I think a few things were lost in translation here. This movie is an anti war movie. It wasn't meant to glorify the war but to give a harsh view of the reality of the war. There's a lot of sarcasm thats misinterpreted as genuine statements. Joker , when he said he wanted to be the first kid on his block to get a confirmed kill, he was being sarcastic. He doesn't believe what he's saying. He doesn't believe in what's going on in Vietnam, the mission. He's being cynical.
Yea Joker thinks the reporters question is stupid. So he gives a stupid sarcastic answer.. like " wtf do you think I'm doing here?. That I wanted to come here to kill Vietnamese people for glory?"
Much like STARSHIP TROOPERS and LOOK WHO'S BACK, this "anti-war" movie got me and my generation a war "hard on" This movie motivated a new generation of killahs
@@carlosbaja678 well... i frankly can't understand how someone can watch this and think that war is cool. perhaps something was very wrong with your perspective to begin with, but i hope now you look at it critically.
When the girls both said together "It's Saigon!" without hesitation.......a testament to how superbly made the movie was.......what they thought was Saigon was in fact a derelict industrial site in London, where the film was shot.........director Stanley Kubrick wouldnt travel abroad so the entire movie was shot in the UK...... it's very convincing, though, isnt it???
Taking nothing away from the filmmaking team, I'm not sure how much these girls' reaction to that scene is the testament you proclaim. Their frame of reference for 1960s Saigon would probably be the same as Kubrick's set designer's; namely, photographs of the city from the 1960s. These ladies probably have only seen it in text books or magazines. Some perspective: How much extra credence would you lend a filmmaker's vision of his 1960s Vegas period piece based on a similar "seal of approval" of a couple of UNLV students? Would their reaction be a testament to the fact that the filmmakers got 1960s Vegas right?
Well though a lot of this was filmed in England it was mostly the heavy combat in the end that was filmed in England, lot of the rest of the location stuff was shot abroad in Thailand, Phillipines and I think that one scene on the street one their only onlocation in nam.
It shows how much clout Kubrick had earned by that point in his career too. He asked that Vietnam be recreated from scratch in London and the executives were like "Right away, Mr. Kubrick."
Congrats, the lady on the left caught one of the most important yet overlooked parts of this movie. Animal Mother is what Private Pyle would have been if he had lived. And you caught it the first time you watched it! The girl on the right had Joker figured out. Jocker wasn't a killer and only killed the sniper because he had to, as well as putting her out of her misery. He wasn't a sociopath like Animal Mother.
@@hollywood3695I understand that, dude. But this is Kubrick. Of course he's going to make it exactly how it was. From what I understand, this is, in fact, that one that stood the test of time, even more than Platoon. If you've ever thought of reading Short Timers, that was a really good book.
@@hollywood3695it's definitely a pitfall of this type of movie - my cousin showed me this movie when i was a teen and i think it was a big part of turning me into my peacenik self, but I could see how it would fire up some other dudes
@@hollywood3695 A Clockwork Orange encouraged many copycat crimes, but it was obviously never intended as such - it was a negative comment on society. As a result, Kubrick himself pulled the film, it was only unbanned after his death in '99 (or shortly thereafter).
I know for a fact that *A Clockwork Orange* was available for rental on VHS in the mid 90s. I know this because my best mates and I first watched it in 8th grade, and I graduated in ‘99. As for copycat crimes-where on Earth did all these copycats find grand cockenbalz sculptures with which to beat people to death?
The Americans were fighting alongside the South Vietnamese against the communist North Vietnamese. It wasn't Vietnam vs America. It was South Vietnam vs North Vietnam and the US sided with South Vietnam. Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and others fought on the side of S Vietnam as well. The N Vietnamese were backed by China and the USSR.
A civil war that the US had no business getting involved in, expanding a regional war and dragging a bunch of countries along with them. They did the same in China/Taiwan and Korea, fortunately for the Vietnamese, they won the war and kicked the Americans out of their country and unified it, saving them the fate that China and Korea are suffering from to this very day.
@cannibalteddy6846 Very true had the US not propped up the south and worked for a national referendum instead of a war, the people would have voted for one nation, and the "communists" would have won because they were very popular with the common people.
@@VadulTharys False. This was classic evyl communism, which still needs purged from the world in every place it remains - a cancer of criminality on all forms of human civility. All they did was rig the election for their "constitution" and banned opposing Viet factions. They wanted to conquer, and ho chih ming was occupied by the chinese army and forced/controleld at first. The US was original, under the evil Franklin Commie Roosevelt, on the side of Viet Minh and tried to peacekeep/advocate on their behalf and defended them against the allied powers. The CIA even aided them with their commie usurpation by assassinating Ngo Ding Diem, who was anti-commie pro-nationalist. ultimately, though, Europe started the war. Then Viet Minh revealed their true evil colors and immediately funded commie revolutions in neighboring countries (and immediatel went for typical commie expansionism via Laos and Khymer). The opposing factions united to form south vietnam to repel communism. USSR and China immediately supplied Viet Minh and USA withdrew their support and joined the more fair and humane south vietnamese. Thus the Invaders from the north started the war immediately after WWII (indochina war) then feudal local wars with viet factions then wars with neighboring countries, all as the puppets of USSR/China to continue the expansion of global communism. Went the US withdrew, the next years saw what they always see under evyl commie rule, hundreds of thousands of imprisons, enslayvements, and executions/genocides, and all the "new government" votes (totally democratic) bannedd everyone but the commie faction, and then they followed Mao's recipe and immediately did forced redistribution of the "rich" while also killing the middle class and even upper lower class (until it was all redistributed to people in their original Viet Minh faction, which was the whole point all along- hostile theft by thieves, commie 101). ho chih Ming later apologized for the "aggressive" and "incorrect" targeted of landholders.. but of course most were already dead and the land wasn't returned, so it was a fake apology. Sadly, the propaganda machine, not the opposition's forces, cost us that war. Politicians interferred and constantly hamstringed the military, which drug it out and opened the door for all sorts of political corruption. Saying we lost a fight when we're not allowed to fight back is a joke. Evyl paid off politicians created a conflict to grab land and resources, profit off of the anarchy and war, and exploit the black markets created by the anarchy, just like what is happening today in Ukrayne and Palestyne. Same evyl politicians sticking their nose where it doesn't belong because they want to cut deals.
In the interview scene, Joker is making jokes. He is making fun of the official attitude. When he says that he wants to be the first kid on his block with a confirmed kill, he is using a line from old television commercials. Companies used to advertise toys by telling the children to be the first kid on their block to own the toy.
That's not exactly what's going on. Joker's entire character is about "duality of man". How no man is one sided, neither entirely good or evil. It's why he makes that statement and also why he wears a peace symbol, but also has "born to kill" written on his helmet cover.
@@Movie.MunchiesNo, he wasn’t serious at all. That’s why they call him Joker. 😊 He was being ironic. You know? Like British humor where you laugh three days later. 😅
My father was one of these guys. He was marine infantry in South Vietnam in 1969. He spent 9 months in a hospital in Japan for burns he received. He self-medicated his PTSD with drugs until he cleaned up in the 1980s. My parents' marriage didn't survive, so I was the child of a busy working mother. The effects of the Vietnam War had a tremendous impact on Gen X in the U.S.
Gex X (68 vintage) who grew up military and have a keen awareness of military history. I had a Marine vet coworker who did a deployment and I asked when. He said, "69-70" and I just replied with "ooof".
All the bodies in the pit covered in lime were Vietnamese people that worked with the South Vietnamese government in positions of authority. The NLF and NVA had lists and when they entered Hue they executed them. They weren't killed by the Americans.
The Vietnamese soldiers during the Tet offensive scene are actually one of the many "suicide squads" that attacked American troops at the time. That's why they run into the American base just shooting, without seeking cover. It was mentioned in the earlier scene how American targets have been overrun by suicide squads lately, and the men around the table sort of let out a disillusioned moan because it's the worst case scenario. So during the Tet New Year, that's what Joker and his group get to experience first-hand.
@davisworth5114 you are wrong, or you never heard of the 19-man suicide squad that seized the courtyard of the U.S. Embassy and held it for six hours until an assault force of U.S. paratroopers landed by helicopter on the building's roof and routed them.
The bodies that were covered in Lyme, the white powder, were killed by the Army of North Vietnam. It was showing that in war, atrocities can be committed by both sides, like the helicopter door gunner shooting civilians.
@@padajsiloinepravdo6299 NVA and VC killed anywhere around 3000 to 6000 South Vietnamese civillians and POWs in Hue. Politics aside, both sides employed many "dirty tricks", with the VC hiding among civilians and the CIA allegedly participating in heroin dealing to finance operations. It's very unrealistic and immature to portray a single side of the war as heros and the other as barbarians.
@@HeyCharliesBackup The U.S. Bombing campaign Operation Rolling Thunder killed between 30,000 - 182,000 civilians in North Vietnam alone . That’s not even counting Laos or Cambodia.
The NVA lost most battles. The NVA was known to be very resourceful and highly motivated but poorly trained. The US soldiers on the other hand were well trained and equipped but had poor moral, most were conscripts who didn’t want to be there. In the end, north Vietnam won because America ran out of will to fight. Vietnam proves that in war you don’t have to win. You just have to not lose.
South Vietnam lost because their leaders were very corrupt, mostly the old colonial elites under the French - so they didn’t have widespread support. You fight an insurgency with state building. But the USA didn’t do that, it just kept propping up the old regime rather than fix it. It was wrong to support such a corrupt government. So no matter how high morale was for the USA, fundamentally, South Vietnam’s government wouldn’t last long after we left. Measuring “success” in body bags not building a stable government. It was very shortsighted.
To clarify on your thought that Pyle might've become the leader after killing the drill instructor. He would've definitely either spent life in prison or been put to death.
During war things get even worse for committing any kind of crime so yea he could most definitely have faced a death penalty. If he would have been an officer most definitely you're dying. He is a gunnery Sargent which is a senior non commissioned officer so who knows.
What's really tragic about Pyle is that there's a good chance he's intended to represent one of "McNamara's Morons;" the USA was having such difficulty training enough men to fight in Vietnam that General McNamara made the controversial decision to drastically lower the mental health and intelligence requirements necessary to be passed fit for service. These mentally substandard servicemen had triple the casualty rate of everyone else when sent into battle. In the film, it's pretty obvious from the start that Pyle is woefully out of his depth and should not be there; you can't force a person to learn what their brain simply doesn't have the capacity to understand.
You're right of course-- in bootcamp. But you think soldiers don't kill their COs in the field? And get away with it, sometimes? It's not for nothin' they put that in "Platoon"
@@prismpyre7653 no, american soldiers definitely do not kill their COs in the field 💀 you maybe referring to specific incidents in the past, but that is so beyond rare lmao
Found out, a few years ago, I have a second cousin who is half Vietnamese. He had been looking for his biological father, an American, for a long time. After his DNA test showed he's related to our family, he contacted us to see whether my (then deceased) dad was the father. My sister and I were very curious as to whether we had a half-brother. Unfortunately the details of my dad's service in Vietnam didn't quite match up with what his mom had told him, so it was a more distant relative of ours. Poor guy had been looking for his soldier father, who had told his mother he would take her back to the US with him, for decades. Just disappeared. Probably died over there. Anyway, our cousin told us a bit about his childhood when the war ended. He said right after the war, when the South fell and the re-education camps started, she had to dye his hair black (it was brown-ish) because she was terrified they'd take him away and he'd be .. disappeared. I think he eventually emigrated to the US.
Dang, well if he's in the States, and he sounds like a bad person, you could meet up sometime in the future. In the flesh as it were. I don't mean to be disparaging of the man but I don't trust people much and I can get a decent read on a person even through a video screen. But that's a lot of trust in someone you barely know to meet together. I hope your future relationship with him and his family goes well!
@@yezz-_-3570 He contacted us due to our DNA test, and was a 2nd cousin. Nothing suspect about it, didn't ask for anything. Just looking for his biological dad he never found. Which, apparently, was a distant relative we never knew.
@@NefariousKoel - if you and he are 2nd cousins, your father could not have been his father. Technically speaking, your relationship with the 2nd cousin's father would be "first cousin once removed". Siblings of parents are the "aunts and uncles", the children of those siblings are first cousins. The children of those first cousins are then second cousins to each other. Second cousin" means ONE of your parents was 1st cousins with one of his parents. Also, since first cousins of parents are usually in the same general age range/generation as one's parents, many families use "Aunt Fanny" or "Uncle Percy" to address those cousins, even though they are not siblings. SO... Who has a first cousin/"uncle" that served in Vietnam during the right time frame? Doesn't have to be your father. Your mother could have the 1st cousin who was the DNA donor for your new found 2nd cousin. As far as we have been able to determine, DNA doesn't lie. But, people are people, and being people, they often do. It isn't exactly uncommon for troops stationed overseas to lie about certain activities when they come home/get out. The dad may have been stationed one place, but R&R'd elsewhere, or had several temporary assignments while having a single location listed as their permanent duty station. Or, someone lied to the Vietnamese mother so her information wasn't 100% spot on. ALSO not uncommon. Or maybe an aunt/uncle had an illegitimate child outside of the view of the family, who then became the DNA donor for your new second cousins. I hope they are able to further trace their ancestor, if for no other reason, having a more accurate medical background for their own health.
My grandfather was a mini gunner in a helicopter. And yes he does feel awful about all the people he shot. But it was kill or be killed. The copter got shot down by a missile. The pilots last thing to do was to land it safely as he could, even while burning alive. They tried to save him but he was burnt to death from the missile. That man is a hero, and my grandfather had his name engraved in a plaque, to remember him forever. If it wasn’t for that man I wouldn’t be here today.
@@Movie.MunchiesIndeed it was but it was also one of the most important scenes. Kubrick split this movie into two parts for good reasons. It was his goal to show how dehumanization is used in war. In the first part is the first step in dehumanization as we watch these young men being dehumanized into soldiers willing and able to kill. Leonard Lawrence (AKA Gomer) exemplifies this degradation of these young men’s moral fiber that ultimately leads to Leonard’s insanity and suicide. Then Kubrick shows us the second step of dehumanization which is the dehumanization of the enemy which ultimately plays out as the dehumanization and death of a 13 year old school girl who was left behind to die so the stronger soldiers could live to fight another day. These two examples of how the methods of dehumanization are used in war are horrifically brought home to us by the suicide of a fat, simple minded, country boy and the death of a prepubescent school girl. Both of which are extremely shocking. Kubrick certainly drives home the horror of such dehumanization with both scenes brilliantly and in a manner that leaves your nerves raw and abused. As it should. This is probably the best movie ever made about the horror of war.
@@Mottleydude1Only assholes took part in blanket parties. They should have had a blanket party for Sgt. Hartman, for being a profane sadist who drove Pyle to madness, murder, and suicide. I'm a Vietnam veteran and find this a very mediocre portrayal of the war and the characters in the real war. Watch "The Anderson Platoon" for the most realistic, grunts' eye view of the war.
Thi and Hella, I hope I got your names right. I cherish your reactions. One of the first words you used to describe the film was “dehumanizing” and that is exactly what Stanley Kubrick wanted the audience to understand. He and many westerners hated the Vietnam war. So you might consider this an antiwar film not a war film. I have been married to a Vietnamese war refugee for 26 years. Her family nearly starved to death AFTER the war because her dad fought for South Vietnam alongside Americans. They probably wouldn’t appreciate you two rooting for the communist Vietnamese but I understand how you are just taking pride in your people. It’s honest and primal to be tribal. It’s complicated but i still think your analysis is sweet and thoughtful. I recommend Ken Burns Vietnam documentary if you want a more complete and fair explanation of that time in world history.
