We Were Soldiers (2002)

In this overly long war film, lieutenant colonel Mel Gibson is chosen to lead and train a battalion to fight during the early days of the war in Vietnam. Back home, his wife Madeline Stowe provides support to the other wives left behind. It’s a pretty typical war film with lots of fighting and lots of people dying. There’s just enough backstory about each character that the viewer is supposed to care when they’re blown away. I found the female characters to be somewhat more interesting, but their stories also soon just became notifying the women about their dead loved ones. Though only a little actual characterization is given, there are small attempts to show the Vietnamese command and their soldiers’ experiences on the other side of the war.