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America’s most divisive war prompted the production of a mixed bag of films. We list our picks for the best and the worst of the lot.

The following DVDs can be purchased online or in stores. Prices range from $7 to $110 (Tour of Duty series) with most averaging about $12.

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THE BEST

Full Metal Jacket (1987)
Director Stanley Kubrick
Creative Design Art
Released 2001
Rated R

Image Credit: CREATIVE DESIGN ART
Full Metal Jacket from Creative Design Art.

From ex-drill instructor R. Lee Ermey’s spot-on performance to Vincent D’Onofrio’s spooky depiction of an unbalanced recruit, Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece is the best re-creation of the total “Vietnam experience” – induction, training and combat – ever filmed. For those who lived through Vietnam, the film is a chilling reminder of sadistic drill instructors, the “controlled confusion” of combat, and the dark humor that made it all bearable.

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We Were Soldiers (2002)
Director Randall Wallace
Paramount
Released 2002
Rated R

Image Credit: PARAMOUNT
We Were Soldiers from Paramount.

Much as it does with today’s Global War on Terrorism, the media presented Vietnam as a war without heroes. Mel Gibson’s superb portrayal of Lieutenant Colonel (later General) Hal Moore and his valiant leadership in the Ia Drang Valley exposes that presentation as a lie. Moore led a battalion of true heroes in Vietnam, including reporter Joe Galloway, who along with Moore authored the exceptional book upon which this film is based.

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