thought she was quite outstanding as Emmett's inquisitive niece, Samantha, who was searching for answers about her father who had died in Vietnam. As for why monotonic Winona Ryder wasn't selected for the role of Samantha (as mentioned in a prior comment) now that WOULD have been a drab, annoying performance as far as I'm concerned. There were also fine supporting performances from Joan Allen, Kevin Anderson, etc.
In Country
georgiannehuling23 August 2020
I was just trying to comment on another users review, that said had some good Springsteen music in it..., it had "I'm On Fire". Was the ONLY song in the whole movie, played throughout the entire movie. Still better than the horrible film with Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise (Monster's Ball?) - where the score was 3 notes on a piano. Over and over and the movie sucked. Lol
A powerful Bruce Willis performance...
PureGore8 August 2000
A lot of the criticism against this movie comes from the fact that it didn't follow the book as accurately as it could have. But since I haven't read the book, that's not an issue for me. I didn't have to sit there and say "Hey! That's not how it happened!"
This movie caught me by surprise. The only reason I saw it was because I happened to be channel-surfing and I noticed Bruce Willis with a weird mustache. The movie was just starting, so I settled in to watch the whole thing. This says a lot about the kind of recognizability Bruce Willis has earned in the years since he made this movie.
In all I was very impressed with his performance as Emmett. And while Emily Lloyd was a bit on the annoying side, the role she played was portrayed beautifully (which I guess was the whole point).
Being a Canadian, the Vietnam War doesn't hold as much meaning to me as it does to Americans. But this movie went a long way towards showing me how someone who was affected by the Vietnam War dealt with the repercussions. While the movie did develop very slowly and seemed to drag on at times, it was wonderfully refreshing and touching.
This movie caught me by surprise. The only reason I saw it was because I happened to be channel-surfing and I noticed Bruce Willis with a weird mustache. The movie was just starting, so I settled in to watch the whole thing. This says a lot about the kind of recognizability Bruce Willis has earned in the years since he made this movie.
In all I was very impressed with his performance as Emmett. And while Emily Lloyd was a bit on the annoying side, the role she played was portrayed beautifully (which I guess was the whole point).
Being a Canadian, the Vietnam War doesn't hold as much meaning to me as it does to Americans. But this movie went a long way towards showing me how someone who was affected by the Vietnam War dealt with the repercussions. While the movie did develop very slowly and seemed to drag on at times, it was wonderfully refreshing and touching.
The faces that would not be forgotten
sambrolan_gee12 February 2006
I love this compelling drama of self-discovery, partly because I was an extra in it as a nine-month-old baby on holiday in New York with my parents!!! (I'm afraid I was on the cutting room floor this time, but watch out for a flash of red hair in the soldier's graves scene and tell me if you do!!!). English rose Emily Lloyd (known to all you 'Only Fools and Horses' fans as the daughter of Roger Lloyd Pack, who played Trigger) convincingly portrays a young American woman attempting to discover the father she never really knew. Bruce Willis does a real turnaround from the characters we are used to seeing him play, as Lloyd's rather crazy uncle Emmet. I'm not a patriotic person, especially since I'm from Northern Ireland and not the U.S., but the stories of the forgotten men who made the ultimate sacrifice for a cause which in the end was not worth it, is still tragic and heart-wrenching for me. A real human story.
One of Bruce Willis' best movie ever!
becca52_1910 June 2004
Although this movie isn't well known - I happened on it by accident one day.
I must say that I was very pleased with the whole thing. The character Bruce plays is one for my generation. We lost a lot of fine young men and women in the Viet Nam War and Bruce as Emmett was so real.
It's a different kind of movie for Willis but it shows his true talent and emotional commitment to this character that I found solid. This movie is a have-to if you enjoy Bruce Willis.
Anyone can do a loud, shoot them up movie but it takes real talent to bring to life a sensitive and emotional person to life. The raw, bleeding memories that he shows is so real you'd think Bruce really saw action IN COUNTRY.
See this movie!!!!
I must say that I was very pleased with the whole thing. The character Bruce plays is one for my generation. We lost a lot of fine young men and women in the Viet Nam War and Bruce as Emmett was so real.
It's a different kind of movie for Willis but it shows his true talent and emotional commitment to this character that I found solid. This movie is a have-to if you enjoy Bruce Willis.
Anyone can do a loud, shoot them up movie but it takes real talent to bring to life a sensitive and emotional person to life. The raw, bleeding memories that he shows is so real you'd think Bruce really saw action IN COUNTRY.
See this movie!!!!
Beautiful portrayals by the two stars
wuxmup22 August 2006
It's easy to see why so few people seem to have connected with this underrated movie. There's no nudity, no violence, no killing, no superstars chewing up the scenery. It is, instead, a quiet, maybe too slow-moving, film about a teenage girl at the cusp of womanhood trying to learn about what Vietnam had been like for her father, who was killed there. She also begins to see her ex-G.I. uncle clearly, for the first time, as a survivor of something terrible.
In Country is about the Vietnam War only as in the sense that it's also about a family's history whose impact bridges the generations. It's less about events than it is about becoming a grown-up in an America that has a sixty-second attention span and a fifteen-minute memory.
