A tour of duty film in Vietnam featuring a morally ambiguous soldier, who echos the moral ambiguity of the decision makers of the war itself. Bill Paxton is John Paul Vann, a U.S. military adviser, who is manipulated out of his commission, only to beg to come back to the war in any capacity that they'll have him in. Once back, his military strategy changes from looking at the big picture to fighting and winning at every turn possible. Supposedly he turned strongly anti-war, but we don't really see that in this movie. The movie, produced by HBO, does a good job of following one man's odyssey, but even the catalyst for the change seems ambiguous. Does he change because of the rotten politics surrounding the war? Or does he return because of being personally compelled to be involved in battle in whatever capacity? Rarely does a Vietnam film give such an honest depiction of the local people that are most affected by the war games that politicians play. It's hard to sympathize with Paxton because of his moral shortcomings and bizarre decision to return to Vietnam after being decommissioned. The film seems to paint him as a hero, but it's hard to see it as portrayed. I imagine that some liberty was taken with the facts for dramatic purposes. The acting is OK, but no one really stands out, including Paxton. The best scenes show the dead and dying villagers that Paxton helped earlier. Oddly enough, the film is surprisingly emotionally distant, considering the subject matter. Overall, an entertaining film concerning one's destiny in life, how we are hemmed in by hierarchies in daily life, how we are affected by those experiences, and the role they play in other decisions we make. **1/2 of 4 stars.
Review of A Bright Shining Lie
