We Were Soldiers (2002)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Randall Wallace

Writers (WGA):

Harold G. Moore (book) and
Joseph L. Galloway (book) ...
(more)

Release Date:

1 March 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Action | History | War

Tagline:

Fathers, Brothers, Husbands & Sons.

Plot:

The story of the first major battle of the American phase of the Vietnam War and the soldiers on both sides that fought it.

Plot Keywords:

Soldier | Battle | Vietnam | Major | Vietnam War

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

Mel Gibson	...	Lt. Col. Hal Moore
Madeleine Stowe	...	Julie Moore
Greg Kinnear	...	Maj. Bruce 'Snake' Crandall
Sam Elliott	...	Sgt. Maj. Basil Plumley
Chris Klein	...	2nd Lt. Jack Geoghegan
Keri Russell	...	Barbara Geoghegan
Barry Pepper	...	Joe Galloway
Duong Don	...	Lt. Col. Nguyen Huu An
Ryan Hurst	...	Sgt. Ernie Savage
Robert Bagnell	...	1st Lt. Charlie Hastings
Marc Blucas	...	2nd Lt. Henry Herrick
Josh Daugherty	...	Sp4 Robert Ouellette
Jsu Garcia	...	Capt. Tony Nadal
Jon Hamm	...	Capt. Matt Dillon
Clark Gregg	...	Capt. Tom Metsker
Desmond Harrington	...	Sp4 Bill Beck
Blake Heron	...	Sp4 Galen Bungum
Erik MacArthur	...	Sp4 Russell Adams
Dylan Walsh	...	Capt. Robert Edwards
Mark McCracken	...	Capt. Ed 'Too Tall' Freeman
Edwin Morrow	...	Pfc. Willie Godboldt
Brian Tee	...	Pfc. Jimmy Nakayama
Sloane Momsen	...	Cecile Moore
Bellamy Young	...	Catherine Metsker
Simbi Khali	...	Alma Givens (as Simbi Kali Williams)
Jim Grimshaw	...	Maj. Gen. Henry Kinnard
Forry Smith	...	Sfc. Carl Palmer
Steven Nelson	...	Sp5 Charlie 'Doc' Lose
Vincent Angell	...	Capt. Robert 'Doc' Carrera
Michael Tomlinson	...	Col. Tim Brown
Keith Szarabajka	...	Diplomatic Spook
Tim Abell	...	Army Intelligence Officer
Patrick St. Esprit	...	General in Hallway
Mike White	...	Sfc. Bob White, Mortar Sergeant (as Michael John White)
Daniel Roebuck	...	Medevac CO
Maia Lien	...	Army Wife
Dan Beene	...	Cab Driver (as Danny Beene)
Taylor Momsen	...	Julie Moore
Joshua McLaurin	...	Greg Moore (as Josh McLaurin)
Devon Werkheiser	...	Steve Moore
Luke Benward	...	David Moore
Billinjer C. Tran	...	Viet Minh Sergeant
Vien Hong	...	Mr. Nik
Joseph Tran	...	NVA Prisoner
Joseph Hieu	...	NVA Officer
Lam Nguyen	...	NVA Soldier with Bayonet
Diep Bui	...	NVA Wife (as Zoë Bui)
Andrew Wallace	...	French Bugler
Nicholas Hosking	...	French Captain
Michael Giordani	...	French Lieutenant
Shepard Koster	...	Reporter (as Shep Koster)
Kate Lombardi	...	Reporter
Ingrid Semler	...	Reporter
Jason Powell	...	Sgt. Robert Stokes
Doug C. Cook	...	Capt. Ray Lefebvre
Sean Bunch	...	Trooper on Fire (as Sean Thomas Bunch)
F. Lee Reynolds	...	Chopper Crewman
Stephen Zapotoczny	...	Edwards' Radio Operator
Frank Kostenko Jr.	...	Foxhole Trooper
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ben Allison	...	Lt. Cochran (uncredited)
Brian Carpenter	...	Sec. of Defense Robert McNamara (uncredited)
Chris Cate	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Cliff Fleming	...	Capt. Jon Mills (uncredited)
Brendan Ford	...	Jump Coordinator (uncredited)
Kelli Franklin	...	Mrs. Charlie Hastings (uncredited)
Christian Gibson	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Justin Gordon	...	French Officer (uncredited)
Lyndon Johnson	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Derrell Keith Lester	...	Black Private (uncredited)
Will Klipstine	...	Private Davey (uncredited)
Matthew Lang	...	1st Lt. John Arrington (uncredited)
Danny Le Boyer	...	Sergeant (uncredited)
Matt Mangum	...	Pvt. Soprano (uncredited)
Johnny Nguyen	...	Young NVA Lieutenant (uncredited)
Randy Oglesby	...	Lt. Col. List (uncredited)
Jonathan Parks Jordan	...	White Private (uncredited)
John Paul Rice	...	Pvt. John Henry (uncredited)
Keni Thomas	...	Sergeant (uncredited)

Directed by
Randall Wallace

Writing credits (WGA)
Harold G. Moore		(book "We Were Soldiers Once... and Young") (as Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore) and
Joseph L. Galloway		(book "We Were Soldiers Once... and Young")
Randall Wallace		(screenplay)