Emily Lloyd, who you'd never guess is English, does a beautifully sensitive job in the starring role, and Bruce Willis, as her uncle, turns in a very fine, very dignified performance.
In Country is about the Vietnam War only as in the sense that it's also about a family's history whose impact bridges the generations. It's less about events than it is about becoming a grown-up in an America that has a sixty-second attention span and a fifteen-minute memory.
Emily Lloyd, who you'd never guess is English, does a beautifully sensitive job in the starring role, and Bruce Willis, as her uncle, turns in a very fine, very dignified performance.
Poignant drama about a girl finding her father and her uncle finding himself
goya-427 April 2001
Emily Lloyd plays a young woman searching for her father, who was killed in Vietnam. Bruce Willis plays her Uncle, also a vet, who is coping with the fact that he made it out alive while his brother did not.
Very well done with superb acting by Willis in his finest role and by Lloyd who plays her part brilliantly. Underrated as a film, is very much worth the time.. Concludes with a very touching and emotional scene at the Vietnam Memorial
8 of 10
Very well done with superb acting by Willis in his finest role and by Lloyd who plays her part brilliantly. Underrated as a film, is very much worth the time.. Concludes with a very touching and emotional scene at the Vietnam Memorial
8 of 10
Outstanding film
jaybozwel10 June 2005
Critics and friends have reacted variously to this film, but I found it very, very good. The characters are entirely believable, but the real pay-off for hanging in there with them through all the vagaries of their existence and problems (a number of them are messed up by their experiences in Vietnam -- this film came out just as there was a resurgence in post-traumatic stress syndrome among vets) comes with the way the film reaches a resolution at the end. A quiet, understated scene beautifully underscored by the excellent music of James Horner. I would rank this film very high on my "I give thanks that I got to see this" list.
Solid
generationofswine20 November 2010
Probably Bruce Willis's best & least known film. It's a solid movie about a young girl learning about the father she would never meet & a Vietnam Vet still searching for his place in a post war world. It's never over done & never preachy just a solid movie with great characters interwoven into a realistic plot. But it's also a working class drama, if you're looking art house drama or "Platoon" politics you will probably be disappointed. There are no strong statements about the war, either pro or con. There is no "First blood" action. It doesn't make a statement like "Causalities of War," it's simply about people in the 80's that are still feeling the affects of a "police action" that defined the politics & attitudes of a generation. It neither promises nor strives to be anything more. If anything "In Country" is brilliant because it is understated.
More Vietnam depictions of this sort are needed
brown_blonde11 March 2007
I did not grow up in the Vietnam era, and instead, my education on the subject has been limited to the last week of history class when the teacher would throw in a couple of words about Vietnam, usually being content to proclaim that the war was an ugly loss that we should all just forget.
I think that is a serious threat these days--people forget, and others like in my generation just don't have a clue, as to what went through these soldiers. This film does a fine job of relaying that. We feel the pain of Emmett who has had to suppress his feelings about Vietnam. We see how the wounds of war are not only skin deep and battlefield-limited: they are the scars that are carried within.
Equally refreshing is the point-of-view of the unsung hero, the survivors. In this case the we see the war's impact on Sam, whose father died before she was born. 18 years after his death, in present day (1989), the audience is allowed to see the remaining impressions that a war leaves, and the difficulty of finding closure in a war that everyone wanted to forget.
This is a film that ought to be seen because it depicts war from so many new points of view and in a way that is relatable to those of us who will never be able to comprehend the actual battlefield. See it, you won't regret it.
I think that is a serious threat these days--people forget, and others like in my generation just don't have a clue, as to what went through these soldiers. This film does a fine job of relaying that. We feel the pain of Emmett who has had to suppress his feelings about Vietnam. We see how the wounds of war are not only skin deep and battlefield-limited: they are the scars that are carried within.
Equally refreshing is the point-of-view of the unsung hero, the survivors. In this case the we see the war's impact on Sam, whose father died before she was born. 18 years after his death, in present day (1989), the audience is allowed to see the remaining impressions that a war leaves, and the difficulty of finding closure in a war that everyone wanted to forget.
This is a film that ought to be seen because it depicts war from so many new points of view and in a way that is relatable to those of us who will never be able to comprehend the actual battlefield. See it, you won't regret it.
Very Underrated -- Excellent Movie
tomlauralagana13 January 2008
We almost didn't watch this movie, based on the IMDb ratings, but something told us to have a look anyway. What an excellent movie, and the best acting I ever saw Bruce Willis do before. If you have watched this move and haven't rated it yet, please do to help others know how good this is. This is a touching movie from the perspective of the daughter of a Vietnam soldier killed in the line of duty. The use of flashbacks was done well in this movie, as some movies make flashbacks too often and in unrelated order. The relationships among the characters were believable. This is a movie worth watching. Although it's a bit old, it didn't matter. This movie is timeless and could easily be related to the soldiers and their loved ones of any war.