@@Movie.Munchiesbeen in the United States Army and the United States Navy this how Basic was its hard because it's to get folks ready to go to war. Trust me the Marine Corps is on another level in terms of mindset.
Honestly it seemed like they have been taught that the Vietnam war was the US vs Vietnam. It wouldn't be surprising for a communist country to dabble in quarter truths. I came away with the impression that they didn't even know South Vietnam existed.
It does break down to tribal pride. I'm a Marine corps veteran and a native American. They deserve that pride because we left the war. Unfortunately we allowed politicians to dictate the war. In the end 2 Vietnam's turned into one. We unfortunately didn't keep on pushing and kept on listening to noncombatants. I oppose the civilian deaths, but ultimately we had superior tactics as soon as we could figure something out. It is literally because the people who were on drugs and thought communism was ok that we lost
I have to agree with you. I am guessing they are from the North. I got married in Tam Ky in 2001 near Da Nang. I learned that the anti Ho Chi Minh people still call the city Saigon. In Canada some still fly the old flag
During the Vietnam War, Drill Instructors had less time to train their recruits, so they went harder on them, in order to get them ready. They were scrambling to save as many lives as they could. R. Lee Ermey who played Hartman was a former D.I himself.
More bullshit, all basic training was nine weeks. Scrambling to save as many lives as they could??? Who was? The US government didn't care about GI lives, if they did, they never would have lied to us about the purpose of the war. Vietnam veterans were shunned and shamed when they came home, no one cared about us, you dope!
The man playing the role of the drill instructor in the beginning is a real Vietnam veteran who fought in the Vietnam war. He was brought on to be a consultant for the film, but somehow he ended up being the actor because what he was teaching was how he was actually trained when he was in boot camp and Kubrick loved it cuz it was real
@@davisworth5114Which adds to the realism to the build up of Pyle killing him. Every military training, especially basic training, to this day uses Full Metal Jacket as a direct reference on how to NOT treat soldiers as drill sergeants/instructors. It doesn’t mean this never happened though.
R. Lee Ermey was a great guy who took an especial interest in the Second Amendment (Personal ownership of Firearms) during the end years of his life. He was even sponsored by Glock at one point. He was a very bold, kind-hearted man and loved America.
Vietnam war was most protested war of all time,for a reason America went there under veil of "defeading spreading of communism" i cant think of more commie contry than US nowadays
@@batalorian7997Yeah, even the very simple words were not pronounced well. No idea what she said except bu qua (too big) and em chiu (I can handle it). Definitely sounds like a native English speaker. The pimp actor is definitely Vietnamese. Both his broken English and Vietnamese were spot on.
My dad served as a sharpshooter in the Vietnam war and told me stories that i would never want anyone to experience. He also said boot camp was pretty similar to this movie. Things were a bit different back then. Great reaction from you both.
This movie focuses on how wars affect individual people more than grand scale politics. For example it shows how different people cope with war you have the crazy guy who enjoys killing. You have Pyle that kills himself because he couldn't handle the stress. And joker is most soliders that just does what he needs to do to survive but has to live with those actions.
The scene at the end, after Joker kills the helpless sniper in a twisted act of mercy, when he gets the "thousand yard stare" always gives me chills...every time. So much said in those few silent seconds. Matthew Modine absolutely nailed that whole scene...in fact, the entire cast was outstanding throughout the movie.
if i remember correctly Modine created that ending after weeks of psychological torture from Kubrick. He and Kubrick had been close during the filming and Kubrick had asked Modine for an ending to the film. when Modine hesitated, Kubrick became cold and broke off the friendship suddenly. then Kubrick entertained endings from some of the other cast members which somewhat enraged Modine and inspired him to present this ending, that it was Joker that has to kill the girl in cold blood, that he is ultimately unable to escape the consequences of war. Kubrick immediately accepted this contribution without question.
Thanks for the info! Kubrick was notorious for tormenting his actors. He put Shelley Duvall through hell during the filming of "The Shining". Made for some outstanding performances.@@stegwise
@@stegwise Not saying this is not true, however, Kubrick was not the type to ask cast members for an ending, lol, what Director even does that, he was a man that had the cast do endless takes.
you can look it up pretty easily. i think i heard the story either in the Leon Vitaly documentary or in an in depth youtube doc about the film.but a simple google search returned several articles. my take on the story was that just in the exact way that he manipulated performances from exhausted actors he also manipulated Modine into providing a better ending and into having the guts to stand up to the director, asking all the other actors to provide endings and they all had one at the ready (good or not) as a way of taunting Modine.@@drijam2106
The Vietnam war had started, my uncle and his classmates had just graduated high school. In the parking Lot they had taken off the caps and gowns and taking pictures etc. The buses were there waiting to take them to boot camp. When this movie came out we went to see it. He couldn't even sit through 10 minutes of it. It just brought back such horrible memories for him
My first roommate in college was Vietnamese. Stevie Nguyen. He was a crazy kid and very opinionated. He hated my poster of a tropical beach with palm trees because it reminded him of Vietnam. After he watched Full Metal Jacket, he asked the guys in the dorm to cut his hair like the soldiers in the film. I remember questioning him if this is really what he wanted to do, but he was adamant. His older brother was not happy when he found out.
What a unique experience to see this film with two Vietnamese women. Much of this movie is very anti-war and actually very critical of it but in a sarcastic way. Such a horrible horrible conflict. Senseless and sad. Everyone involved was affected for the worse. Great review though, you two are always so smart and have great insight.
The bit where the guy gets blown up by the trap and they proudly say something about how good they are at laying traps is quite funny, like if you visit their house one of the many IEDs they set could blow an arm off. I know that wasnt the intention, but they make it sound like a hobby.
32:27 Thi was right. Animal Mother and Leonard are both big guys that talk like they're a bit slow at times. I think Animal Mother represents the marine that Leonard could have been.
Well, there's also the parallels of "McNamara's Morons" which was a unit US conscripts with low IQs were put in, more so, Leonard, than Mother. It was kind of inhumane.
My uncle was sent to Vietnam for the war. He married a very educated and beautiful Vietnamese woman from Saigon. Fluent in French & English too. Was my favorite aunt.
This was one of the best Vietnam War films out there. It doesn't glorify war, and it makes you think about the repercussions of what being in combat are. The man who played Gunnery Sergeant Hartman was a real Drill Instructor in the Marines during Vietnam. He was the film's military advisor. There's a great interview with R. Lee Ermey some time in the 80s or 90s where he talks about making this film and what real DIs did during the war. He was one of Hollywood's best and most well-known military advisors. He passed away a few years ago. The "songs" they were singing are called cadences and are pretty motivational
I think in your analysis of the joker character you were both right. He even talks about it when he is being questioned by the officer about the peace button and born to kill on his helmet. He responds I don’t know I think it’s about the duality of man. Joker is being pulled both directions. Cold brutality and helping people.
Dude, just because they only show snippets of the movie and their reaction to it doesn't mean they didn't watch it all. They got it. They talk about it at the end of the video. I thought the movie itself was letting the audience question whether Joker had humanity left or if the experience had turned him into a psychopath as well.
I didn't realize you ladies were Vietnamese until you said so, that really puts this reaction over the top! It's rare to be able to get the exact opposite perspective on these kinds of events (and places, you recognizing Saigon immediately was really cool) and watching this video with you was a privilege :)
also I guess its relevant that my father is a Vietnam vet and has always had fond feelings for the country and people despite the war. funny how that turns out sometimes right?
@@TruthHurts2u I mulled over mentioning the fact that it wasnt actually on location but I figured my basic point still came across- but to what you said if anyone is going to find a good set designer it's probably gonna be Kubrick!
@@Spikeelsucko I figured as much. Everybody knows it was not filmed in Vietnam. I too found it very cool the girls recognized immediately where they were supposed to be. I was about to comment about that fact but saw you mentioned it so I thought I'd highlight the quality of the production design.
@@TruthHurts2u sure! My vet dad and I have watched it together, and he always made a point of the fact they would see that big smiling guy in advertisement posters all over the place and had nicknames for each one like "Smilin' Jack" and "Tommy Toothpaste", and they would be used to quickly determine which neighborhood you were in or approaching while in town xD
Totally wrong, hitting recruits was against the law and any racial insults in the civil rights era would have led to riots. Sgt. Hartman was a sadist, dummy. He drove Pyle to insanity.
well your just the shit that comes when a DI dose not hit a punk if your fucking up bad enough corrective measures are taken - oh this was Draft too they will be less likely to turn him away he was not a volunteer @@davisworth5114
That's correct that's how it was then. And as far as the counter remark that it was against the rules or law to hit someone or that racist remarks blah blah... This was for one drafted soldiers and second of all it was common then. Had a soldier who would not shower as required and the group took him to the showers and stripped him down and showered him with soap and wire brush and just because he was bleeding and everything else it didn't stop till it was decided lesson was learned. So don't tell me such didn't happen. You wasn't there
Army was the same, lots of cussing, lots of breaking down individuals. We had a guy who went AWOL, we had a ex Marine get his arm broke in escape and evasion training by Drill instr. We didn't have Emery.
I watched an old WW2 era movie that was set in Guam. The actor supposedly speaking native Guamanian, was not actually speaking the language. Rather, he was speaking Tagalog. But American audiences wouldn't have known.
I wasn't in the Corp, but I learned a little about it from a roommate who had been. He said this was very accurate to basic training in 1987. The cadences (songs) had changed a little, but they still used some of the same ones only slightly different. The "choke yourself" stuff still happened, and they were punished for a mistake by a screw-up, though they didn't get to the point of throwing him a blanket party. When your friend said that they were getting ready for war (or something like that), she was absolutely right. Someone yelling at you is not nearly as disturbing as someone shooting at you. P.S. A magic show is a sermon by the chaplain.
This movie is a masterpiece of film making that explores some deep parts of the American experience in Vietnam and America in general. It does so in a a subtle and unusual fashion and perspective. It's a haunting film that stays with you a long time, and really needs to be watched multiple times to get the most out of it, it is a complex film that gets better as you explore it. I was very interested to hear your experience of the film, both as younger viewers, and as Vietnamese persons. Thank you for sharing your viewing, I enjoyed it
Excellent work ladies! Analyses of this movie from your perspective is very much appreciated. The scene at 31:40 was of South Vietnamese civilians who were ordered by the NVA to come for political re-education. They were victims of the North Vietnamese, not the Americans. The soldiers had become desensitized to death and a percentage would later suffer PTSD as a result.
@@ArtofFreeSpeech They also kept saying that America invaded their country and never mentioned that we were there helping to defend the South Vietnamese from the North Vietnamese. America never invaded North Vietnam and many South Vietnamese fought alongside us and live in America now after they had to escape from the collapse of South Vietnam. I think it was a collosal mistake that America got involed in the war and it was conducted in a completely incompetent way; like most of our wars since; but I feel like these very nice young ladies have a distorted view of the history. Though I thoroughly enjoyed hearing their reactions to the movie!
@@davidarnold9324 Both American and Vietnam propaganda makes it hard for either of them to get a clear view of the war. All sides view themselves as the heroes and the others as the villains and teach it that way. That's why Americans and Vietnamese have distorted views on history. To Americans, they are helping; to Vietnamese, they are invading. You would consider it invading if France actually came to support the South in the that civil war but France would say they are just helping America
Great job ladies. I am a retired soldier, and my uncle went to Vietnam, and I cannot talk to him anymore and hearing your reaction one the Vietnamese side was something I have never heard. Keep up the great work. It is helpful to hear all perspectives on any war.
@@phila3884We know. I grew up during the American War there. I was born in 1961 so I was 14 when it ended. I had several Uncles and some friends around 5 years older than me who served in the war. I still personally know a lot of veterans who served and fought in the American war. My favorite Uncle served during the time frame of this movie. He went to Paris Island in South Carolina for basic training in the Marine Corps as was shown and he was involved in the fighting during the Tet Offensive. After he had completed his service he came back to the U.S. and was spit at by war protesters. He hung up his uniform and went to college and did not speak about his service and eventually became a Doctor. In the late 1990’s he was able to travel back to Vietnam with some fellow veterans. While in Vietnam they were allowed to visit some of their old battle sites and to grieve for lost comrades. Most important they were able to make some reconciliation with the Vietnamese People. That meant a lot to my Uncle. He was shocked. He was expecting to be treated with hostility but it was the exact opposite. He was treated with a lot of respect and deference. He even got drunk with some old NVA veterans. It did his soul a world of good to return to Vietnam.
@@andreww1225 Southern Vietnam was ruled by a clan regime that violently repressed their own people and was unpopular even in south Vietnam. In other words, the war was completely in favor of the people of Vietnam and the US had no business being there and impeding that
When you first saw Animal Mother, and said "He looks like Pyle", I had thought for a long time how Animal is the "reincarnation" of Pyle - "Born Again Hard". They are both "crazy" and unstable, but yet completely opposite of each other: Pyle was weak and dies young; Animal is strong and continues to live. Pyle was a follower that depended on others; Animal is an independent leader. Pyle was the guy sneaking treats from the mess hall; Animal is the guy jumping first in line to get laid. etc. etc. I had always wondered if Kubrick wrote it like that, repeating the overarching theme of the "duality of Man".
Vietnam wasn't a popular war in America. It was the first one that was the first one that was reported daily on the TV news- World War II and Korea were shown in weekly news reels (with a lot of Rah Rah fanfare) 40% of the people who went to Vietnam (and 60% of the casualties) were draftees. The Tet Offensive (depicted in this movie) was a military disaster for the North Vietnamese, but it also turned public opinion in America against the war, because people suddenly saw that victory was not just around the corner as they had been being told. If you're interested in more movies about the Vietnam War, Platoon and Apocalypse Now are two of the most popular ones. Tigerland and Hamburger Hill are also very good, but not as well known. I haven't seen Born on the 4th of July, but I know it's about a guy who goes to Vietnam and becomes a peace activist after he comes home. Most movies about Vietnam aren't intended to show the war in a positive light, but if you're interested in seeing what a piece of pro-war propaganda looks like, watch The Green Berets.
Born on the Fourth of July is a good movie about US Marine Ron Kovic, played by Tom Cruise.Kovic like so many US serviceman turned against the Vietnam war.The treatment of veterans in hospitals in this movie is particularly harrowing.World War Two is celebrated,Korea is forgotten and Vietnam still haunts,especially when you see veterans at the memorial in Washington.
I liked the Apocalypse Now Redux version (although I think many don't) because I think the scenes with the french family add a lot of depth....and also historical significance because apparently, many people don't know about the involvement of France.
@@chandie5298 Yes, only saw that version for the first time a couple of yeras ago. Britain and France still trying to give up their addiction into the post WW2 era, rehab's hard, old habits die hard. Britain, with help from Japanese troops, started to take control of Indochina after WW2, in order to help put France back in charge. It was felt that Britain needed a strong France to help carry the burden in post war Europe, since Britain was bankrupt. Of course to Britain, a strong France meant colonies, obviously, it's still all fine. The US gets most stick for this one, some deserved, obviously. They were only the ones holding the poisoned chalice at the end though.
I live in Thailand, but I am from the US. I grew up in the 80's and had many Vietnamese friends. I have not yet visited Vietnam but my Father did back in 2016 and said it was some of the most beautiful and kind people he had ever met and that the war museum in Hanoi was truly honoring to both sides of the war.
In past wars american soldiers were always portrayed as being heroes, the Viernam war changed that and some started to see them as monsters, and this movie kinda showed those remorseless killers some soldiers had transformed into. Platoon is another Vietnam war movie released around the same that also shows the ugly slide of the soldiers.