Produced by
Eveleen Bandy	....	associate producer
Bruce Davey	....	producer
William Hoy	....	associate producer
Jim Lemley	....	executive producer
Stephen McEveety	....	producer
Arne Schmidt	....	executive producer (as Arne L. Schmidt)
Randall Wallace	....	producer
Danielle Lemmon Zapotoczny	....	co-producer (as Danielle Lemmon)
Stephen Zapotoczny	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Nick Glennie-Smith

Cinematography by
Dean Semler

Film Editing by
William Hoy

Casting by
Amanda Mackey Johnson
Cathy Sandrich		(as Cathy Sandrich Gelfond)

Production Design by
Thomas E. Sanders		(as Tom Sanders)

Art Direction by
Daniel T. Dorrance		(supervising art director)
Kevin Kavanaugh

Set Decoration by
Gary Fettis

Costume Design by
Michael T. Boyd

Makeup Department
Jane Aull	....	makeup artist: second unit
Hallie D'Amore	....	makeup artist: Ms. Stowe
Garrett Immel	....	makeup artist
Kerry Mendenhall	....	hair stylist
Beth Miller	....	key hair stylist
Michael Mills	....	character makeup creator
Michael Mills	....	makeup supervisor
Craig Reardon	....	key makeup artist
Michael Burnett	....	special makeup effects artist: dead soldier bodies (uncredited)

Production Management
Gregg Edler	....	production supervisor
Angel Pine	....	post-production supervisor
Arne Schmidt	....	unit production manager (as Arne L. Schmidt)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Cliff Fleming	....	director: aerial unit
Allan Graf	....	second unit director
Frank Kostenko Jr.	....	second second assistant director
Allen Kupetsky	....	second assistant director
Michelene Mundo	....	additional second second assistant director: second unit
Nilo Otero	....	first assistant director
Bill Purple	....	second assistant director: second unit (as William Purple)
Shannon Speaker	....	dga trainee
Jey Wada	....	second second assistant director: second unit
Kim H. Winther	....	first assistant director (as Kim Winther)
Lars P. Winther	....	additional second second assistant director (as Lars Winther)
Lars P. Winther	....	first assistant director: second unit (as Lars Winther)

Art Department
Douglas Beale	....	greensman (as Douglas Beal)
Richard J. Bell	....	greensman
Scott Cockerell	....	property assistant: second unit
Stan Cockerell	....	assistant property master (as Stan W. Cockerell)
Richard Colwell	....	scenic artist: Georgia
Daniel B. Foster	....	set dresser: Georgia
Melissa Frye	....	scenic artist: Georgia (as Melissa A. Frye)
Bryan D. Garofalo	....	property assistant (as Bryan Garofalo)
Rick Glenn	....	set dresser
Chuck Herrmann	....	assistant property master: second unit
Bryan Hill	....	set dresser
Bill Iiams	....	construction coordinator
Ed Jones	....	greensman
Richard W. Jones	....	greensman (as Rick Jones)
Tyler Kettenburg	....	set dresser
C.J. Maguire	....	assistant property master
Kevin Mangan	....	greensman
John Mann	....	storyboard artist
Naaman Marshall	....	set designer
Tom Miller	....	property assistant
Robert Tate Nichols	....	set dresser: Georgia
William Scot Noonan	....	labor foreperson: Georgia
Dan Ondrejko	....	greens supervisor (as Danny Ondrejko)
Jose Orozco	....	greensman
Erik Polczwartek	....	set dresser
Mark Rasmussen	....	construction foreperson
Wendy Richardson	....	chief art department coordinator
Rich Romig	....	set designer (as Richard Romig)
Rich Romig	....	set designer: Georgia
Nicholas Rymond	....	set dresser (as Nick Rymond)
Greg Sanger	....	lead man
Clint Schultz	....	graphic designer
Terry J. Smith	....	labor foreperson: Georgia
Dan Sweetman	....	storyboard artist
Jeffrey Thomas	....	greensman (as Jeff Thomas)
Lance Totten	....	set dresser: Georgia (as C. Lance Totten)
James F. Truesdale	....	art director: Georgia
David Tully	....	greensman (as David V. Tully)
Joshua Warner	....	on-set dresser (as Josh Warner)
Karl J. Weschta	....	property assistant: second unit
Dean Wilson	....	property master: second unit
Jim Zemansky	....	property master
Carlo Basail	....	greens foreman (uncredited)
Randy Bobbitt	....	set decoration coordinator (uncredited)
Christopher Carlson	....	assistant decorator (uncredited)
Gary Clark	....	head paint foreman (uncredited)
James Diggs	....	stand-by painter (uncredited)
Daren Dochterman	....	production illustrator (uncredited)
Alba Leone	....	buyer: Georgia (uncredited)
Peter McGoran	....	set dresser (uncredited)
William Scot Noonan	....	labor foreman (uncredited)