Willis and ending make up for Emily Lloyd
A Box28 May 2000
I liked two main things about the movie adaptation of In Country. One was Bruce Willis' performance. I'd read a bit about it beforehand, but I was quite impressed with the way he held his pain just under the surface for most of the film. We could almost see the wall he had put up for himself (and against himself). His meeting with Sam in the swamp fascinated me. I'm really interested in the gradual changes that occur in people, and in the swamp his wall finally breaks a bit and he lets Sam in. It's a very powerful scene by an underrated actor. I believe he won a Golden Globe nomination for this film, for what that's worth.
The other thing I really liked was the final sequence at the Vietnam Memorial. The director and screenwriter realized that they didn't need to spoil it with a lot of philosophical junk about the tragedy of war. They show us using the darkness and slow decent of the wall, the people's reactions, and the characters' reactions. As much as I disliked Sam, I nearly got teary when she climbed up the ladder and kissed her daddy's name. Emmitt's scene where he leaves his awards there with his friends is another great one-hardly any (possibly no) words, simply the act of giving part of his past to his friends who didn't make it back.
I noticed several changes in the movie, and the discussion afterwards showed me more. The most obvious was the structure; the movie is a straight, linear story while the book is a framed story. I don't think the frame wouldn't have worked too well as a film because I don't think most audiences want the bulk of a movie to be a flashback/look back type portrayal. I guess it seems too slow. One of the ones that bothered me the most was the change in Tom's character. In the book Tom has some kind of impotence or relationship problem because of the war. This prevents him from following his lust and taking Sam to bed. In the movie, it is implied that they do sleep together, and that Tom ends the relationship because he feels guilty or because of her age, not because of impotence or relationship issues. Many aspects of the book and storyline are understandably simplified to save time. Thankfully the Agent Orange obsession that Sam has in the book is largely absent in the movie. For example, Sam's two sets of grandparents are combined into her father's parents. She also spends less time with Dawn, and she goes directly from her grandparents' house to the swamp to read Dwayne's diary. We also don't see as much that she's out there to relate to the soldiers; instead she seems more like a little girl camping in her backyard.
This brings me to my final point. Emily Lloyd's performance was annoying. Everything about her-her voice, her accent, her appearance, her actions, the way she ran (especially the way she ran-no trained runner would ever run like that during a race)-was annoying. Sure, part of it was simply because her character is like that. She begs and begs everyone to tell her about Vietnam, but when Emmitt finally does a bit she can't handle it, and she decides (briefly) that she doesn't like her father anymore because of what he did in the war. What did she expect? She just seems naïve and annoying, and that's not a fun combination. However, I must admit, she did make some progress, and at the end of the movie (when she leaves the photo of herself at Dwayne's grave) she has gained an idea of what war was like and the effects it has on veterans.
If you like the movie, you might like the book even more. If you liked the book but haven't seen the movie, watch it simply to see Willis as Emmitt.
The other thing I really liked was the final sequence at the Vietnam Memorial. The director and screenwriter realized that they didn't need to spoil it with a lot of philosophical junk about the tragedy of war. They show us using the darkness and slow decent of the wall, the people's reactions, and the characters' reactions. As much as I disliked Sam, I nearly got teary when she climbed up the ladder and kissed her daddy's name. Emmitt's scene where he leaves his awards there with his friends is another great one-hardly any (possibly no) words, simply the act of giving part of his past to his friends who didn't make it back.
I noticed several changes in the movie, and the discussion afterwards showed me more. The most obvious was the structure; the movie is a straight, linear story while the book is a framed story. I don't think the frame wouldn't have worked too well as a film because I don't think most audiences want the bulk of a movie to be a flashback/look back type portrayal. I guess it seems too slow. One of the ones that bothered me the most was the change in Tom's character. In the book Tom has some kind of impotence or relationship problem because of the war. This prevents him from following his lust and taking Sam to bed. In the movie, it is implied that they do sleep together, and that Tom ends the relationship because he feels guilty or because of her age, not because of impotence or relationship issues. Many aspects of the book and storyline are understandably simplified to save time. Thankfully the Agent Orange obsession that Sam has in the book is largely absent in the movie. For example, Sam's two sets of grandparents are combined into her father's parents. She also spends less time with Dawn, and she goes directly from her grandparents' house to the swamp to read Dwayne's diary. We also don't see as much that she's out there to relate to the soldiers; instead she seems more like a little girl camping in her backyard.
This brings me to my final point. Emily Lloyd's performance was annoying. Everything about her-her voice, her accent, her appearance, her actions, the way she ran (especially the way she ran-no trained runner would ever run like that during a race)-was annoying. Sure, part of it was simply because her character is like that. She begs and begs everyone to tell her about Vietnam, but when Emmitt finally does a bit she can't handle it, and she decides (briefly) that she doesn't like her father anymore because of what he did in the war. What did she expect? She just seems naïve and annoying, and that's not a fun combination. However, I must admit, she did make some progress, and at the end of the movie (when she leaves the photo of herself at Dwayne's grave) she has gained an idea of what war was like and the effects it has on veterans.
If you like the movie, you might like the book even more. If you liked the book but haven't seen the movie, watch it simply to see Willis as Emmitt.
Keep them alive
joeiassogna128 January 2019
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