How much remorse would you have for an enemy that looked just like civilians and killed your friends with mines, snipers, ambushes, and you never saw them? Platoon showed both brutal and compassionate soldiers, dummy. These young men were betrayed by their country, they were put in an atrocity-producing environment where the enemy blended in and looked like the civilians. Then they came home to A-holes like you who hated on them, correct? Platoon was a metaphor for GIs in Vietnam, some hated the war and knew it was wrong, some were believers. By the time I left in Nov. 68, Americans were murdering each other, OK?
The main reason for the hatred towards soldiers of the Vietnam war was specifically because of the amount of communists now in positions of power. A negative spin was put on the war through media and a portion of the population accepted this narrative. The west didn't need to be involved in the war admittingly, but the war was happening with the west or not. It was a revolutionary war, communists vs the traditionalists. The west supported the traditionalists, China supported the Communists.
The helicopter pilot talking about shooting women and children was foreshadowing Jokers showdown with the sniper. He's incredulous that anyone would shoot women and children and he ends up killing a woman child before the end of the movie. It's so tragic.
If you want another vietnam war movie, try the Mel Gibson movie "we were soldiers". Its quite a fair depiction from both sides of the conflict because it was made from descriptions and stories of men who were actually at the battle
IRT @the98themperoroftheholybri33 U.S. Marine here, '68 - '91. Don't like Mel Gibson and didn't see the movie but I read the book. Holy f###!!! I normally read every page of a book from the first page through the last. As I began to read the names of the soldiers listed in the pre-what-ever-it's-called section, I said f### this (too long) and began reading the intro and the first chapter. Before I reached one-third of the way through the book, I stopped and said to myself, "When I finish this book, I'm 'gonna' return to that list of names and read them from back to front (Z to A) because (2) the guys at the rear need to be acknowledged first for a change and (1) every damn one of these soldiers need to be acknowledged for their participation in this fight. And I did. I not only read each name, I paused for each one and reflected on their individual actions, if they were explained in the book, From a lush jungle environment, not a blade of grass nor tree limb was exposed due to the heavy fighting (bullets expended) through that area. As we would say in the naval establishment, Bravo Zulu to these soldiers. You've earned that "splice the mainbrace" or extra ration of rum. Semper Fidelis!
What's interesting about We Were Soldiers is that General Hal Moore and the NVA Commander became friends after the war and both said they respected the other immensely.
I lost my father to that war. I have heard about that war all my life. I have seen movies like this all my life. I have felt bad about it all my life. I want to thank you for reacting to this movie many decades later. None of us can undo what happened. Thank you. Love and respect.
Out of curiosity I genuinely wanna know if that affects you in any way while watching a war movie. Does it make war films even more upsetting? Like I feel like I’d be too repulsed just to watch a film about the war knowing how close to home it’ll hit. I’m not trying to offend or anything just curious
@@iwilldrownyourinfant5377 No. Not repused by war movies. I've always been anti-war politically but he died when I was 6 years old. Most of the impact was in losing the bread-winner in the family and not have a male role model as I grew up. I feel terrible about what happened to the people of Vietnam though. That part stayed with me. Thanks for asking.
It was funny at the end when these two ladies acknowledged that Vietnamese women fought for the country, but earlier they asked how the helicopter door gunner could shoot women and children. It was because the women and children were soldiers fighting for their country. The "smart" attack by the Vietnamese during the Tet holiday was a breach of a peace agreement that the North had made, kind of like when they broke the agreements made and invaded the sovereign state of South Vietnam which cause the government of South Vietnam to ask the US for military aid. It was not an invasion; the US was asked for assistance. Lastly, North Vietnam didn't win their invasion and conquest of South Vietnam until after the US left following the Paris Peace Accords. Again, in breach of the agreements North Vietnam invaded and toppled the South Vietnamese, they did not defeat the American military. We weren't even there anymore. They should probably also thank the Chinese and Russians that were backing North Vietnam, after all China is where Ho Chi Mihn was hiding during the world.
It is so interesting to hear your perspectives, Chi and Hela. To answer a couple of your questions, the word "Head" in the Marines and Navy means bathroom. And the term "Drill Instructor" is the teacher of the recruits. 👍😊 Also, the Marine boot camp scenes are very accurate. It was exactly the kind of recruit training that I experienced. Although at the end of training, we did not shoot our Drill Instructor.
At the time, this version of the drill instructor was kind of over the top. A much more accurate version is from The Boys of Company C. The same actor played the DI. Kubrick saw him in that film and told him to amp it up almost into parody. In Boys of Company C the DI is still a hard ass but more realistic. Funny thing is, a lot of later DI copied their behavior based on Full Metal Jacket.
I went to Marine boot camp in July 1973, and I can vouch that the portrayal of the Drill Instructor in this movie is exactly what I experienced. The acting was not an exaggeration or "over the top."@@AceMoonshot
The end of the boot camp scenes in Full Metal Jacket is the only unrealistic part of the movie, because live ammo is strictly monitored on the rifle range by the DI's and the range coaches. There is no way Pyle would have been able to steal 20 rounds of ammo and keep it secret all the way to the last night of recruit training. Plus, the only time you have a magazine is during 2nd phase when you're at the rifle range and learning basic infantry tactics which ends a month before graduation. Lastly, you turn-in your rifle about a week before graduation, so Pyle would not have had ammo, a magazine, or a rifle during that last night of boot camp. @@PropperNaughtyGeezer
The battle was in Hue Tet Jan 30, 1968 to late February. The initial reaction by the USMC was to send two infantry companies 300 to support the MACV and ARVN in Hue. They were not aware the VC and NVA had moved 10,000 troops around and into the city. 2,800 to 6,000 civilians killed, 142 Marines killed, Army 1st CAV 68 Killed. Suggest the book Hue 1968 by Mark Bowden tells the story by interviews of participants on both the NVA and U.S.A. side.
Most Americans did not support this war. This movie does show a lot of what did happen. Great reaction young ladies. I hope you keep doing reactions together, you are so cool together.
I don't think you can speak for most Americans. The difference between Korea and Vietnam is the liberals caused America to abandon the South Vietnamese so the North, supported by China and the USSR defeated the defenseless South.
Americans support whatever the media tells them to support. The elites were not in favor of that particular war, so they had the media get that message out to the public.
Vietnam did not win militarily, but you made US forces loose enough men that the war became unpopular, so politically we lost here in the US. Then we withdrew when it was no longer a war that was wanted by the people of the US.
You might find it interesting to know that most of the second half of the movie was filmed in London because Kubrick wanted to stay home. They had to import palm trees which they struggled to keep alive because it was winter in the uk
Funny how someone isn't more kind to invaders after 30 years of warfare...🤔 It's not well known but the US was meant to make war reparations to the Vietnamese, but of course they reneged on that.
You're ignoring the point made by the OP. You can condemn American involvement in Vietnam, while also condemning the atrocities committed by the North Vietnamese and the VC. Most Americans are well aware of the My Lai massacre and Rolling Thunder and the devastation it caused. The Vietnam War and the US administrations that waged it are enthusiastically criticised and condemned in America. The Vietnamese government, however, does not tolerate criticism and Vietnamese children are not taught about well-documented communist barbarity, as is evident from this video. That's the point.@@Cheepchipsable
My father was in basic training during the Vietnam war but luckily never got shipped to Vietnam. The training WAS this difficult. Drill instructors were not supposed to hit men but my father said they did anyway. BTW, one of the reasons soldiers were trained this way during the Vietnam war is because a famous study came out after World War 2 that showed that many American soldiers either didn't fire their gun during battle, or purposefully fired at the ground. So the Pentagon wanted to make sure this didn't happen during the Vietnam war so they tried to teach them to fire "automatically" so they wouldn't vacillate during battle. I think this movie tried to make the point that this kind of training went TOO far in dehumanizing the enemy and led to some atrocities on the American side. This movie IS essentially an antiwar film.
It is not the only reason the drill instructors were this hard. Another reason is the cut in time for the preparation of the conscripts. They hated that they had to send troops into combat unready. And did the best they could by being harder.
God forbid your conscripted draftees refuse to murder men fighting for the independence of their people in a war your men don't even have a stake in anyway. Wouldn't it be terrible if they kept any moral fiber
It's not about the Vietnam war. It's about the men that were sent to fight in it. When the Tet offence started, they did just run in like that. They were called sappers. They had explosives strapped to their bodies. They were sent in before the main forces were to attack. They hoped the sappers would clear out machine guns and major defenses before the main attack. The short war scenes are because they have to show the war was happening. But the movie was about the men, not the war. Them singing the theme to the Micky Mouse Club song at the end. Is to show that they are still young, but the innocence they had when they learned to sing that song. That innocence is gone now.
Fun fact: the combat scenes in this movie were filmed on a disused airfield in Great Britain. That's why, amongst other things, the helicopters look slightly wrong: they're the British version of the American ones actually used in Vietnam, but they were still available in Britain, whereas the American ones were rare by the time this was filmed. There's also an old British truck in there which probably looked suitably 'foreign' to an American audience, but stands out a mile to any British military geek.
@@hawkeye4id Well the US Marines used piston-engined Sikorsky S-58s in Vietnam longafter the Army went over to Hueys. The Westland Wessex seen in the movie was a British turboshaft-powered version of the S-58.
"In war, nobody can keep their hands clean," could be a tagline for the movie. FYi. The entire movie was filmed in england, and the guy who played the drill sgt was one in real life.
I think Hella(I hope that is the correct english spelling) has it right when she says this is a game. For the Americans it was a game of survival, since they were not allowed to win it. As some have pointed out, this was an anti-war movie, and I agree with it, we should have never been there in the first place. I am impressed with your empathy for portrayed enemy deaths as well as your own. If you do any more war movies, I suggest you have Hella with you, I love her gamer insights.
My cousin was in Vietnam and remembers the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) murdering tens of thousands of South Vietnamese villagers who didn't want the communists to take over. Many tortured before being killled.
@@plutoisacomet It's common knowledge the NVA and Vietcong murdered civillians. Every party involved in the Vietnam war killed civillians, that's the sad reality of war that has been the case since the beginning of society.
The scene where Private Laurence “Private Pyle” gets in trouble for smuggling a jelly donut is a very common thing. When I was in Navy boot camp; one of the recruits in my division hid a pack of trail mix in his A&B drawer. My whole division got punished while he was forced to eat the trail mix. After that event; my 1st Recruit Division Commander nicknamed that individual Scrumptious.
Ever heard of the massacre at hue? It was the most deadly massacre in the entire Vietnam war and it was committed by the peoples army of Vietnam and the Vietcong and the current Vietnamese government still denies it even happened
@@Antares2 the death count of my lai is 500 the death count of the massacre at hue is over 6,000 plus the north Vietnamese government helped the Khmer Rouge come to power during the Cambodian civil war who killed over a million people so clearly while both sides did awful things one of them did way worse things to the people of indochina and it’s not the Americans and their south Vietnamese Allie’s
@@hayther4590 Khmer Rogue were communist, NVA helped them take over Cambodia. After the war, Khmer attacks Vietnam, and then they realize their mistake and go in and smoke the Cambodians.
the Vietnam War was on American TV every night. it was a very controversial war over here too, especially as more of our boys came back dead or wounded. so sorry for all you've lost. frankly, i can't even imagine what it was like, living there at that time. i think the movie did a good job representing so many aspects of that crazy war. i had a laugh when you guys were rooting for the "bad guys" in the battle scenes but that's natural. you had a unique perspective on this movie and it was a pleasure to watch. keep on rockin
In the beginning, it was more of a policing and training operation to help the South Vietnamese. But turned into an all-out war when it became clear the South was never going to survive on its own. The decision to quit was the right one. After all, this was not an American affair and it became one.
I am a partially disabled combat veteran of the United States Navy. My mother and father were both US Navy stationed on monkey mountain, outside of Danang during the tet holiday 1968. That is the tet holiday in this movie. My father was wounded twice in Vietnam. But, he survived. I was wounded in the Gulf War in 1991.
I hope you are getting VA disability, fellow sailor. I was a US Navy Diver (2nd Class Diver or a 5343 or 5345 Navy code) back then and after I got to Vietnam, courtesy of a WESPAC ship with several ports and liberty before), I was given new orders to report to HCU1 in Danang, where the ship I served on eventually docked. I recall several times that either N. Vietnamese or even Viet Cong were trying to hit ships in Danang Harbor with mortar rounds, especially during the day since Navy ships only ported during the day and steamed out to sea at night to avoid being targeted. The merchant marine ships stayed behind, which was odd. Same with the Air Force base runway right by the water. They were targets also.
I started watching you all and I didn’t know you were Vietnamese until recently. I feel happy because I’m also Vietnamese but I live in the US. This movie reminds me of my grandpa. He was an officer in the South Vietnamese Army during the war. He passed away in 2020. Nguyen Dinh Bao, a famous officer who is also a family member of mine, was in the war too.
You’re trained like this to break you down and realize you’re nothing without the men around you. Then you’re built back up into a team. As a two tour veteran of Vietnam I look back fondly at the training.
You have to remember the Vietnam war was a proxy war. Vietnam was having a civil war, America supporting the south and China supporting the north. At that time it was not a single Vietnam.
Yeah, I found it interesting that China was not considered to be "invading" but the US was. I guess the "winner" writes the history books. I imagine if South Vietnam had defeated the North Vietnamese, we'd be seeing two girls talking about communist China as the invaders. I mean, it's not like the US ever had any intention of taking over Vietnam anymore than France had the intention of taking over the United States in our revolutionary war.
@@ArtofFreeSpeech After US involvement ended, there was also a shooting war between Vietnam and China. Vietnam invaded Cambodia and fought the Khmer Rouge that were supported by China. So then China invaded Vietnam but failed to stop their invasion of Cambodia.
@@ArtofFreeSpeech ya if the USA public opinion wasnt so bad about the vietnam issue it could have also turned into something like north/south korea which was a similar battle of the area in a way.
Very brave reaction. I think you ladies were very strong to watch such a movie because of how close it is to your history, family and feelings. Much respect to both of you.
Missing In Action 2: The Beginning shows what the American and South Vietnamese Soldiers experienced as Prisoners of War under the North Vietnamese Army. Missing In Action 3 shows exactly what the Children of the American Soldiers and the South Vietnamese people experienced at the hands of the North Vietnamese Army as well
@Gimil38 Sure, but the way the ladies talked, it seemed they were unaware of NVA atrocities. Also, when the USA commits atrocities, it's world news. Just look at Abu Ghraib. Everyone hears about it. The soldiers are punished--even when the US was the victor. When other countries do it, it's mostly swept under the rug (unless they lose the war).
The singing while running is called, cadence, it’s basically what you were saying. It helps running to the beat so everyone is running at the same pace in the same stride, left foot then right foot. It shows great unity among the company
I appreciate the Vietnamese viewpoint through your eyes. Yu are both too young to have been there first hand, but have inspired me to look into what happened after the war.
The drill segeant was played by R Lee Ermy who was a former real life drill sergeant, so that's why he was perfect for this role. In fact, a lot of what he said was improvised (not scripted).
In basic training , the idea is that you will be broken down as the person you were, and rebuilt into a war machine: a man who can kill without feeling pleasure nor feeling remorse, who can fit perfectly like a cog into the larger machine of your unit and always put the Mission Objective ahead of any personal concerns. These days, Drill Sergeants aren’t allowed to swear at you like R. Lee Ermey (it’s seen as unprofessional); however, the program is still the same, and it produces the finest professional soldiers the world’s ever seen, so…They’re doing something right.