Sound Department
Steve Bartkowicz	....	sound engineer
Heidi Bender	....	field recordist
Lon Bender	....	sound designer
Lon Bender	....	supervising sound editor
Tim Boggs	....	adr editor
Weldon Brown	....	adr mixer
Claudia Carle	....	adr recordist
Matt Colleran	....	sound recordist
Tim Cooney	....	production sound mixer
John DiSante	....	cable person
Victor Ray Ennis	....	supervising assistant sound editor
Marc Fishman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Paul Flinchbaugh	....	assistant sound editor
Nerses Gezalyan	....	foley mixer
Hector C. Gika	....	sound effects editor (as Hector Gika)
Ann Hadsell	....	adr mixer
Gregory Hainer	....	sound effects editor (as Greg Hainer)
Michael Hertlein	....	dialogue editor (as Mike Hertlein)
Jeffrey A. Humphreys	....	cable person
Craig Jurkiewicz	....	foley editor
Michael Keller	....	sound re-recording mixer
Randy Kelley	....	sound effects editor
David Kudell	....	assistant sound editor
Peter J. Lehman	....	sound effects editor
Kimaree Long	....	dialogue editor
James Moriana	....	foley walker (as James M. Moriana)
Mark Ormandy	....	field recordist
Willard Overstreet	....	foley editor
Kelly Oxford	....	supervising adr editor
Michelle Pazer	....	adr editor
Andy Potvin	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Michael A. Reagan	....	sound effects editor (as Mike Reagan)
Geoffrey G. Rubay	....	sound designer
Kevin Sorenson	....	boom operator (as Kevin Sorensen)
Wylie Stateman	....	foley supervisor
Mark P. Stoeckinger	....	sound designer (as Mark Stoeckinger)
Mark P. Stoeckinger	....	supervising sound editor (as Mark Stoeckinger)
Jeffrey Wilhoit	....	foley walker
Richard Dwan Jr.	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Michael McNerney	....	adr recordist (uncredited)
Perry Robertson	....	sound effects editor (uncredited)
Kevin K. Sorensen	....	boom operator (uncredited)
Bruce Tanis	....	sound effects editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Stan Blackwell	....	special effects foreperson
Joel P. Blanchard	....	special effects technician
Thomas M. Craven	....	special effects technician
Steve Dearth	....	special effects technician (as Steven Dearth)
Dominik Dugandzic	....	special effects technician
Terry Erickson	....	special effects technician
John Fagan	....	special effects technician
Jeff Frink	....	special effects technician (as Jeffrey Frink)
Steve Galich	....	special effects foreperson
Scott Garcia	....	special effects technician
Jeremy Hays	....	special effects technician
Kelly Kerby	....	special effects foreperson
Randy Krohmer	....	special effects technician
Matthew Lillis	....	special effects technician
Paul J. Lombardi	....	special effects coordinator (as Paul Lombardi)
Scott D. Mattson	....	special effects technician
Jeff Miller	....	special effects technician
George Paine	....	special effects technician
David Peterson	....	special effects foreperson
Jeff Rand	....	special effects technician
Scott Roark	....	special effects
Parry Willard	....	special effects technician (as Parry D. Willard)
Dick Wood	....	special effects supervisor (as Richard S. Wood)
Ian Eyre	....	special effects assistant (uncredited)
Russ Herpich	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
Chris Jones	....	special effects crew (uncredited)
G. Peter King	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
Daniel P. Murphy	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
Brendon O'Dell	....	special effects technician (uncredited)
Jake Valdez	....	special effects technician (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Paul Abatemarco	....	visual effects coordinator: Digital Domain
Nancy Adams	....	3D integration lead: Digital Domain
Francois Antoine	....	3D effects animator: Cinesite
Randall Bahnsen	....	visual effects editor: Cinesite (as Randy Bahnsen)
Lynn Basas	....	CG supervisor: Cinesite
Nancy Bernstein	....	visual effects executive producer: Digital Domain
Terra Bliss-Alvarez	....	project manager: efilm
Cris Blyth	....	3D digital model lead: Digital Domain
Steve Bowen	....	digital color timer: efilm
Tom Bristow	....	digital asset management: efilm
Bob Buckner	....	digital mastering technologist: efilm
Shannan Burkley	....	digital paint artist: Digital Domain
Dick Caine	....	digital mastering technologist: efilm
Martin Clark	....	technical services supervisor: Digital Domain
Chad E. Collier	....	scanning and recording operator: Digital Domain (as Chad Collier)