I just want to say that the USA did not invade Vietnam. After the fall of French Indochina Vietnam was divided into North Vietnam and South Vietnam. North Vietnam invaded Laos and soon after attacked South Vietnam. South Vietnam was supported by the US and North Vietnam by SSSR and China. So the USA was helping South Vietnam as this was their mission to stop spreading communism - like they did during the Korean War. Of course, there were war atrocities committed by both sides and many civilians were murdered. War is hell...
Excellent reaction video! Very brave choice of movie, as well. Thank you for teaching me new things about an old movie that I saw for the first time, 30 years ago. Love from Norway.
Interesting reaction video from current Vietnamese generation. The scene with the dead Vietnamese covered in lye, they misunderstood as they were killed by Americans instead of “their side”. Also, I never thought about it but current Vietnamese view Vietnamese-Americans as traitors.
@@uncleho1945The VC started and waged a civil war against the government of South Vietnam, and when they were too weak to continue going were supported by a North Vietnamese invasion of the South. This also included helping to overthrow the governments in Laos and Cambodia, installing pro-Communist governments, and using their nations as springboards to launch attacks into the South. Why are you pinning all 3 million deaths on the victims of the war? The South Vietnamese Government and her allies were the defenders, not the aggressors. If you break into my house and start trying to kill me, and during the struggle other people get injured, why is the blood on my hands? The damage would not have been caused if the home invader didn't break-in. Also, what the fuck is with the "" around the massacres at Hue? Is the murder of 10,000 innocent people not a massacre to you? Never mind the fact that the numbers are wrong, as the current accepted death toll for Communist war crimes in Hue are somewhere between 2 to 6 thousand, not 10,000 ( I know that makes the Communist technically look better, because its killing less people. But the truth is important, even if I don't like who it supports)
27:00 The North Vietnamese Army, like most communist regimes, was very fond of what was called "human wave" attacks. The US, for a variety of reasons, had both the will and the resources to highly train and equip its soldiers, making them valuable assets. The NVA's training, by contrast, was mostly about getting as many soldiers as possible and desensitizing them to battle, then turning them loose on the enemy (the US, in this case) in huge numbers in hopes of simply overwhelming American troops with the sheer number of soldiers. Unarmored, with little to no air or armor support, and with substandard weapons, they were ordered to simply charge, all at once, straight at the American lines. We had armor. We had trenches. We had machine guns. We had air support and napalm, literally liquid fire that sticks to everything. The NVA's whole strategy was to throw more human canon fodder at us than we could kill. It was horrifying and it's a big part of why so many American veterans of Vietnam are so messed up. In many cases they were forced to use machine guns and flame throwers to massacre young men and even teenagers by the dozens. Often times they charged our lines unarmed, counting on being able to pick up the weapons dropped by their fallen comrades, only to be slaughtered by artillery and machine guns without ever even getting to fire a single shot. To the NVA their soldiers were nothing more than disposable bullet sponges. It's a tactic they inherited from the Soviets, who in WWII would send troops into battle unarmed with instructions to pick up the weapons dropped by earlier waves running headlong into German machine guns, because they had more soldiers than guns. It cost them more to build an AK-47 than it did to train and equip a soldier, and it showed. And the saddest part is that Vietnam didn't stand to gain anything from this. Your country was a puppet in a much larger conflict. The Soviet Union wanted to spread communism, just to have more communist countries, and they got Vietnam to fight America for them so they wouldn't have to, because they knew they couldn't win that fight. Thousands and thousands of young Vietnamese men were slaughtered like animals for the political ambitions of of the Soviet Union because they were too scared to fight America themselves. It's sad, disgraceful, and abominable, and all for nothing.
It's pretty much debunked myth that the Soviets always used human wave attacks . They only sent their troops to battle unarmed in the very early days of ww2 when the Germans took them by surprise and invaded them and at the time they were not well prepared for a war . Why don't you go read a book written by some actual Soviet military historians. The NVA had more tactics and arming than just being bullet sponges . You have watched too many movies. Total nonsense No the sad thing is that US empire didn't want to allow true Vietnamese independence they prevented it by funding the French’s colonial war but when that failed they decided to get involved . The U.S. but wanted them to be a puppet like the south. Ho chi minh tried everything to befriend the US and seek peace and independence for Vietnam nonviolently but each time he was rebuffed and ignored . Also Even the CIA admitted in their classified documents that Ho Chi Minh was insanely popular in the south and if any free election had happened he would have won . The Vietnamese were fighting a for their independence. The U.S. were just another foreign invader and what the US did was straight up evil napalming , bombing using agent orange which killed 100,000 civilians . Most American civilians could see what they were doing is wrong which is why most opposed the war. It was the US that was fighting for nothing. The Vietnamese were fighting for freedom .
Both of them seem to have taken a lot of the expressions and sarcasm literally; that being said, its interesting to see how they interpreted it in that sense.
Kubrick made this movie to be an anti-war film, so many of its scenes in Vietnam are negatively exaggerated to support his anti-war philosophy. If you and Hela would like to see a Vietnam War movie that presents a fair representation of both sides, then I recommend you watch "We Were Soldiers." It gives a view of the war from both the American and Vietnamese perspective. 🤔 Also, if you would like to see a very good comedy, then I recommend "Office Space." Anyone in the world who works in an office will relate to that movie. Lastly, I am very impressed with your English proficiency. Both of you girls are having a very sophisticated conversation and your English is impeccable. 👍😊 Your English teachers would be very proud of you. 👍❤
@@Movie.Munchies The difference is the movie We Were Soldiers is a true story told by those who were there, it does not try to paint the Vietnamese as weak or evil. One of the most powerful lines in the movie is from Lt. Col. Nguyen Huu An "Such a tragedy. They will think this was their victory. So this will become an American war. And the end will be the same... except for the numbers who will die before we get there."
This was a fascinating reaction to watch. With the two of y'all being from Vietnam, you both got to share your views of the conflict. I look forward to more reactions from y'all, and gonna subscribe to check em out
40:06 The Vietnamese soldier did not betray Vietnam as he is a soldier in the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) which was its own country and asked USA for military support against the invading Communist forces from North Vietnam
@@TruthHurts2u Or maybe these 2 are so very ignorant of there own country's history and yeah maybe they are really brainwashed by their commie government
I really appreciate your reactions. It was a difficult watch for me, and I can only imagine how it would feel with your background. Unfortunately some service members are sadistic and get into the service to kill. I met a few psychos when I served. This is definitely not a glorified look at the war.
Uh, this was a draft war. People with no desire to serve being forced into it, turned psycho because they should never have been there in the first place. Not saying there aren't bad American soldiers, but Vietnam had a special level of the wrong kind.
It's what happens in war. On both sides people become monsters. Or else how can you kill another human being? And also remember that this wasn't just a clear cut Vietnam vs the USA war. This was a proxy war with a lot of muddied political and national interests in play. If left to its own the North would not have won the war, but the Russians were involved together with the Chinese in the background. Also the Vietnam of today is not the same as the Vietnam back then.
I enjoyed the reaction. I'm purposely not reading comments as I'm quite sure they're full of nastiness. My father was a marine who went through basic training at Parris Island. He assured me that there was very little hyperbole in the film. He would have enjoyed seeing these young Vietnamese reactors take on it.
The Vietnam war was not a war between Vietnam and the United States. It was a war between North and South Vietnam; North Vietnam was Communist and wanted to reunify Vietnam into one country. The NVA and Viet Cong fought against the American forces and the South Vietnamese forces, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. U.S. forces never invaded North Vietnam with ground troops, which made it difficult to fight the war to a resolution.
"Join the Army; travel to exotic, distant lands; meet exciting, unusual people and kill them" - that was the recruiter slogan on the US Army advertising posters during Vietnamese War. When Joker says, what he wanted to "meet exciting, unusual people and kill them" there was the irony reference to that poster.
The movie "Heaven and Earth," which came out in 1993, is a different kind of Vietnam War movie focusing on a young Vietnamese woman. It's beautifully filmed and often heartbreaking.
If you want to react to a great Vietnam War film then watch "Platoon". The movie is about the experiences of the director, Oliver Stone, in the 25th Infantry during the war. It depicts the many atrocities of the American military against the Vietnamese peoples and the struggle of the main character with what he was seeing as well as the death that was around him. I highly recommend that you react to it on this channel. Great reaction by the way.
@@llongone2 No one was arguing which one is better. Full Metal Jacket is a great psycological thriller but not very realistic. Kubrick never fought in Vietnam. Stone actually served and fought in the war. Platoon is based on what he lived through or stories he heard from within his battalion. Each is a masterpiece in it's own right.
I enjoyed watching a Vietnamese reaction. I have a Vietnamese friend who immigrated to the US. I met her at a firing range. She saw me using an AK and asked if she could fire it. Because she was taught how to use it in school. That made me think. Watching your reactions reminded me of her. There is a lot of dark humor in the movie that is very ironic and sarcastic. It is not just military but medical professionals who laugh to avoid crying. I would not have caught the improper dialect. Thank you for that. Once you mentioned it, I spotted it. She was too deep in her throat, i think? The Vietnam War was a mess caused by a lot of nasty stuff going on around the world. There were atrocities on all sides. The only solace that I keep is it probably kept the US, China and USSR from blowing up the world. If you want a movie reaction, i have 4. Veteran experience: Dog, with Channing Tatum. Lost City for a comedy. Bullet Train for a comedy. Love Actually for a romantic comedy.. I definitely enjoyed hearing a different perspective on the movie. The Hmong experience is also interesting, to me.
I've seen videos of them still having kids today bayonet straw dummies. Little kids too, like 8. I think it's more like an independence day pageantry thing than training but it was wild to see.
@@twelvecatsinatrenchcoat For the most part, the Vietnamese get along well with people from the US. I have heard several say that their country's biggest mistake was winning.
@@aegisprotection4969 I've heard that too. They seem very gracious about it, which is fair seeing as they won 😅 We actually have good relations with Vietnam now, they've always been more nervous about China than us. That's part of why this war was such a tragedy, they came to us for help before they went to the Chinese. Ho Chi Min even tried to get a letter to Woodrow Wilson at the Paris Peace Conference at the end of WWI, asking for America's help in ending French Colonialism. Wilson never got the letter.
Pyle is mentally challenged that's why he smiles a lot and has trouble functioning. Mentally challenged people were purposely drafted and they were called "McNamara's Morons." They were not expected to survive but to act as cannonfodder so better soldiers could push through.
I once read that the US expended 50,000 rounds of M-16 ammunition for every confirmed enemy kill in Vietnam. This movie, if nothing else, gives you a sense of that.
The firefight is also metaphor of the war. First of all, they're literally lost. We have no idea what they're doing. They seem to have no idea what they're doing. The Vietnamese fire one bullet at one target, they respond by firing thousands at nothing because it's the only thing they can do. And in the end it's just a little girl, there's no glory, no heroics, just suffering and shame.
I think a few things were lost in translation here. This movie is an anti war movie. It wasn't meant to glorify the war but to give a harsh view of the reality of the war. There's a lot of sarcasm thats misinterpreted as genuine statements. Joker , when he said he wanted to be the first kid on his block to get a confirmed kill, he was being sarcastic. He doesn't believe what he's saying. He doesn't believe in what's going on in Vietnam, the mission. He's being cynical.
Yea Joker thinks the reporters question is stupid. So he gives a stupid sarcastic answer.. like " wtf do you think I'm doing here?. That I wanted to come here to kill Vietnamese people for glory?"
For sure. I hated that it was interpreted in an offensive way but completely understand why it was. Misunderstandings suck.
Much like STARSHIP TROOPERS and LOOK WHO'S BACK, this "anti-war" movie got me and my generation a war "hard on" This movie motivated a new generation of killahs
@@carlosbaja678 well... i frankly can't understand how someone can watch this and think that war is cool. perhaps something was very wrong with your perspective to begin with, but i hope now you look at it critically.
@@jan_kisan War was always here. Before man was, war waited for him. The ultimate trade awaiting its ultimate practitioner.
When the girls both said together "It's Saigon!" without hesitation.......a testament to how superbly made the movie was.......what they thought was Saigon was in fact a derelict industrial site in London, where the film was shot.........director Stanley Kubrick wouldnt travel abroad so the entire movie was shot in the UK...... it's very convincing, though, isnt it???
Taking nothing away from the filmmaking team, I'm not sure how much these girls' reaction to that scene is the testament you proclaim. Their frame of reference for 1960s Saigon would probably be the same as Kubrick's set designer's; namely, photographs of the city from the 1960s. These ladies probably have only seen it in text books or magazines.
Some perspective: How much extra credence would you lend a filmmaker's vision of his 1960s Vegas period piece based on a similar "seal of approval" of a couple of UNLV students? Would their reaction be a testament to the fact that the filmmakers got 1960s Vegas right?
@@MrROKinROKbased
Bro said we’re not going to Vietnam, we have Saigon at home!!😡
Well though a lot of this was filmed in England it was mostly the heavy combat in the end that was filmed in England, lot of the rest of the location stuff was shot abroad in Thailand, Phillipines and I think that one scene on the street one their only onlocation in nam.
It shows how much clout Kubrick had earned by that point in his career too. He asked that Vietnam be recreated from scratch in London and the executives were like "Right away, Mr. Kubrick."
Congrats, the lady on the left caught one of the most important yet overlooked parts of this movie. Animal Mother is what Private Pyle would have been if he had lived. And you caught it the first time you watched it!
The girl on the right had Joker figured out. Jocker wasn't a killer and only killed the sniper because he had to, as well as putting her out of her misery. He wasn't a sociopath like Animal Mother.
Animal Mother was the hero of Canton. The man they call Jayne.
@@Hay-x7p ?
@@Hay-x7p ?
Awesome insight. I didn't catch that connection.
These girls makes much more sense than other movie reactors
There's a lot of irony here. Kubrick isn't really pro-war. He's very anti-war.
But yet this movie recruited a boatload of Marines.😂😂😂
@@hollywood3695I understand that, dude. But this is Kubrick. Of course he's going to make it exactly how it was. From what I understand, this is, in fact, that one that stood the test of time, even more than Platoon. If you've ever thought of reading Short Timers, that was a really good book.
@@hollywood3695it's definitely a pitfall of this type of movie - my cousin showed me this movie when i was a teen and i think it was a big part of turning me into my peacenik self, but I could see how it would fire up some other dudes
@@hollywood3695 A Clockwork Orange encouraged many copycat crimes, but it was obviously never intended as such - it was a negative comment on society. As a result, Kubrick himself pulled the film, it was only unbanned after his death in '99 (or shortly thereafter).
I know for a fact that *A Clockwork Orange* was available for rental on VHS in the mid 90s. I know this because my best mates and I first watched it in 8th grade, and I graduated in ‘99. As for copycat crimes-where on Earth did all these copycats find grand cockenbalz sculptures with which to beat people to death?
The Americans were fighting alongside the South Vietnamese against the communist North Vietnamese. It wasn't Vietnam vs America. It was South Vietnam vs North Vietnam and the US sided with South Vietnam. Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and others fought on the side of S Vietnam as well. The N Vietnamese were backed by China and the USSR.
A civil war that the US had no business getting involved in, expanding a regional war and dragging a bunch of countries along with them. They did the same in China/Taiwan and Korea, fortunately for the Vietnamese, they won the war and kicked the Americans out of their country and unified it, saving them the fate that China and Korea are suffering from to this very day.
@cannibalteddy6846 Very true had the US not propped up the south and worked for a national referendum instead of a war, the people would have voted for one nation, and the "communists" would have won because they were very popular with the common people.
@cannibalteddy6846.....according to N Vietnam
@@VadulTharys False. This was classic evyl communism, which still needs purged from the world in every place it remains - a cancer of criminality on all forms of human civility. All they did was rig the election for their "constitution" and banned opposing Viet factions. They wanted to conquer, and ho chih ming was occupied by the chinese army and forced/controleld at first. The US was original, under the evil Franklin Commie Roosevelt, on the side of Viet Minh and tried to peacekeep/advocate on their behalf and defended them against the allied powers. The CIA even aided them with their commie usurpation by assassinating Ngo Ding Diem, who was anti-commie pro-nationalist. ultimately, though, Europe started the war. Then Viet Minh revealed their true evil colors and immediately funded commie revolutions in neighboring countries (and immediatel went for typical commie expansionism via Laos and Khymer). The opposing factions united to form south vietnam to repel communism. USSR and China immediately supplied Viet Minh and USA withdrew their support and joined the more fair and humane south vietnamese. Thus the Invaders from the north started the war immediately after WWII (indochina war) then feudal local wars with viet factions then wars with neighboring countries, all as the puppets of USSR/China to continue the expansion of global communism. Went the US withdrew, the next years saw what they always see under evyl commie rule, hundreds of thousands of imprisons, enslayvements, and executions/genocides, and all the "new government" votes (totally democratic) bannedd everyone but the commie faction, and then they followed Mao's recipe and immediately did forced redistribution of the "rich" while also killing the middle class and even upper lower class (until it was all redistributed to people in their original Viet Minh faction, which was the whole point all along- hostile theft by thieves, commie 101). ho chih Ming later apologized for the "aggressive" and "incorrect" targeted of landholders.. but of course most were already dead and the land wasn't returned, so it was a fake apology.
Sadly, the propaganda machine, not the opposition's forces, cost us that war. Politicians interferred and constantly hamstringed the military, which drug it out and opened the door for all sorts of political corruption. Saying we lost a fight when we're not allowed to fight back is a joke. Evyl paid off politicians created a conflict to grab land and resources, profit off of the anarchy and war, and exploit the black markets created by the anarchy, just like what is happening today in Ukrayne and Palestyne. Same evyl politicians sticking their nose where it doesn't belong because they want to cut deals.
@@eq1373and the CIA and DoD
The "singing" while running is called a "cadence", it keeps them in sync as they run/march.... Also ensures that they keep the breathing up.
In the interview scene, Joker is making jokes. He is making fun of the official attitude. When he says that he wants to be the first kid on his block with a confirmed kill, he is using a line from old television commercials. Companies used to advertise toys by telling the children to be the first kid on their block to own the toy.
Ok I am happy at least he wasn't serious when he spoke those things
That's not exactly what's going on. Joker's entire character is about "duality of man". How no man is one sided, neither entirely good or evil. It's why he makes that statement and also why he wears a peace symbol, but also has "born to kill" written on his helmet cover.
@@procrastinator6902 I remember the television commercials. Joker was joking.
@@wirebrushproductions1001 That's true. But that same line came from television commercials for toys in the early 1960s.
@@Movie.MunchiesNo, he wasn’t serious at all. That’s why they call him Joker. 😊
He was being ironic. You know? Like British humor where you laugh three days later. 😅
My father was one of these guys. He was marine infantry in South Vietnam in 1969. He spent 9 months in a hospital in Japan for burns he received. He self-medicated his PTSD with drugs until he cleaned up in the 1980s. My parents' marriage didn't survive, so I was the child of a busy working mother. The effects of the Vietnam War had a tremendous impact on Gen X in the U.S.
A shit war that took too many good lives on both sides!
Very insightful, fellow Gen Xer. I've thought a lot about how we were affected by my dad's hard experiences as a Marine '67-'71.
Gex X (68 vintage) who grew up military and have a keen awareness of military history. I had a Marine vet coworker who did a deployment and I asked when. He said, "69-70" and I just replied with "ooof".
Yes.......We survived that madness.
Not ZKUST GEN X. BUT ALL!@
All the bodies in the pit covered in lime were Vietnamese people that worked with the South Vietnamese government in positions of authority. The NLF and NVA had lists and when they entered Hue they executed them. They weren't killed by the Americans.
Yup, most of them would rather be alive than free.
The Vietnamese soldiers during the Tet offensive scene are actually one of the many "suicide squads" that attacked American troops at the time. That's why they run into the American base just shooting, without seeking cover.
It was mentioned in the earlier scene how American targets have been overrun by suicide squads lately, and the men around the table sort of let out a disillusioned moan because it's the worst case scenario. So during the Tet New Year, that's what Joker and his group get to experience first-hand.
No suicide squads at Tet.
@@davisworth5114wrong
What do you call the attack on the embassy then?
It was suicide and they knew it
@davisworth5114 you are wrong, or you never heard of the 19-man suicide squad that seized the courtyard of the U.S. Embassy and held it for six hours until an assault force of U.S. paratroopers landed by helicopter on the building's roof and routed them.
Based on the Tet attack, we know the movie was set in early 1968.
@@davisworth5114no war in Ba Sing Se
The bodies that were covered in Lyme, the white powder, were killed by the Army of North Vietnam. It was showing that in war, atrocities can be committed by both sides, like the helicopter door gunner shooting civilians.
Yeah the US killed 500 civilians at My lai
lime
@@padajsiloinepravdo6299 NVA and VC killed anywhere around 3000 to 6000 South Vietnamese civillians and POWs in Hue. Politics aside, both sides employed many "dirty tricks", with the VC hiding among civilians and the CIA allegedly participating in heroin dealing to finance operations. It's very unrealistic and immature to portray a single side of the war as heros and the other as barbarians.
@@padajsiloinepravdo6299’Massacre at Hué was the torture and killing of many civilians and prisoners of war, 2,800-6,000 people killed
@@HeyCharliesBackup The U.S. Bombing campaign Operation Rolling Thunder killed between 30,000 - 182,000 civilians in North Vietnam alone . That’s not even counting Laos or Cambodia.
The NVA lost most battles. The NVA was known to be very resourceful and highly motivated but poorly trained. The US soldiers on the other hand were well trained and equipped but had poor moral, most were conscripts who didn’t want to be there. In the end, north Vietnam won because America ran out of will to fight.
Vietnam proves that in war you don’t have to win. You just have to not lose.
Well said
During the Tet offensive the north Vietnamese committed severe atrocities against their own people.
South Vietnam lost because their leaders were very corrupt, mostly the old colonial elites under the French - so they didn’t have widespread support. You fight an insurgency with state building. But the USA didn’t do that, it just kept propping up the old regime rather than fix it. It was wrong to support such a corrupt government. So no matter how high morale was for the USA, fundamentally, South Vietnam’s government wouldn’t last long after we left. Measuring “success” in body bags not building a stable government. It was very shortsighted.
To clarify on your thought that Pyle might've become the leader after killing the drill instructor. He would've definitely either spent life in prison or been put to death.
I actually said out loud, “PROMOTED?? HE JUST KILLED HIS COMMANDING OFFICER LOL”
During war things get even worse for committing any kind of crime so yea he could most definitely have faced a death penalty. If he would have been an officer most definitely you're dying. He is a gunnery Sargent which is a senior non commissioned officer so who knows.
What's really tragic about Pyle is that there's a good chance he's intended to represent one of "McNamara's Morons;" the USA was having such difficulty training enough men to fight in Vietnam that General McNamara made the controversial decision to drastically lower the mental health and intelligence requirements necessary to be passed fit for service. These mentally substandard servicemen had triple the casualty rate of everyone else when sent into battle. In the film, it's pretty obvious from the start that Pyle is woefully out of his depth and should not be there; you can't force a person to learn what their brain simply doesn't have the capacity to understand.
You're right of course-- in bootcamp. But you think soldiers don't kill their COs in the field? And get away with it, sometimes? It's not for nothin' they put that in "Platoon"
@@prismpyre7653 no, american soldiers definitely do not kill their COs in the field 💀 you maybe referring to specific incidents in the past, but that is so beyond rare lmao
Found out, a few years ago, I have a second cousin who is half Vietnamese. He had been looking for his biological father, an American, for a long time. After his DNA test showed he's related to our family, he contacted us to see whether my (then deceased) dad was the father. My sister and I were very curious as to whether we had a half-brother. Unfortunately the details of my dad's service in Vietnam didn't quite match up with what his mom had told him, so it was a more distant relative of ours. Poor guy had been looking for his soldier father, who had told his mother he would take her back to the US with him, for decades. Just disappeared. Probably died over there. Anyway, our cousin told us a bit about his childhood when the war ended. He said right after the war, when the South fell and the re-education camps started, she had to dye his hair black (it was brown-ish) because she was terrified they'd take him away and he'd be .. disappeared.
I think he eventually emigrated to the US.
Dang, well if he's in the States, and he sounds like a bad person, you could meet up sometime in the future. In the flesh as it were. I don't mean to be disparaging of the man but I don't trust people much and I can get a decent read on a person even through a video screen. But that's a lot of trust in someone you barely know to meet together. I hope your future relationship with him and his family goes well!
So did you do a DNA test? That's the only certain way to find out. There's quite a good chance that at least someone was lying about something.
@@yezz-_-3570 He contacted us due to our DNA test, and was a 2nd cousin. Nothing suspect about it, didn't ask for anything. Just looking for his biological dad he never found. Which, apparently, was a distant relative we never knew.
@@NefariousKoel oh I meant your parents or his mother could've lied, I never thought he was lying haha.
@@NefariousKoel - if you and he are 2nd cousins, your father could not have been his father. Technically speaking, your relationship with the 2nd cousin's father would be "first cousin once removed". Siblings of parents are the "aunts and uncles", the children of those siblings are first cousins. The children of those first cousins are then second cousins to each other. Second cousin" means ONE of your parents was 1st cousins with one of his parents. Also, since first cousins of parents are usually in the same general age range/generation as one's parents, many families use "Aunt Fanny" or "Uncle Percy" to address those cousins, even though they are not siblings.
SO... Who has a first cousin/"uncle" that served in Vietnam during the right time frame? Doesn't have to be your father. Your mother could have the 1st cousin who was the DNA donor for your new found 2nd cousin.
As far as we have been able to determine, DNA doesn't lie. But, people are people, and being people, they often do. It isn't exactly uncommon for troops stationed overseas to lie about certain activities when they come home/get out. The dad may have been stationed one place, but R&R'd elsewhere, or had several temporary assignments while having a single location listed as their permanent duty station. Or, someone lied to the Vietnamese mother so her information wasn't 100% spot on. ALSO not uncommon. Or maybe an aunt/uncle had an illegitimate child outside of the view of the family, who then became the DNA donor for your new second cousins.
I hope they are able to further trace their ancestor, if for no other reason, having a more accurate medical background for their own health.
My grandfather was a mini gunner in a helicopter. And yes he does feel awful about all the people he shot. But it was kill or be killed.
The copter got shot down by a missile. The pilots last thing to do was to land it safely as he could, even while burning alive. They tried to save him but he was burnt to death from the missile.
That man is a hero, and my grandfather had his name engraved in a plaque, to remember him forever.
If it wasn’t for that man I wouldn’t be here today.
What the others did to Pyle is called a blanket party. It’s the group punishing someone who keeps making trouble for everyone else.
That was such a horrible scene to watch
@@Movie.MunchiesIndeed it was but it was also one of the most important scenes.
Kubrick split this movie into two parts for good reasons. It was his goal to show how dehumanization is used in war.
In the first part is the first step in dehumanization as we watch these young men being dehumanized into soldiers willing and able to kill. Leonard Lawrence (AKA Gomer) exemplifies this degradation of these young men’s moral fiber that ultimately leads to Leonard’s insanity and suicide.
Then Kubrick shows us the second step of dehumanization which is the dehumanization of the enemy which ultimately plays out as the dehumanization and death of a 13 year old school girl who was left behind to die so the stronger soldiers could live to fight another day.
These two examples of how the methods of dehumanization are used in war are horrifically brought home to us by the suicide of a fat, simple minded, country boy and the death of a prepubescent school girl. Both of which are extremely shocking.
Kubrick certainly drives home the horror of such dehumanization with both scenes brilliantly and in a manner that leaves your nerves raw and abused. As it should. This is probably the best movie ever made about the horror of war.
Code red comes to mind
Another great movie! A Few Good Men!@@samualszatmary
@@Mottleydude1Only assholes took part in blanket parties. They should have had a blanket party for Sgt. Hartman, for being a profane sadist who drove Pyle to madness, murder, and suicide. I'm a Vietnam veteran and find this a very mediocre portrayal of the war and the characters in the real war. Watch "The Anderson Platoon" for the most realistic, grunts' eye view of the war.
Thi and Hella, I hope I got your names right. I cherish your reactions. One of the first words you used to describe the film was “dehumanizing” and that is exactly what Stanley Kubrick wanted the audience to understand. He and many westerners hated the Vietnam war. So you might consider this an antiwar film not a war film. I have been married to a Vietnamese war refugee for 26 years. Her family nearly starved to death AFTER the war because her dad fought for South Vietnam alongside Americans. They probably wouldn’t appreciate you two rooting for the communist Vietnamese but I understand how you are just taking pride in your people. It’s honest and primal to be tribal. It’s complicated but i still think your analysis is sweet and thoughtful. I recommend Ken Burns Vietnam documentary if you want a more complete and fair explanation of that time in world history.
*Chi and Hela, thank you for your nice comment!
@@Movie.Munchiesbeen in the United States Army and the United States Navy this how Basic was its hard because it's to get folks ready to go to war. Trust me the Marine Corps is on another level in terms of mindset.
Honestly it seemed like they have been taught that the Vietnam war was the US vs Vietnam. It wouldn't be surprising for a communist country to dabble in quarter truths. I came away with the impression that they didn't even know South Vietnam existed.
It does break down to tribal pride. I'm a Marine corps veteran and a native American. They deserve that pride because we left the war. Unfortunately we allowed politicians to dictate the war. In the end 2 Vietnam's turned into one. We unfortunately didn't keep on pushing and kept on listening to noncombatants. I oppose the civilian deaths, but ultimately we had superior tactics as soon as we could figure something out. It is literally because the people who were on drugs and thought communism was ok that we lost
I have to agree with you. I am guessing they are from the North. I got married in Tam Ky in 2001 near Da Nang. I learned that the anti Ho Chi Minh people still call the city Saigon. In Canada some still fly the old flag
During the Vietnam War, Drill Instructors had less time to train their recruits, so they went harder on them, in order to get them ready. They were scrambling to save as many lives as they could.
R. Lee Ermey who played Hartman was a former D.I himself.
More bullshit, all basic training was nine weeks. Scrambling to save as many lives as they could??? Who was? The US government didn't care about GI lives, if they did, they never would have lied to us about the purpose of the war. Vietnam veterans were shunned and shamed when they came home, no one cared about us, you dope!
my brother in law was in the marines well after vietnam. he said this movie was exactly what basic training was like.
The man playing the role of the drill instructor in the beginning is a real Vietnam veteran who fought in the Vietnam war. He was brought on to be a consultant for the film, but somehow he ended up being the actor because what he was teaching was how he was actually trained when he was in boot camp and Kubrick loved it cuz it was real
He was actually a Senior Drill Instructor in the actual Marine Corps.
Wrong, he said it was not real and that he would be court-martialed for driving Pyle mad.
@@davisworth5114Which adds to the realism to the build up of Pyle killing him. Every military training, especially basic training, to this day uses Full Metal Jacket as a direct reference on how to NOT treat soldiers as drill sergeants/instructors. It doesn’t mean this never happened though.
The drill instructor was a real marine sergeant. His name R. Lee Ermey.
R. Lee Ermey was a great guy who took an especial interest in the Second Amendment (Personal ownership of Firearms) during the end years of his life. He was even sponsored by Glock at one point. He was a very bold, kind-hearted man and loved America.