John Michael Courte	....	3d effects animator: Digital Domain (as John Courte)
C. Marie Davis	....	visual effects executive producer: CIS
Aaron Dorn	....	project manager: efilm
Jason Doss	....	3D integration artist: Digital Domain
Scott Edelstein	....	3D integration artist: Digital Domain
Christopher Edwards	....	operations manager: efilm (as Chris Edwards)
Bob Eicholz	....	executive in charge of production: efilm
Bill Feightner	....	vice president of technology: efilm
Larry Gaynor	....	digital paint supervisor: CIS
Swen Gillberg	....	3D integration artist: Digital Domain
David Goldberg	....	visual effects supervisor
Kacie Haggerty	....	editorial: efilm
Bruce Halstead	....	film scanner and recorder operator: efilm
Jessica Harris	....	digital compositor: Digital Domain
John Herndon	....	film scanner and recorder operator: efilm
Christopher Holsey	....	scan/record supervisor: Digital Domain (as Chris Holsey)
Chris Howard	....	senior flame artist
Joni Jacobson	....	lead digital compositor
Kenneth Jones	....	digital effects supervisor: CIS (as Dr. Ken Jones)
Nikos Kalaitzidis	....	3d effects animator: Digital Domain
Jeffrey Kalmus	....	digital imaging supervisor: Digital Domain
Michael Kanfer	....	digital mastering supervisor: efilm (as Michael D. Kanfer)
Sophie Leclerc	....	visual effects producer
Michael F. Lehman	....	film scanner and recorder operator: efilm (as Michael Lehman)
Dan Lemmon	....	computer graphics supervisor: Digital Domain
Kelly L'Estrange	....	visual effects producer: Digital Domain
Kevin Lingenfelser	....	visual effects supervisor: Cinesite
Dawn Llewellyn	....	editorial: efilm
Chris Logan	....	3D integration artist: Digital Domain
Narbeh Mardirossian	....	video I/O operator: Digital Domain
Craig Mathieson	....	compositor: Cinesite
Joe Matza	....	executive in charge of production: efilm
Bekki Misiorowski	....	visual effects auditor: Digital Domain
Suzanne Mitus-Uribe	....	digital compositing supervisor: CIS
Carl S.G. Moore	....	visual effects associate producer: Cinesite (as Carl Moore)
Heather J. Morrison	....	visual effects editor: Digital Domain (as Heather Morrison)
Robert Nederhorst	....	digital compositor: Digital Domain (as Rob Nederhorst)
Gregory Oehler	....	digital compositing supervisor: CIS
Martin Olah	....	film scanner and recorder operator: efilm
Dan Patterson	....	data I/O operator: Digital Domain
Darren Poe	....	compositing supervisor: Digital Domain (as Darren M. Poe)
Erik Pope	....	visual effects coordinator: Digital Domain
Kelly Port	....	digital effects supervisor: Digital Domain
Dante Quintana	....	digital artist: Cinesite
David Robinson	....	visual effects coordinator: Cinesite
David Santiago	....	effects technical director: titles
Steve Siracusa	....	assistant visual effects editor: Digital Domain
Ken Sjogren	....	compositor: Cinesite
Albert Soto	....	digital mastering technologist: efilm
David Stearn	....	digital compositor: Digital Domain (as Dave Stern)
Kenny Sutherland	....	digital artist: Cinesite
Chris Taft	....	digital mastering assistant: efilm
Amy Tompkins	....	visual effects editor: efilm
Renée Tymn	....	digital compositor: Cinesite (as Renee Chamblin)
Casey Vanover	....	technical services coordinator: Digital Domain
Mary E. Walter	....	visual effects editor
Jessica Dara Westbrook	....	digital effects coordinator: Digital Domain (as Jessica Westbrook)
Bryan Whitaker	....	3D digital modeler: Digital Domain
Mark Wilson	....	3D digital modeler: Digital Domain
Jann Wimmer	....	technical assistant: Digital Domain
Doug F. Wolf	....	3D digital modeler: Digital Domain (as Doug Wolf)
Adam Young	....	digital asset management: efilm
Kit Young	....	digital system manager: CIS
Jeffrey Edward Baksinski	....	motion & tracking supervisor: Cinesite (uncredited)
Timothy Michael Cairns	....	2D paint artist: Matador, EFILM (uncredited)
Thomas R. Dickens	....	lead prop modeler: missiles, Digital Domain (uncredited)
Fred Jimenez	....	2D technical assistant: Cinesite Hollywood (uncredited)
Kama Moiha	....	digital compositor: Cinesite (uncredited)
Alex G. Ortoll	....	main title sequence compositor (uncredited)
Robert Rowles	....	video I/O (uncredited)
Todd Sarsfield	....	digital artist (uncredited)
Aaron Singer	....	3D data integrator (uncredited)
Orvis Slack	....	construction medic: Monterey County (uncredited)
Tess Spaulding	....	system administrator (uncredited)
Richard Wardlow	....	technical director: Digital Domain (uncredited)
Bjorn Zipprich	....	digital artist (uncredited)

Stunts
Todd Bryant	....	stunts
Richard Bucher	....	stunts
Matt Byrne	....	stunts
Mark Chadwick	....	stunts
Andy Cheng	....	stunts (as Andy Cheng)
Mark De Alessandro	....	stunts
Thomas DuPont	....	stunts
Kiante Elam	....	stunts (as Kiante K. Elam)
Kofi Elam	....	stunts
Michael Endoso	....	utility stunts
Jonathan Eusebio	....	stunts
Eddie J. Fernandez	....	stunts (as Eddie Fernandez)
Tom Jo-Jo Gianelli	....	stunts
Lance Gilbert	....	co-stunt coordinator
Al Goto	....	stunts
Allan Graf	....	stunt coordinator
Tad Griffith	....	stunts
Chuck 'Chaz' Hosack	....	stunts (as Chuck Hosack)
Steven Ho	....	stunts (as Steven W. Ho)
Yoshio Iizuka	....	stunt performer
Steve Martinez	....	stunts
Eddie Matthews	....	stunts
Dustin Meier	....	stunts
Dustin Meier	....	utility stunts
John Meier	....	stunts
Johnny Nguyen	....	stunts
Hugh Aodh O'Brien	....	stunts
Jim Palmer	....	stunts
Eddie Perez	....	stunts
Casey Pieretti	....	stunts
Stuart Quan	....	stunts
Kevin Reid	....	stunts
Simon Rhee	....	stunts
Justin Riemer	....	stunts (as Justin Reimer)
Mario Roberts	....	stunts
Gilbert Rosales	....	stunts
Spencer Sano	....	stunts
Lincoln Simonds	....	stunts
Steve Stafford	....	aerial stunts: helicopter pilot
C.C. Taylor	....	stunts
Matthew Taylor	....	stunts (as Matt Taylor)
Pete Turner	....	stunts
Jon Valera	....	stunts
Scott Waugh	....	stunts
Danny Wong	....	stunts
Tsuyoshi Abe	....	stunts (uncredited)
Robert Alonzo	....	utility stunts (uncredited)
Brian Avery	....	stunts (uncredited)
Sean Bunch	....	stunts (uncredited)
Arnold Chon	....	stunts (uncredited)
Steve M. Davison	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jayson Dumenigo	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tanner Gill	....	stunts (uncredited)
Steven Ito	....	stunt performer (uncredited)
Hiro Koda	....	utility stunts (uncredited)
John Koyama	....	stunts (uncredited)
Paul Lacovara	....	stunts (uncredited)
Lin Oeding	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jon Sakata	....	stunts (uncredited)
Mike Smith	....	stunts (uncredited)
Charles A. Tam	....	stunt performer (uncredited)
Stan Tinay	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gary Toy	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gary J. Wayton	....	stunt performer (uncredited)
Alex Wen	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Lloyd Ahern II	....	director of photography: second unit
Mike Akins	....	assistant chief rigging electrician: Georgia (as Michael Akins)
Miles Anderson	....	gaffer: second unit
Paul F. Barron	....	grip: second unit
Micah Y. Bisagni	....	film loader (as Micah Bisagni)
Kirk Bloom	....	second assistant camera: second unit (as Kirk L. Bloom)
Kevin Boyd	....	key video assist operator
Jerry G. Callaway	....	camera operator: "c" camera
Stuart Campbell	....	second assistant camera: "c" camera (as Stuart D. Campbell)
Michael Cassidy	....	first assistant camera: second unit (as Mike Cassidy)
Michael P. Catanzarite	....	grip
Michael A. Chavez	....	camera operator: second unit
Charles S. Colegrove	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Mark Connelly	....	film loader
Ron Cooney	....	first company grip: second unit (as Ronn Cooney)
Steven Cueva	....	second assistant camera: second unit
Mike Culp	....	camera operator: second unit
Thomas A. Curran	....	grip
Shawn Duchscherer	....	electrician
Doug Ednie	....	electrician
Eddie Evans	....	rigging grip: Georgia (as Eddie W. Evans)
Michael Fedack	....	rigging grip: Georgia
Danny Fowler	....	electrician: Georgia
Chris Garcia	....	second assistant camera: second unit
Jason Gary	....	grip
Todd M. Gavin	....	second assistant camera: second unit (as Todd Gavin)
Michael Gershman	....	director of photography: second unit
James J. Gilson	....	chief lighting technician
Kirk Greenberg	....	rigging grip
Jeff Hale	....	rigging grip
Paul Hamacher	....	dolly grip operator: second unit (as Paul B. Hamacher)
Dennis Hammermeister	....	video assist operator
Kim Heath	....	first company rigging grip
Michael Herron	....	video assist operator: second unit
Jeff 'Moose' Howery	....	dolly grip (as J. 'Moose' Howery)
Matt Jackson	....	grip
Casey Jones	....	dolly grip operator: second unit (as Casey P. Jones)
Perry Karidis	....	grip: second unit
David Katz	....	video assist operator: second unit
Mark La Bonge	....	camera operator: second unit (as Mark Labonge)
Brian Marincic	....	rigging grip (as Bryan Marincic)
Joe Martens	....	assistant chief lighting technician
John Martens	....	chief rigging electrician
Fred L. McLane	....	first assistant camera: "b" camera
Richard Merryman	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Richard Merryman	....	director of photography: second unit
Bill Morris	....	second company grip: second unit
John Murphy	....	dolly grip (as John W. Murphy)
Reggie Newkirk	....	first assistant camera: "c" camera (as Reginald J. Newkirk)
Kevin Nieliwocki	....	second company grip: second unit
David B. Nowell	....	aerial camera operator
John O'Connor	....	second assistant camera: "b" camera
Mark O'Kane	....	Steadicam operator
Mark O'Kane	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Sean J. O'Shea	....	first assistant camera: second unit (as Sean O'Shea)
Frank Parrish	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera (as Frank D. Parrish)
William 'Bear' Paul	....	first company grip
William Eddie Paul	....	second company grip
Beau Damon Richards	....	electrician
Craig Steven Riley	....	dolly grip
Tony Rivetti	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Ingrid Semler	....	camera loader
Rick Senteno	....	assistant chief rigging electrician
Scott Smith	....	film loader: second unit
Clifford Speary	....	dolly grip operator: second unit
Tim Spicka	....	grip: second unit
John E. Stephens	....	grip: Georgia
Kevin Stewart	....	second company rigging grip (as Kevin M. Stewart)
John Stradling	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Steve Sudge	....	electrician: Georgia
Paul Theriault	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Neil Toussaint	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Stephen Vaughan	....	still photographer (as Stephen S. Vaughan)
Kelly Way	....	electrician
Scott Whitbread	....	film loader: second unit (as Scott A. Whitbread)
Steve Zigler	....	electrician: Georgia
Tony Bryan	....	electrician (uncredited)
Richard Brooks Burton	....	aerial first assistant camera (uncredited)
Glenn Cannon	....	video assist operator: second unit (uncredited)
Jason Dannenberg	....	grip (uncredited)
Ron Goodman	....	camera operator: SpaceCam (uncredited)
Darren Langer	....	electrician (uncredited)
Eric Leftridge	....	additional assistant camera (uncredited)
Peter McAdams	....	best boy grip: second unit (uncredited)
Greg Morse	....	24 frame video operator (uncredited)
Andrew Osborne	....	assistant camera: second unit (uncredited)
Kelly Price	....	grip (uncredited)
Mike Simko	....	grip (uncredited)
Randy Tharpe	....	rigging electrician (uncredited)
Mark Walpole	....	camera loader: Washington D.C. (uncredited)