The commentators didn't understand, that the Vietnamese civilians in the mass grave had been murdered by the North Vietnamese.
Probably because they have been taught that dead civilians must mean that the Americans killed them.
yep, because these people refused to be "re-educated" meaning they refused to become communist.
American propaganda.
@@Stratigoz Exactly
Vietnam war was most protested war of all time,for a reason America went there under veil of "defeading spreading of communism"
i cant think of more commie contry than US nowadays
Wow I never thought I'd ever find out that girl does not speak Vietnamese well from actual Vietnamese girls! Great to hear commentary from all sides.
I believe that actress was actually from France
@@batalorian7997Yeah, even the very simple words were not pronounced well. No idea what she said except bu qua (too big) and em chiu (I can handle it). Definitely sounds like a native English speaker.
The pimp actor is definitely Vietnamese. Both his broken English and Vietnamese were spot on.
My dad served as a sharpshooter in the Vietnam war and told me stories that i would never want anyone to experience. He also said boot camp was pretty similar to this movie. Things were a bit different back then. Great reaction from you both.
Sharpshooter is a rifle or pistol marksmanship qualification and not a occupation unless you are confusing with 0317 MOS: Scout Sniper.
@HollywoodMarine0351 Yes you're right. I had to reclarify that with my dad. He had the sharpshooter medal.
@@MarkyMark8484 YUT! 👍
nam vets always say sus stuff that unless its complete fairytails i give the benefit ofthe doubt @@HollywoodMarine0351
Alot different than the boots today
This movie focuses on how wars affect individual people more than grand scale politics. For example it shows how different people cope with war you have the crazy guy who enjoys killing. You have Pyle that kills himself because he couldn't handle the stress. And joker is most soliders that just does what he needs to do to survive but has to live with those actions.
Pile didnt do that cause he couldn't handle the stress, he did that because "I am in a world of shit."
The scene at the end, after Joker kills the helpless sniper in a twisted act of mercy, when he gets the "thousand yard stare" always gives me chills...every time. So much said in those few silent seconds. Matthew Modine absolutely nailed that whole scene...in fact, the entire cast was outstanding throughout the movie.
'helpless' sniper?! Can y'all tell this silly goose is a liberal? Wounded, yes, not helpless, she killed at least what, 2?
if i remember correctly Modine created that ending after weeks of psychological torture from Kubrick. He and Kubrick had been close during the filming and Kubrick had asked Modine for an ending to the film. when Modine hesitated, Kubrick became cold and broke off the friendship suddenly. then Kubrick entertained endings from some of the other cast members which somewhat enraged Modine and inspired him to present this ending, that it was Joker that has to kill the girl in cold blood, that he is ultimately unable to escape the consequences of war. Kubrick immediately accepted this contribution without question.
Thanks for the info! Kubrick was notorious for tormenting his actors. He put Shelley Duvall through hell during the filming of "The Shining". Made for some outstanding performances.@@stegwise
@@stegwise Not saying this is not true, however, Kubrick was not the type to ask cast members for an ending, lol, what Director even does that, he was a man that had the cast do endless takes.
you can look it up pretty easily. i think i heard the story either in the Leon Vitaly documentary or in an in depth youtube doc about the film.but a simple google search returned several articles. my take on the story was that just in the exact way that he manipulated performances from exhausted actors he also manipulated Modine into providing a better ending and into having the guts to stand up to the director, asking all the other actors to provide endings and they all had one at the ready (good or not) as a way of taunting Modine.@@drijam2106
The Vietnam war had started, my uncle and his classmates had just graduated high school. In the parking Lot they had taken off the caps and gowns and taking pictures etc. The buses were there waiting to take them to boot camp. When this movie came out we went to see it. He couldn't even sit through 10 minutes of it. It just brought back such horrible memories for him
My first roommate in college was Vietnamese. Stevie Nguyen. He was a crazy kid and very opinionated. He hated my poster of a tropical beach with palm trees because it reminded him of Vietnam. After he watched Full Metal Jacket, he asked the guys in the dorm to cut his hair like the soldiers in the film. I remember questioning him if this is really what he wanted to do, but he was adamant. His older brother was not happy when he found out.
You said it as well as I have ever heard, "In war nobody can keep the hands clean." So well said! Blessings
What a unique experience to see this film with two Vietnamese women. Much of this movie is very anti-war and actually very critical of it but in a sarcastic way. Such a horrible horrible conflict. Senseless and sad. Everyone involved was affected for the worse. Great review though, you two are always so smart and have great insight.
But I kind of feel bad that all the irony was missed by them.
The way these two women can both cheer for their countrymen (good for them) and express such sympathy for the American soldiers is heartwarming.
The bit where the guy gets blown up by the trap and they proudly say something about how good they are at laying traps is quite funny, like if you visit their house one of the many IEDs they set could blow an arm off. I know that wasnt the intention, but they make it sound like a hobby.
Uh. Like Mad Magazine, Spy vs Spy?
@@ericgollinger367 that made me laugh cause they are even wearing black and white! Coincidence I think not.
Truly kindhearted women, considering the war crimes their people faced.
@@kylesfeetlover4425 The north Vietnamese weren't exactly angels either.
They committed the kind of war crimes that would make Hitler vomit.
32:27 Thi was right. Animal Mother and Leonard are both big guys that talk like they're a bit slow at times.
I think Animal Mother represents the marine that Leonard could have been.
Well, there's also the parallels of "McNamara's Morons" which was a unit US conscripts with low IQs were put in, more so, Leonard, than Mother. It was kind of inhumane.
My uncle was sent to Vietnam for the war. He married a very educated and beautiful Vietnamese woman from Saigon. Fluent in French & English too. Was my favorite aunt.
This was one of the best Vietnam War films out there. It doesn't glorify war, and it makes you think about the repercussions of what being in combat are.
The man who played Gunnery Sergeant Hartman was a real Drill Instructor in the Marines during Vietnam. He was the film's military advisor. There's a great interview with R. Lee Ermey some time in the 80s or 90s where he talks about making this film and what real DIs did during the war.
He was one of Hollywood's best and most well-known military advisors. He passed away a few years ago.
The "songs" they were singing are called cadences and are pretty motivational
I think in your analysis of the joker character you were both right. He even talks about it when he is being questioned by the officer about the peace button and born to kill on his helmet. He responds I don’t know I think it’s about the duality of man. Joker is being pulled both directions. Cold brutality and helping people.
Its the jungian thing
When Joker meets Animal Mother everything makes sense. Polar opposites/kindred spirits.
Dude, just because they only show snippets of the movie and their reaction to it doesn't mean they didn't watch it all. They got it. They talk about it at the end of the video. I thought the movie itself was letting the audience question whether Joker had humanity left or if the experience had turned him into a psychopath as well.
I didn't realize you ladies were Vietnamese until you said so, that really puts this reaction over the top! It's rare to be able to get the exact opposite perspective on these kinds of events (and places, you recognizing Saigon immediately was really cool) and watching this video with you was a privilege :)
also I guess its relevant that my father is a Vietnam vet and has always had fond feelings for the country and people despite the war. funny how that turns out sometimes right?
That says something for the production designer since they never filmed in Vietnam.
@@TruthHurts2u I mulled over mentioning the fact that it wasnt actually on location but I figured my basic point still came across- but to what you said if anyone is going to find a good set designer it's probably gonna be Kubrick!
@@Spikeelsucko I figured as much. Everybody knows it was not filmed in Vietnam. I too found it very cool the girls recognized immediately where they were supposed to be. I was about to comment about that fact but saw you mentioned it so I thought I'd highlight the quality of the production design.
@@TruthHurts2u sure! My vet dad and I have watched it together, and he always made a point of the fact they would see that big smiling guy in advertisement posters all over the place and had nicknames for each one like "Smilin' Jack" and "Tommy Toothpaste", and they would be used to quickly determine which neighborhood you were in or approaching while in town xD
The first part of the movie where the characters are in boot camp is 100% accurate. Ask any Marine.
Totally wrong, hitting recruits was against the law and any racial insults in the civil rights era would have led to riots. Sgt. Hartman was a sadist, dummy. He drove Pyle to insanity.
well your just the shit that comes when a DI dose not hit a punk if your fucking up bad enough corrective measures are taken - oh this was Draft too they will be less likely to turn him away he was not a volunteer @@davisworth5114
That's correct that's how it was then.
And as far as the counter remark that it was against the rules or law to hit someone or that racist remarks blah blah... This was for one drafted soldiers and second of all it was common then.
Had a soldier who would not shower as required and the group took him to the showers and stripped him down and showered him with soap and wire brush and just because he was bleeding and everything else it didn't stop till it was decided lesson was learned. So don't tell me such didn't happen. You wasn't there
@@davisworth5114 Na, blacks weren't as fragile back then. In fact, nobody was as fragile.
Army was the same, lots of cussing, lots of breaking down individuals. We had a guy who went AWOL, we had a ex Marine get his arm broke in escape and evasion training by Drill instr. We didn't have Emery.
I love that you pointed out which actors were not native Vietnamese speakers.
I watched an old WW2 era movie that was set in Guam. The actor supposedly speaking native Guamanian, was not actually speaking the language. Rather, he was speaking Tagalog. But American audiences wouldn't have known.
I wasn't in the Corp, but I learned a little about it from a roommate who had been. He said this was very accurate to basic training in 1987. The cadences (songs) had changed a little, but they still used some of the same ones only slightly different. The "choke yourself" stuff still happened, and they were punished for a mistake by a screw-up, though they didn't get to the point of throwing him a blanket party. When your friend said that they were getting ready for war (or something like that), she was absolutely right. Someone yelling at you is not nearly as disturbing as someone shooting at you.
P.S. A magic show is a sermon by the chaplain.
This movie is a masterpiece of film making that explores some deep parts of the American experience in Vietnam and America in general. It does so in a a subtle and unusual fashion and perspective.
It's a haunting film that stays with you a long time, and really needs to be watched multiple times to get the most out of it, it is a complex film that gets better as you explore it.
I was very interested to hear your experience of the film, both as younger viewers, and as Vietnamese persons.
Thank you for sharing your viewing, I enjoyed it
Excellent work ladies! Analyses of this movie from your perspective is very much appreciated.
The scene at 31:40 was of South Vietnamese civilians who were ordered by the NVA to come for political re-education. They were victims of the North Vietnamese, not the Americans.
The soldiers had become desensitized to death and a percentage would later suffer PTSD as a result.
Yeah I was going to say there may have been a misunderstanding here. I also think this is not the only thing that was misunderstood.
Yep. you are on point .@@dduff1921
Yeah, seemed kind of obvious they were never told about the NVA atrocities and war crimes--not that I would expect their country to admit them, but...
@@ArtofFreeSpeech
They also kept saying that America invaded their country and never mentioned that we were there helping to defend the South Vietnamese from the North Vietnamese. America never invaded North Vietnam and many South Vietnamese fought alongside us and live in America now after they had to escape from the collapse of South Vietnam. I think it was a collosal mistake that America got involed in the war and it was conducted in a completely incompetent way; like most of our wars since; but I feel like these very nice young ladies have a distorted view of the history. Though I thoroughly enjoyed hearing their reactions to the movie!
@@davidarnold9324 Both American and Vietnam propaganda makes it hard for either of them to get a clear view of the war. All sides view themselves as the heroes and the others as the villains and teach it that way. That's why Americans and Vietnamese have distorted views on history. To Americans, they are helping; to Vietnamese, they are invading. You would consider it invading if France actually came to support the South in the that civil war but France would say they are just helping America
Great job ladies. I am a retired soldier, and my uncle went to Vietnam, and I cannot talk to him anymore and hearing your reaction one the Vietnamese side was something I have never heard. Keep up the great work. It is helpful to hear all perspectives on any war.
@@phila3884We know. I grew up during the American War there. I was born in 1961 so I was 14 when it ended. I had several Uncles and some friends around 5 years older than me who served in the war. I still personally know a lot of veterans who served and fought in the American war.
My favorite Uncle served during the time frame of this movie. He went to Paris Island in South Carolina for basic training in the Marine Corps as was shown and he was involved in the fighting during the Tet Offensive.
After he had completed his service he came back to the U.S. and was spit at by war protesters. He hung up his uniform and went to college and did not speak about his service and eventually became a Doctor.
In the late 1990’s he was able to travel back to Vietnam with some fellow veterans. While in Vietnam they were allowed to visit some of their old battle sites and to grieve for lost comrades. Most important they were able to make some reconciliation with the Vietnamese People. That meant a lot to my Uncle. He was shocked. He was expecting to be treated with hostility but it was the exact opposite. He was treated with a lot of respect and deference. He even got drunk with some old NVA veterans.
It did his soul a world of good to return to Vietnam.
@@phila3884funny southern Vietnam asked us to be there
@@andreww1225 southern Vietnam lost, of course the winners call it the American war
@@nicholasbrown4109many southerners supported the North mostly because of the US stupidity so ye
@@andreww1225 Southern Vietnam was ruled by a clan regime that violently repressed their own people and was unpopular even in south Vietnam. In other words, the war was completely in favor of the people of Vietnam and the US had no business being there and impeding that
When you first saw Animal Mother, and said "He looks like Pyle", I had thought for a long time how Animal is the "reincarnation" of Pyle - "Born Again Hard". They are both "crazy" and unstable, but yet completely opposite of each other: Pyle was weak and dies young; Animal is strong and continues to live. Pyle was a follower that depended on others; Animal is an independent leader. Pyle was the guy sneaking treats from the mess hall; Animal is the guy jumping first in line to get laid. etc. etc. I had always wondered if Kubrick wrote it like that, repeating the overarching theme of the "duality of Man".
Vietnam wasn't a popular war in America. It was the first one that was the first one that was reported daily on the TV news- World War II and Korea were shown in weekly news reels (with a lot of Rah Rah fanfare) 40% of the people who went to Vietnam (and 60% of the casualties) were draftees. The Tet Offensive (depicted in this movie) was a military disaster for the North Vietnamese, but it also turned public opinion in America against the war, because people suddenly saw that victory was not just around the corner as they had been being told.
If you're interested in more movies about the Vietnam War, Platoon and Apocalypse Now are two of the most popular ones.
Tigerland and Hamburger Hill are also very good, but not as well known.
I haven't seen Born on the 4th of July, but I know it's about a guy who goes to Vietnam and becomes a peace activist after he comes home.
Most movies about Vietnam aren't intended to show the war in a positive light, but if you're interested in seeing what a piece of pro-war propaganda looks like, watch The Green Berets.
Born on the Fourth of July is a good movie about US Marine Ron Kovic, played by Tom Cruise.Kovic like so many US serviceman turned against the Vietnam war.The treatment of veterans in hospitals in this movie is particularly harrowing.World War Two is celebrated,Korea is forgotten and Vietnam still haunts,especially when you see veterans at the memorial in Washington.
I liked the Apocalypse Now Redux version (although I think many don't) because I think the scenes with the french family add a lot of depth....and also historical significance because apparently, many people don't know about the involvement of France.
The girl in the pink top looks like she has some French or American ancestry.
@@chandie5298 Yes, only saw that version for the first time a couple of yeras ago.
Britain and France still trying to give up their addiction into the post WW2 era, rehab's hard, old habits die hard.
Britain, with help from Japanese troops, started to take control of Indochina after WW2, in order to help put France back in charge. It was felt that Britain needed a strong France to help carry the burden in post war Europe, since Britain was bankrupt. Of course to Britain, a strong France meant colonies, obviously, it's still all fine.
The US gets most stick for this one, some deserved, obviously. They were only the ones holding the poisoned chalice at the end though.