Casting Department
Sig De Miguel	....	casting associate: New York
Denice Kumagai	....	voice casting
Elizabeth Lang	....	additional casting (as Liz Lang Fedrick)
Danny Le Boyer	....	background casting: Vietnamese (as Danny Boyer)
Caitlin McKenna-Wilkinson	....	voice casting (as Caitlin McKenna)
Wendy Weidman	....	casting associate
Chris Gray	....	extras casting (uncredited)
Kim McCray	....	casting assistant: Georgia (uncredited)
Kim Petrosky	....	casting: Georgia (uncredited)
Rebecca Quick	....	extras casting assistant (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Anthony Almaraz	....	costumer
Javier Arrieta	....	costumer
Frank Avanzo	....	costumer
Myron Baker	....	costumer: Mr. Gibson
James 'Mike' Balker	....	costumer
Elizabeth Clark	....	costumer
Carmen Cuebello	....	tailor
Mike Evans	....	costumer
Kirstin Gallo	....	costumer
Debbie Holbrook	....	costumer
Joe McCloskey	....	costume supervisor
Stanley Moore	....	costume supervisor (as Stanley L. Moore)
Suzanne Robertson	....	set costumer (as Suzy Robertson)
Gerardo Rosette	....	tailor
Barnaby Smith	....	set costumer (as Barnaby Smith Jr.)
Larry Velasco	....	chief costumer (as Lawrence Velasco)
Conan Castro Jr.	....	costumer (uncredited)
Will James Moore	....	costumer (uncredited)
Kate Sawyer	....	seamstress (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Steve Bowen	....	digital color timer
Adam M. Duthie	....	assistant editor
Danny Rafic	....	first assistant editor
Mike Stanwick	....	color timer
Craig Wood	....	additional film editor
Craig Tanner	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Catherine Bott	....	musician: soprano
Nick Glennie-Smith	....	conductor
Isobel Griffiths	....	orchestra contractor
Ashley Irwin	....	orchestrator
Malcolm Luker	....	music scoring mixer
Laura Perlman	....	music editor
Gavyn Wright	....	orchestra leader
Karen Han	....	musician: erhu solo (uncredited)
Bart Hendrickson	....	additional composer: score (uncredited)
Michael Lustig	....	music consultant (uncredited)
Lee Scott	....	music editor: temp music (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Charley Bob Burnham	....	transportation coordinator
Edward O'Neal	....	transportation co-captain
Edward O'Neal	....	transportation co-captain: Georgia
Teddy J. Ritchie	....	transportation captain: Georgia (as Teddy J. Richie)
Lee Stepp	....	transportation captain
Morris Aroesti	....	driver (uncredited)
Lance Cherniet	....	driver (uncredited)
Michael Coady	....	driver (uncredited)
Tina Peterson	....	driver (uncredited)
Windi Robinson	....	driver: cast trailer (uncredited)
Christina Rollo	....	transportation office administrator (uncredited)
Hank Van Apeldoorn	....	driver: Georgia (uncredited)

Other crew
Emily Aaronson	....	set production assistant
Rachel Aberly	....	unit publicist
Coleen Aiello	....	second assistant auditor (as Coleen 'Co-Co' Aiello)
Brian L. Aultman	....	production assistant: Georgia
Bruce Benson	....	pilot
Matthew Bernsen	....	set production assistant
Tucker Bowen	....	production assistant
Kaelee Brown	....	set production assistant
Cory Cate	....	set production assistant: Georgia
Erin Colbert	....	production assistant
Bruce P. Crandall	....	consultant: Huey helicopter
Robert Dawson	....	title designer
Matt DiFranco	....	assistant production coordinator
Steve Dirkes	....	assistant location manager: Georgia
Tyler Elliott	....	assistant location manager
Benjamin Epps	....	assistant: Mr. Gibson
Josh Ernstrom	....	set production assistant
Gary Ferrel	....	co-pilot
Nicholas Fitzgerald	....	production assistant: second unit (as Nicholas S. Fitzgerald)
Vincent Joseph Flaherty	....	weapons armorer (as Vincent Flaherty)
Carol Flaisher	....	location manager
Cliff Fleming	....	aerial coordinator
Cory Fleming	....	co-pilot
Kathy Leigh Fleming	....	production coordinator: aerial unit
Tim Fleming	....	co-pilot
Seth Fortin	....	production assistant: Georgia
Sherry Gallarneau	....	script supervisor: second unit
Joseph L. Galloway	....	consultant
James W. Gavin	....	pilot
James Gerlach	....	pilot (as Jim Gerlach)
Al Guthery	....	pilot
Cate Hardman	....	script supervisor
Jalyn Henton	....	office production assistant
Robert Hepburn	....	medic: second unit (as Robert E. Hepburn)
Pamela Hilse	....	travel coordinator (as Pam Hilse)
Steve Hinton	....	pilot
David Israel	....	location manager (as David R. Israel)
Ethan Jensen	....	co-pilot
Joan Johnson	....	assistant to producer
Keii Johnston	....	co-pilot
Paul Kane	....	production assistant: second unit
Phill Kane	....	assistant location manager (as Phil Kane)
Steve Karnes	....	weapons armorer
Dea Valentin Kristensen	....	animal trainer
Shauna L. Kroen	....	production accountant
Amy Lowe	....	set production assistant: Georgia
Paul Lowe	....	medic
Loren MacDonald	....	set production assistant
Ruth Maehara	....	second assistant auditor (as Ruth T. Maehara)
Harold G. Moore	....	consultant (as Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore)
Maida N. Morgan	....	location manager
Kara Nelson	....	production assistant
Rick Ojeda	....	production assistant: second unit
Michael Papac	....	master armorer
Jason Powell	....	technical advisor: military
John Radcliff	....	production assistant
Chad Rivetti	....	stabilized remote head technician (as Chad L. Rivetti)
Dan Rudert	....	co-pilot
Joe Rystrom	....	medic
Jill Rytie	....	assistant: Mr. Wallace
Janell M. Sammelman	....	set production assistant (as Janell Sammelman)
Chris Saunders	....	pilot
John T. Scanlon	....	pilot (as John Scanlon)
Kristine Schroeder	....	studio teacher: Georgia
Myke Schwartz	....	co-pilot
Gary Sewell	....	assistant auditor: Georgia
Rick Shuster	....	pilot (as Rick Schuster)
Robert Sica	....	weapons armorer
Morgan Smith	....	set production assistant
Steve Stafford	....	co-pilot
Haley Sweet	....	production coordinator (as Haley B. Sweet)
Stan Swofford	....	medic: Georgia
Keni Thomas	....	military advisor: second unit
Dan Tipton	....	production assistant
Roland Tomforde	....	set production assistant
Tara Tovarek	....	production assistant: Georgia
Jason Tracey	....	assistant: Ms. Lemmon and Mr. Zapotoczny
Marc Turchin	....	set production assistant: Georgia
Dirk Vahle	....	pilot
Bonnie F. Watkins	....	assistant: Mr. Davey
Michele Wolkoff	....	assistant: Mr. Lemley
Michele Wright	....	second assistant auditor (as Michelle Wright)
Heather Wusterbarth	....	set production assistant
Sandra L. Yeary	....	first assistant auditor (as Sandra Yeary)
Julie Adams	....	dialect coach: Mel Gibson (uncredited)
David Berthiaume	....	location manager (uncredited)
Justin Blampied	....	title designer (uncredited)
Vanna Bonta	....	additional voices (uncredited)
Paul Davison	....	technical advisor: military (uncredited)
James D. Dever	....	adr loop group (uncredited)
James D. Dever	....	technical advisor: military (uncredited)
Stephen Dirkes	....	location scout (uncredited)
Steve Dirkes	....	location manager (uncredited)
Cliff Fleming	....	aerial unit director (uncredited)
Michael J. Harker	....	completion bond representative (uncredited)
Vien Hong	....	adr voice (uncredited)
Ehren Koepf	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Katie McCaffrey	....	assistant production coordinator: Central California (uncredited)
Stephen McCurry	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Cathy Schweickhardt	....	first assistant accountant (uncredited)
Thomas Shull	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Susan Van Apeldoorn	....	craft service: Georgia (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Icon Entertainment International
• Motion Picture Production GmbH & Co. Erste KG
• Wheelhouse Entertainment