@ERRATAS0344 yes and the question of the free stuff to the taliban is.... was it due to incompetence or done on purpose
I live in Thailand, but I am from the US. I grew up in the 80's and had many Vietnamese friends. I have not yet visited Vietnam but my Father did back in 2016 and said it was some of the most beautiful and kind people he had ever met and that the war museum in Hanoi was truly honoring to both sides of the war.
Marine Corps veteran here. 28:50 made me tear up. I love you, fellow human beings. War is a Racket
This is definitely the most *fascinating* reaction I've seen the Full Metal.
Thank you, y'all, for your perspective and commentary. 👏👏
In past wars american soldiers were always portrayed as being heroes, the Viernam war changed that and some started to see them as monsters, and this movie kinda showed those remorseless killers some soldiers had transformed into. Platoon is another Vietnam war movie released around the same that also shows the ugly slide of the soldiers.
@TheGovernor2003 I guess the Nazis and Japanese were your heroes in WWII then
How much remorse would you have for an enemy that looked just like civilians and killed your friends with mines, snipers, ambushes, and you never saw them? Platoon showed both brutal and compassionate soldiers, dummy. These young men were betrayed by their country, they were put in an atrocity-producing environment where the enemy blended in and looked like the civilians. Then they came home to A-holes like you who hated on them, correct? Platoon was a metaphor for GIs in Vietnam, some hated the war and knew it was wrong, some were believers. By the time I left in Nov. 68, Americans were murdering each other, OK?
The main reason for the hatred towards soldiers of the Vietnam war was specifically because of the amount of communists now in positions of power. A negative spin was put on the war through media and a portion of the population accepted this narrative. The west didn't need to be involved in the war admittingly, but the war was happening with the west or not. It was a revolutionary war, communists vs the traditionalists. The west supported the traditionalists, China supported the Communists.
@@kingcosworth2643 No it was because the united states killed over a hundred thousand civilians indiscriminately.
The helicopter pilot talking about shooting women and children was foreshadowing Jokers showdown with the sniper. He's incredulous that anyone would shoot women and children and he ends up killing a woman child before the end of the movie. It's so tragic.
If you want another vietnam war movie, try the Mel Gibson movie "we were soldiers".
Its quite a fair depiction from both sides of the conflict because it was made from descriptions and stories of men who were actually at the battle
IRT @the98themperoroftheholybri33
U.S. Marine here, '68 - '91. Don't like Mel Gibson and didn't see the movie but I read the book. Holy f###!!!
I normally read every page of a book from the first page through the last. As I began to read the names of the soldiers listed in the pre-what-ever-it's-called section, I said f### this (too long) and began reading the intro and the first chapter. Before I reached one-third of the way through the book, I stopped and said to myself, "When I finish this book, I'm 'gonna' return to that list of names and read them from back to front (Z to A) because (2) the guys at the rear need to be acknowledged first for a change and (1) every damn one of these soldiers need to be acknowledged for their participation in this fight. And I did. I not only read each name, I paused for each one and reflected on their individual actions, if they were explained in the book, From a lush jungle environment, not a blade of grass nor tree limb was exposed due to the heavy fighting (bullets expended) through that area.
As we would say in the naval establishment, Bravo Zulu to these soldiers. You've earned that "splice the mainbrace" or extra ration of rum.
Semper Fidelis!
I'll second that. We were soldiers was a much better depiction of a part of that war without glorifying war. It was honest about the reality of it.
What's interesting about We Were Soldiers is that General Hal Moore and the NVA Commander became friends after the war and both said they respected the other immensely.
@@GeorgiaDawgAthensI'm not a fan of Mel Gibson either but there's something different about the film.
I lost my father to that war. I have heard about that war all my life. I have seen movies like this all my life. I have felt bad about it all my life. I want to thank you for reacting to this movie many decades later. None of us can undo what happened. Thank you. Love and respect.
My mom lost a cousin r.i.p and my uncle was shot in the head.he lived but was never quite the same after
Out of curiosity I genuinely wanna know if that affects you in any way while watching a war movie. Does it make war films even more upsetting? Like I feel like I’d be too repulsed just to watch a film about the war knowing how close to home it’ll hit. I’m not trying to offend or anything just curious
@@iwilldrownyourinfant5377 No. Not repused by war movies. I've always been anti-war politically but he died when I was 6 years old. Most of the impact was in losing the bread-winner in the family and not have a male role model as I grew up. I feel terrible about what happened to the people of Vietnam though. That part stayed with me. Thanks for asking.
God love you, son. I was there too, Tet 68.
It was funny at the end when these two ladies acknowledged that Vietnamese women fought for the country, but earlier they asked how the helicopter door gunner could shoot women and children. It was because the women and children were soldiers fighting for their country. The "smart" attack by the Vietnamese during the Tet holiday was a breach of a peace agreement that the North had made, kind of like when they broke the agreements made and invaded the sovereign state of South Vietnam which cause the government of South Vietnam to ask the US for military aid. It was not an invasion; the US was asked for assistance. Lastly, North Vietnam didn't win their invasion and conquest of South Vietnam until after the US left following the Paris Peace Accords. Again, in breach of the agreements North Vietnam invaded and toppled the South Vietnamese, they did not defeat the American military. We weren't even there anymore. They should probably also thank the Chinese and Russians that were backing North Vietnam, after all China is where Ho Chi Mihn was hiding during the world.
It is so interesting to hear your perspectives, Chi and Hela. To answer a couple of your questions, the word "Head" in the Marines and Navy means bathroom. And the term "Drill Instructor" is the teacher of the recruits. 👍😊 Also, the Marine boot camp scenes are very accurate. It was exactly the kind of recruit training that I experienced. Although at the end of training, we did not shoot our Drill Instructor.
At the time, this version of the drill instructor was kind of over the top. A much more accurate version is from The Boys of Company C. The same actor played the DI. Kubrick saw him in that film and told him to amp it up almost into parody. In Boys of Company C the DI is still a hard ass but more realistic.
Funny thing is, a lot of later DI copied their behavior based on Full Metal Jacket.
I went to Marine boot camp in July 1973, and I can vouch that the portrayal of the Drill Instructor in this movie is exactly what I experienced. The acting was not an exaggeration or "over the top."@@AceMoonshot
"we did not shoot our Drill Instructor." 🤣 I thought it was part of the training.
The end of the boot camp scenes in Full Metal Jacket is the only unrealistic part of the movie, because live ammo is strictly monitored on the rifle range by the DI's and the range coaches. There is no way Pyle would have been able to steal 20 rounds of ammo and keep it secret all the way to the last night of recruit training. Plus, the only time you have a magazine is during 2nd phase when you're at the rifle range and learning basic infantry tactics which ends a month before graduation. Lastly, you turn-in your rifle about a week before graduation, so Pyle would not have had ammo, a magazine, or a rifle during that last night of boot camp. @@PropperNaughtyGeezer
The battle was in Hue Tet Jan 30, 1968 to late February. The initial reaction by the USMC was to send two infantry companies 300 to support the MACV and ARVN in Hue. They were not aware the VC and NVA had moved 10,000 troops around and into the city. 2,800 to 6,000 civilians killed, 142 Marines killed, Army 1st CAV 68 Killed. Suggest the book Hue 1968 by Mark Bowden tells the story by interviews of participants on both the NVA and U.S.A. side.
Most Americans did not support this war. This movie does show a lot of what did happen. Great reaction young ladies. I hope you keep doing reactions together, you are so cool together.
Left-wing didn't support it. Most left-wing people are anti American and some are Communists.
I don't think you can speak for most Americans.
The difference between Korea and Vietnam is the liberals caused America to abandon the South Vietnamese so the North, supported by China and the USSR defeated the defenseless South.
Americans support whatever the media tells them to support. The elites were not in favor of that particular war, so they had the media get that message out to the public.
Totally wrong, most Americans supported the war until Tet.
The Left-wing didn't support the war. The Left-wing movement is always unpatriotic. They call that jingoism.@@davisworth5114
Vietnam did not win militarily, but you made US forces loose enough men that the war became unpopular, so politically we lost here in the US. Then we withdrew when it was no longer a war that was wanted by the people of the US.
You might find it interesting to know that most of the second half of the movie was filmed in London because Kubrick wanted to stay home. They had to import palm trees which they struggled to keep alive because it was winter in the uk
Ironically, due to climate change, London now has Palm trees.
You can tell they never learnt about any NVA atrocities because they were really surprised at the grave scene.
@@emilianosintarias7337😂
I don't think they understood it. They seemed to think that they were killed by American troops.
Funny how someone isn't more kind to invaders after 30 years of warfare...🤔
It's not well known but the US was meant to make war reparations to the Vietnamese, but of course they reneged on that.
You're ignoring the point made by the OP. You can condemn American involvement in Vietnam, while also condemning the atrocities committed by the North Vietnamese and the VC. Most Americans are well aware of the My Lai massacre and Rolling Thunder and the devastation it caused. The Vietnam War and the US administrations that waged it are enthusiastically criticised and condemned in America. The Vietnamese government, however, does not tolerate criticism and Vietnamese children are not taught about well-documented communist barbarity, as is evident from this video. That's the point.@@Cheepchipsable
@@tbone35453 Yeah My Lai was nothing compared to what the VC and NVA did to civilians in places like Hue or Bín Ðình
41:05 "Of course, we do that". Anyone can see how proud she was. Brilliant!
I'm waiting a long time, to see some vietnamese react to this film. TY
Great job! I've watched this movie a million times, your commentary gave me a new perspective.
My father was in basic training during the Vietnam war but luckily never got shipped to Vietnam. The training WAS this difficult. Drill instructors were not supposed to hit men but my father said they did anyway. BTW, one of the reasons soldiers were trained this way during the Vietnam war is because a famous study came out after World War 2 that showed that many American soldiers either didn't fire their gun during battle, or purposefully fired at the ground. So the Pentagon wanted to make sure this didn't happen during the Vietnam war so they tried to teach them to fire "automatically" so they wouldn't vacillate during battle. I think this movie tried to make the point that this kind of training went TOO far in dehumanizing the enemy and led to some atrocities on the American side. This movie IS essentially an antiwar film.
It is not the only reason the drill instructors were this hard. Another reason is the cut in time for the preparation of the conscripts. They hated that they had to send troops into combat unready. And did the best they could by being harder.
God forbid your conscripted draftees refuse to murder men fighting for the independence of their people in a war your men don't even have a stake in anyway. Wouldn't it be terrible if they kept any moral fiber
It's not about the Vietnam war. It's about the men that were sent to fight in it. When the Tet offence started, they did just run in like that. They were called sappers. They had explosives strapped to their bodies. They were sent in before the main forces were to attack. They hoped the sappers would clear out machine guns and major defenses before the main attack. The short war scenes are because they have to show the war was happening. But the movie was about the men, not the war. Them singing the theme to the Micky Mouse Club song at the end. Is to show that they are still young, but the innocence they had when they learned to sing that song. That innocence is gone now.
Fun fact: the combat scenes in this movie were filmed on a disused airfield in Great Britain. That's why, amongst other things, the helicopters look slightly wrong: they're the British version of the American ones actually used in Vietnam, but they were still available in Britain, whereas the American ones were rare by the time this was filmed. There's also an old British truck in there which probably looked suitably 'foreign' to an American audience, but stands out a mile to any British military geek.
Always wondered why no Huey's
@@hawkeye4id Well the US Marines used piston-engined Sikorsky S-58s in Vietnam longafter the Army went over to Hueys. The Westland Wessex seen in the movie was a British turboshaft-powered version of the S-58.
"In war, nobody can keep their hands clean," could be a tagline for the movie.
FYi. The entire movie was filmed in england, and the guy who played the drill sgt was one in real life.
I think Hella(I hope that is the correct english spelling) has it right when she says this is a game. For the Americans it was a game of survival, since they were not allowed to win it. As some have pointed out, this was an anti-war movie, and I agree with it, we should have never been there in the first place. I am impressed with your empathy for portrayed enemy deaths as well as your own. If you do any more war movies, I suggest you have Hella with you, I love her gamer insights.
My cousin was in Vietnam and remembers the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) murdering tens of thousands of South Vietnamese villagers who didn't want the communists to take over. Many tortured before being killled.
It was US that committed the worst atrocities. They had no right to be there.
owned
Your information seems a bit off aka incorrect.
@@plutoisacomet It's common knowledge the NVA and Vietcong murdered civillians. Every party involved in the Vietnam war killed civillians, that's the sad reality of war that has been the case since the beginning of society.
@plutoisacomet, no you are incorrect
The scene where Private Laurence “Private Pyle” gets in trouble for smuggling a jelly donut is a very common thing.
When I was in Navy boot camp; one of the recruits in my division hid a pack of trail mix in his A&B drawer. My whole division got punished while he was forced to eat the trail mix.
After that event; my 1st Recruit Division Commander nicknamed that individual Scrumptious.
Ever heard of the massacre at hue? It was the most deadly massacre in the entire Vietnam war and it was committed by the peoples army of Vietnam and the Vietcong and the current Vietnamese government still denies it even happened
Ever heard of My Lai?
@@Antares2 the death count of my lai is 500 the death count of the massacre at hue is over 6,000 plus the north Vietnamese government helped the Khmer Rouge come to power during the Cambodian civil war who killed over a million people so clearly while both sides did awful things one of them did way worse things to the people of indochina and it’s not the Americans and their south Vietnamese Allie’s
@@purozentu Wait what? The Northern government put down the Khmer Rouge.
@@hayther4590 Khmer Rogue were communist, NVA helped them take over Cambodia. After the war, Khmer attacks Vietnam, and then they realize their mistake and go in and smoke the Cambodians.
the Vietnam War was on American TV every night. it was a very controversial war over here too, especially as more of our boys came back dead or wounded. so sorry for all you've lost. frankly, i can't even imagine what it was like, living there at that time. i think the movie did a good job representing so many aspects of that crazy war. i had a laugh when you guys were rooting for the "bad guys" in the battle scenes but that's natural. you had a unique perspective on this movie and it was a pleasure to watch. keep on rockin
In the beginning, it was more of a policing and training operation to help the South Vietnamese. But turned into an all-out war when it became clear the South was never going to survive on its own. The decision to quit was the right one. After all, this was not an American affair and it became one.
I am a partially disabled combat veteran of the United States Navy. My mother and father were both US Navy stationed on monkey mountain, outside of Danang during the tet holiday 1968. That is the tet holiday in this movie. My father was wounded twice in Vietnam. But, he survived. I was wounded in the Gulf War in 1991.
I hope you are getting VA disability, fellow sailor. I was a US Navy Diver (2nd Class Diver or a 5343 or 5345 Navy code) back then and after I got to Vietnam, courtesy of a WESPAC ship with several ports and liberty before), I was given new orders to report to HCU1 in Danang, where the ship I served on eventually docked. I recall several times that either N. Vietnamese or even Viet Cong were trying to hit ships in Danang Harbor with mortar rounds, especially during the day since Navy ships only ported during the day and steamed out to sea at night to avoid being targeted. The merchant marine ships stayed behind, which was odd. Same with the Air Force base runway right by the water. They were targets also.
I THANK YOU, YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER FOR YOUR SERVICE. THANK YOU FOR ENSURING THE SECURITY OF THE FREE WORLD!
God Bless You & Thank you for serving
Our 🇺🇸 country
I don't think the Vietnamese people are taught what really happened during Tet
Long live Charlie ! 🚩✊🏽
I started watching you all and I didn’t know you were Vietnamese until recently. I feel happy because I’m also Vietnamese but I live in the US. This movie reminds me of my grandpa. He was an officer in the South Vietnamese Army during the war. He passed away in 2020. Nguyen Dinh Bao, a famous officer who is also a family member of mine, was in the war too.
You’re trained like this to break you down and realize you’re nothing without the men around you. Then you’re built back up into a team. As a two tour veteran of Vietnam I look back fondly at the training.
You have to remember the Vietnam war was a proxy war. Vietnam was having a civil war, America supporting the south and China supporting the north. At that time it was not a single Vietnam.
Yeah, I found it interesting that China was not considered to be "invading" but the US was. I guess the "winner" writes the history books. I imagine if South Vietnam had defeated the North Vietnamese, we'd be seeing two girls talking about communist China as the invaders. I mean, it's not like the US ever had any intention of taking over Vietnam anymore than France had the intention of taking over the United States in our revolutionary war.
@@ArtofFreeSpeech After US involvement ended, there was also a shooting war between Vietnam and China. Vietnam invaded Cambodia and fought the Khmer Rouge that were supported by China. So then China invaded Vietnam but failed to stop their invasion of Cambodia.
@@ArtofFreeSpeech ya if the USA public opinion wasnt so bad about the vietnam issue it could have also turned into something like north/south korea which was a similar battle of the area in a way.
@@MatthiasAI right.... very similar, and you sure don't hear the South Koreans calling the Americans "invaders."
@@ArtofFreeSpeechthe South Korean government was an occupation government set up by the U.S.
Very brave reaction. I think you ladies were very strong to watch such a movie because of how close it is to your history, family and feelings. Much respect to both of you.
Missing In Action 2: The Beginning shows what the American and South Vietnamese Soldiers experienced as Prisoners of War under the North Vietnamese Army. Missing In Action 3 shows exactly what the Children of the American Soldiers and the South Vietnamese people experienced at the hands of the North Vietnamese Army as well
Heck, I would recommend the Hanoi Hilton to give an idea of how the NVA committed war atrocities and violated the Geneva convention.
@Gimil38 Sure, but the way the ladies talked, it seemed they were unaware of NVA atrocities. Also, when the USA commits atrocities, it's world news. Just look at Abu Ghraib. Everyone hears about it. The soldiers are punished--even when the US was the victor. When other countries do it, it's mostly swept under the rug (unless they lose the war).
The singing while running is called, cadence, it’s basically what you were saying. It helps running to the beat so everyone is running at the same pace in the same stride, left foot then right foot. It shows great unity among the company
I appreciate the Vietnamese viewpoint through your eyes. Yu are both too young to have been there first hand, but have inspired me to look into what happened after the war.
The drill segeant was played by R Lee Ermy who was a former real life drill sergeant, so that's why he was perfect for this role. In fact, a lot of what he said was improvised (not scripted).
In basic training , the idea is that you will be broken down as the person you were, and rebuilt into a war machine: a man who can kill without feeling pleasure nor feeling remorse, who can fit perfectly like a cog into the larger machine of your unit and always put the Mission Objective ahead of any personal concerns.
These days, Drill Sergeants aren’t allowed to swear at you like R. Lee Ermey (it’s seen as unprofessional); however, the program is still the same, and it produces the finest professional soldiers the world’s ever seen, so…They’re doing something right.
I just want to say that the USA did not invade Vietnam. After the fall of French Indochina Vietnam was divided into North Vietnam and South Vietnam. North Vietnam invaded Laos and soon after attacked South Vietnam. South Vietnam was supported by the US and North Vietnam by SSSR and China. So the USA was helping South Vietnam as this was their mission to stop spreading communism - like they did during the Korean War. Of course, there were war atrocities committed by both sides and many civilians were murdered. War is hell...
Excellent reaction video! Very brave choice of movie, as well. Thank you for teaching me new things about an old movie that I saw for the first time, 30 years ago. Love from Norway.
Interesting reaction video from current Vietnamese generation. The scene with the dead Vietnamese covered in lye, they misunderstood as they were killed by Americans instead of “their side”.
Also, I never thought about it but current Vietnamese view Vietnamese-Americans as traitors.
@@uncleho1945The VC started and waged a civil war against the government of South Vietnam, and when they were too weak to continue going were supported by a North Vietnamese invasion of the South. This also included helping to overthrow the governments in Laos and Cambodia, installing pro-Communist governments, and using their nations as springboards to launch attacks into the South.
Why are you pinning all 3 million deaths on the victims of the war? The South Vietnamese Government and her allies were the defenders, not the aggressors. If you break into my house and start trying to kill me, and during the struggle other people get injured, why is the blood on my hands? The damage would not have been caused if the home invader didn't break-in.
Also, what the fuck is with the "" around the massacres at Hue? Is the murder of 10,000 innocent people not a massacre to you? Never mind the fact that the numbers are wrong, as the current accepted death toll for Communist war crimes in Hue are somewhere between 2 to 6 thousand, not 10,000 ( I know that makes the Communist technically look better, because its killing less people. But the truth is important, even if I don't like who it supports)
@@uncleho1945ye and there's still many unedetenated bombs in Cambodia, and I kinda feel guilty about that I hope the people the best of luck❤
@@uncleho1945No one arguing about US crimes but Vietnam commies killed millions of people in Cambodia. U just brainwashed
27:00 The North Vietnamese Army, like most communist regimes, was very fond of what was called "human wave" attacks. The US, for a variety of reasons, had both the will and the resources to highly train and equip its soldiers, making them valuable assets. The NVA's training, by contrast, was mostly about getting as many soldiers as possible and desensitizing them to battle, then turning them loose on the enemy (the US, in this case) in huge numbers in hopes of simply overwhelming American troops with the sheer number of soldiers. Unarmored, with little to no air or armor support, and with substandard weapons, they were ordered to simply charge, all at once, straight at the American lines.
We had armor. We had trenches. We had machine guns. We had air support and napalm, literally liquid fire that sticks to everything. The NVA's whole strategy was to throw more human canon fodder at us than we could kill. It was horrifying and it's a big part of why so many American veterans of Vietnam are so messed up. In many cases they were forced to use machine guns and flame throwers to massacre young men and even teenagers by the dozens. Often times they charged our lines unarmed, counting on being able to pick up the weapons dropped by their fallen comrades, only to be slaughtered by artillery and machine guns without ever even getting to fire a single shot.
To the NVA their soldiers were nothing more than disposable bullet sponges. It's a tactic they inherited from the Soviets, who in WWII would send troops into battle unarmed with instructions to pick up the weapons dropped by earlier waves running headlong into German machine guns, because they had more soldiers than guns. It cost them more to build an AK-47 than it did to train and equip a soldier, and it showed.
And the saddest part is that Vietnam didn't stand to gain anything from this. Your country was a puppet in a much larger conflict. The Soviet Union wanted to spread communism, just to have more communist countries, and they got Vietnam to fight America for them so they wouldn't have to, because they knew they couldn't win that fight.
Thousands and thousands of young Vietnamese men were slaughtered like animals for the political ambitions of of the Soviet Union because they were too scared to fight America themselves. It's sad, disgraceful, and abominable, and all for nothing.
It's pretty much debunked myth that the Soviets always used human wave attacks . They only sent their troops to battle unarmed in the very early days of ww2 when the Germans took them by surprise and invaded them and at the time they were not well prepared for a war . Why don't you go read a book written by some actual Soviet military historians. The NVA had more tactics and arming than just being bullet sponges . You have watched too many movies. Total nonsense
No the sad thing is that US empire didn't want to allow true Vietnamese independence they prevented it by funding the French’s colonial war but when that failed they decided to get involved . The U.S. but wanted them to be a puppet like the south. Ho chi minh tried everything to befriend the US and seek peace and independence for Vietnam nonviolently but each time he was rebuffed and ignored . Also Even the CIA admitted in their classified documents that Ho Chi Minh was insanely popular in the south and if any free election had happened he would have won .
The Vietnamese were fighting a for their independence. The U.S. were just another foreign invader and what the US did was straight up evil napalming , bombing using agent orange which killed 100,000 civilians . Most American civilians could see what they were doing is wrong which is why most opposed the war. It was the US that was fighting for nothing. The Vietnamese were fighting for freedom .
Thank you for sharing a modern Vietnamese perspective on this film. Most enlightening and at times very moving.
I admire your bravery in reviewing this film, thanks for your honesty
Both of them seem to have taken a lot of the expressions and sarcasm literally; that being said, its interesting to see how they interpreted it in that sense.
Kubrick made this movie to be an anti-war film, so many of its scenes in Vietnam are negatively exaggerated to support his anti-war philosophy. If you and Hela would like to see a Vietnam War movie that presents a fair representation of both sides, then I recommend you watch "We Were Soldiers." It gives a view of the war from both the American and Vietnamese perspective. 🤔 Also, if you would like to see a very good comedy, then I recommend "Office Space." Anyone in the world who works in an office will relate to that movie. Lastly, I am very impressed with your English proficiency. Both of you girls are having a very sophisticated conversation and your English is impeccable. 👍😊 Your English teachers would be very proud of you. 👍❤
Thanks so much!
You're very welcome. I hope you have a lovely day.@@Movie.Munchies
@@Movie.MunchiesDefinitely watch Office Space, it's very funny :)
@@Movie.Munchies The difference is the movie We Were Soldiers is a true story told by those who were there, it does not try to paint the Vietnamese as weak or evil. One of the most powerful lines in the movie is from Lt. Col. Nguyen Huu An "Such a tragedy. They will think this was their victory. So this will become an American war. And the end will be the same... except for the numbers who will die before we get there."
@@Movie.MunchiesI recommend you watch Oliver Stone’s 1986 war movie “Platoon” and tell us what you would rate Johnny Depp’s Vietnamese.
23:14 I love how upbeat she is when she says "whore"!
This was a fascinating reaction to watch. With the two of y'all being from Vietnam, you both got to share your views of the conflict. I look forward to more reactions from y'all, and gonna subscribe to check em out
40:06 The Vietnamese soldier did not betray Vietnam as he is a soldier in the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) which was its own country and asked USA for military support against the invading Communist forces from North Vietnam
History is told by the victor. From the North Vietnamese perspective he was a traitor. And that's what they were taught, the winners perspective.
People who support invaders (Americans) are definitely traitors.
@@TruthHurts2u Or maybe these 2 are so very ignorant of there own country's history and yeah maybe they are really brainwashed by their commie government
I really appreciate your reactions. It was a difficult watch for me, and I can only imagine how it would feel with your background. Unfortunately some service members are sadistic and get into the service to kill. I met a few psychos when I served. This is definitely not a glorified look at the war.
Uh, this was a draft war. People with no desire to serve being forced into it, turned psycho because they should never have been there in the first place.
Not saying there aren't bad American soldiers, but Vietnam had a special level of the wrong kind.
It's what happens in war. On both sides people become monsters. Or else how can you kill another human being? And also remember that this wasn't just a clear cut Vietnam vs the USA war. This was a proxy war with a lot of muddied political and national interests in play. If left to its own the North would not have won the war, but the Russians were involved together with the Chinese in the background.
Also the Vietnam of today is not the same as the Vietnam back then.
I enjoyed the reaction. I'm purposely not reading comments as I'm quite sure they're full of nastiness. My father was a marine who went through basic training at Parris Island. He assured me that there was very little hyperbole in the film. He would have enjoyed seeing these young Vietnamese reactors take on it.
This was an amazing reaction video. Very thoughtful and human responses. Never thought a movie reaction on yt could be so vital. Thanks to you both.
So happy you liked it thanks!
This movie was made in the UK.
The Vietnam war was not a war between Vietnam and the United States. It was a war between North and South Vietnam; North Vietnam was Communist and wanted to reunify Vietnam into one country. The NVA and Viet Cong fought against the American forces and the South Vietnamese forces, the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. U.S. forces never invaded North Vietnam with ground troops, which made it difficult to fight the war to a resolution.
Having China on their border helped a lot too.
If anything, you could say that North Vietnam were the invaders. They invaded South Vietnam first.
No one but Muricans believe that Mickey Mouse bs.
"Join the Army; travel to exotic, distant lands; meet exciting, unusual people and kill them" - that was the recruiter slogan on the US Army advertising posters during Vietnamese War. When Joker says, what he wanted to "meet exciting, unusual people and kill them" there was the irony reference to that poster.
The movie "Heaven and Earth," which came out in 1993, is a different kind of Vietnam War movie focusing on a young Vietnamese woman. It's beautifully filmed and often heartbreaking.
If you want to react to a great Vietnam War film then watch "Platoon". The movie is about the experiences of the director, Oliver Stone, in the 25th Infantry during the war. It depicts the many atrocities of the American military against the Vietnamese peoples and the struggle of the main character with what he was seeing as well as the death that was around him. I highly recommend that you react to it on this channel. Great reaction by the way.
Or the Deer Hunter
But Full Metal jacket is wayyyy better than Platoon. Deer Hunter is somewhere in the middle.
@@llongone2 No one was arguing which one is better. Full Metal Jacket is a great psycological thriller but not very realistic. Kubrick never fought in Vietnam. Stone actually served and fought in the war. Platoon is based on what he lived through or stories he heard from within his battalion. Each is a masterpiece in it's own right.
Platoon isn't realistic either.
@@Derna1804 how is that?
Very insightful review! Oh, the mentioning of the native Americans isn't an accident. American soldiers were told that Vietnam was 'Indian country'!
I enjoyed watching a Vietnamese reaction. I have a Vietnamese friend who immigrated to the US. I met her at a firing range. She saw me using an AK and asked if she could fire it. Because she was taught how to use it in school.
That made me think.
Watching your reactions reminded me of her.
There is a lot of dark humor in the movie that is very ironic and sarcastic. It is not just military but medical professionals who laugh to avoid crying.
I would not have caught the improper dialect. Thank you for that. Once you mentioned it, I spotted it. She was too deep in her throat, i think?
The Vietnam War was a mess caused by a lot of nasty stuff going on around the world. There were atrocities on all sides.
The only solace that I keep is it probably kept the US, China and USSR from blowing up the world.
If you want a movie reaction, i have 4. Veteran experience: Dog, with Channing Tatum. Lost City for a comedy. Bullet Train for a comedy. Love Actually for a romantic comedy..
I definitely enjoyed hearing a different perspective on the movie.
The Hmong experience is also interesting, to me.
I've seen videos of them still having kids today bayonet straw dummies. Little kids too, like 8. I think it's more like an independence day pageantry thing than training but it was wild to see.
@@twelvecatsinatrenchcoat For the most part, the Vietnamese get along well with people from the US. I have heard several say that their country's biggest mistake was winning.
@@aegisprotection4969 I've heard that too. They seem very gracious about it, which is fair seeing as they won 😅 We actually have good relations with Vietnam now, they've always been more nervous about China than us. That's part of why this war was such a tragedy, they came to us for help before they went to the Chinese. Ho Chi Min even tried to get a letter to Woodrow Wilson at the Paris Peace Conference at the end of WWI, asking for America's help in ending French Colonialism. Wilson never got the letter.
Pyle is mentally challenged that's why he smiles a lot and has trouble functioning. Mentally challenged people were purposely drafted and they were called "McNamara's Morons." They were not expected to survive but to act as cannonfodder so better soldiers could push through.
You girls have much to learn. Good luck.
I once read that the US expended 50,000 rounds of M-16 ammunition for every confirmed enemy kill in Vietnam. This movie, if nothing else, gives you a sense of that.
The firefight is also metaphor of the war. First of all, they're literally lost. We have no idea what they're doing. They seem to have no idea what they're doing. The Vietnamese fire one bullet at one target, they respond by firing thousands at nothing because it's the only thing they can do. And in the end it's just a little girl, there's no glory, no heroics, just suffering and shame.