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (2001) (USA) (theatrical)
• Ascot Elite Entertainment Group (2002) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Concorde Filmverleih (2002) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Egmont Entertainment (2002) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Paramount Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Concorde Home Entertainment (2003) (Germany) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Bac Films (????) (France) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films AB (2002) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Medusa Distribuzione (????) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Nu Visión de Argentina (????) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (????) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (????) (Luxembourg) (theatrical)
• RCV Film Distribution (????) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Warner Sogefilms S.A. (????) (Spain) (theatrical)
• Europa Filmes (????) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Europa Filmes (????) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Nordisk Film (2002) (Sweden) (DVD)
• RCV Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (limited edition steelbook)
• RCV Home Entertainment (200?) (Netherlands) (video)
• Soyuz Video (????) (Russia) (VHS)

Special Effects

• CIS Hollywood (additional visual effects)
• Cinesite (Hollywood) (additional visual effects and animation)
• Digital Domain (special visual effects and digital animation)
• Full Scale Effects (uncredited)

Other Companies

• Abbey Road Studios  music recorded at (as Abbey Road, London)
• All Seasons Transport  craft service
• Asylum VFX  main titles (as Asylum)
• Central Casting  extras casting
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes and dollies
• Columbia Records  soundtrack published by
• Combustion Music  soundtrack published by
• DeLuxe Laboratories  color
• EFilm  digital film mastering
• Global Music Service  music copyist
• Global Music Service  music preparation (as Global Music Services)
• Holmes Enterprises  military vehicles
• Legacy Records  soundtrack published by
• Mary Nelson-Duerrstein & Associates  negative cutting
• Panavision  cameras and lenses
• Paskal Lighting  grip and lighting equipment
• Sony Music Soundtrax  soundtrack published by
• Soundelux  sound services
• The Hopeful Dog Cafe  craft service: Georgia
• Todd-AO Studios  sound services
• Tomkats Catering  catering
• UCLA Film and Television Archive  archive footage

Also Known As:

The Lost Patrol (USA) (original script title)
We Were Soldiers Once... and Young (USA) (working title)
Wir waren Helden (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for sustained sequences of graphic war violence, and for language.

Runtime:

138 min | Argentina:140 min | Germany:126 min (cut) | Spain:143 min | Turkey:124 min (TV version)

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English | Vietnamese | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES | Dolby Digital EX | SDDS

Certification:

Australia:M (TV rating) | Iceland:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Alberta) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (appeal) | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Finland:K-15 | France:-12 | Germany:18 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:15 | Peru:14 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Castle Green - 99 S. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, California, USA

Company:

Icon Entertainment International

Trivia:

875,000 feet of film was shot - roughly 150 hours. It took the editing team 6 days - day and night - to watch it all.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The conversation between SGM Plumley and Joe Galloway regarding his status as a non-combatant did not take place as shown in the film. The conversation actually took place more than a week earlier, and it was between Joe Galloway and an Army Special Forces Officer, Major (later Colonel) Charles Beckwith. Joe Galloway arrived with in the Ia Drang with an M-16.

Quotes:

[first lines]
French Captain: Anything?
French Lieutenant: No, Captain.
French Captain: Fucking heat. Fucking grass. Fucking country.
[Vietnamese bullet hits him in the head]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Hollywood Vietnam (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Sgt. MacKenzie

Powerful and moving, not a film for everyone however

I was privileged to see a preview of Mel Gibson's new film "We Were Soldiers" based upon the book written by his real life character, Lt. Col. Harold Moore, along with Joe Galloway. I attended a showing along with numerous other Viet Nam vets and it would seem that there were as many opinions about the movie as there were viewers. Like the war itself, each person in attendance probably had some personal experiences that the movie brought back from that deep, and sometimes distant, place we have put them.

The movie was almost overwhelmingly graphical, but afterwards I realized this was instrumental in the telling of the story. For the movie is truly about the leadership that Col. Moore brought to his men of the 1st of the 7th, and his determination that they would not suffer the fate of the French in Viet Nam, nor his own unit's most infamous battle, that of Custer's Stand at Little Big Horn.

It was his determination and commitment that his men be as highly trained, as strongly molded as a unit, and most importantly as well lead as possible that stands out. This determination is obviously rooted in his deeply abiding belief that military leaders shall never forget that when they lead men into war, many of those men will never come back alive, but that those who lead shall never abandon them, even in their shared darkest hours.

And while the movie highly succeeds in conveying the horror and tragedy that war is....has been...and always shall be, it was more difficult for me to realize that our War Department and Army could have been so callous as to have delegated the responsibility of notifying next-of-kin of the death of their loved ones to the local Yellow Cab company. Then I realized that in late 1965 it was all so new and no one knew that this war was going to grow and consume so many young American lives over the next nine years.

The two most significant scenes in the movie for me were firstly, the scene when the course of the battle teeters on the brink of either disaster or success and the most important communication that Col. Moore's superiors have to convey is that General Westmoreland would like for him to leave the battlefield and fly to Saigon so the general can have a briefing. This more than anything pointed out how tragically we were doomed to failure in Viet Nam due to the political will, not the military will, being in control. The second most significant scene was in the airport where one soldier is pushing his buddy through the concourse and the voice over says..."They did not fight for God.....country.....right. They fought for each other", a fact that every Viet Nam vet would attest to.

This a movie worth seeing. It is another testament, with a worthy cinematographic effort, to the futility and absurdity of war, and how that among madness can be greatness. It is a movie that will unlikely leave the viewer devoid of emotion. What those emotions may be are as likely to be as highly personal, as the strength of their feeling.