Noutions Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Glimmerubro It is not deep, but it is fun to watch. It does have a bit more of an edge to it than other similar films.

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

sykespj As a kid growing up in Australia and the United States during the Vietnam years, it was hard to avoid the fact that something deeply troubling was going on. Our prime minister, Harold Holt, went into the 1966 election with the slogan, "All the way with LBJ". I still remember the graffiti on the playground at the Gold Coast. As a student at the Singapore American School in 1968, all felt duty-bound to choose sides... Humphrey or Nixon.One flight to the States took us right over the top of Nam. You could look down on high and see, far below, American warplanes. Texas was another world. If you were pro-peace, you were labeled a commie, no matter how old you were.This is a documentary about American involvement in Vietnam. It doesn't focus on atrocities committed by the Viet Cong or North Vietnamese regulars, because it is about Americans. The sins of others do not justify your own. The film itself is a slice of history. Made not long after the American withdrawal, it depicts all sides of the debate with remarkable clarity using nothing else but film and interviews.This is not so much a history of the war in Vietnam, as it is an introspective look at what it means to be American. It is quite simply the best documentary on American involvement in Vietnam that I have ever seen.

teardrop-diamond Hearts and Minds is Peter Davis' look at a pointless war that even the leaders of the United States had trouble comprehending. Vietnam remains perhaps the country's greatest folly, and even if some teachers or history books may say otherwise, it is important to know that the world superpower has its flaws too.Hearts and Minds explores the lives of the South Vietnamese as they were imprisoned and tortured by their own government. This documentary is a testament to the hopelessness and complete and utter inhumanity that guided these actions. Huge numbers of people are led to slaughter.And of course this isn't a pretty picture. Since when has history ever been? This is heartbreaking to look at, but necessary.Nobel Prize winner Eli Wiesel (who survived one of Nazi Germany's most infamous concentration camps) has continued to stress the importance of 'bearing witness,' and Davis' Hearts and Minds does an excellent job at keeping this issue at the forefront of the time (and even today in the still fascinated future) and forces us to acknowledge the atrocities of the period.With intense and powerful imagery, this film is a must see, and it is a brilliant and heart wrenching war record of a topic that goes both ways: there are those who have repeatedly condemned the actions of the United States in this matter (remember Hanoi Jane?) and those who are so fiercely patriotic (or blind—which choice?) that the war seems almost untouchable from their (rather limited) viewpoint.But this mosaic is proof that there is more than meets the eye—the truth must be spoken. Voices must be heard.It is a lesson to be learned that there is a grim defeat in silence.Hearts and Minds refuses to keep quiet and remains one of the best documentaries on this particular era. The Fog of War this is not.

dont_b_so_BBC I remember watching a few "Yankee" musicals as a kid and enjoying them as silly entertainment (maybe I was the silly one) and clips of them start off this documentary, which jolted my memory and reminded me that they were part of a comprehensive campaign to promote US overseas war efforts. And the rhetoric heard throughout the documentary was almost as "bad" as the Maoist rhetoric of the Cultural Revolution in China, except that the US was by far more polished and convincing. Nixon saying "the US has shown a degree of restraint unprecedented in the annals of war...", by which he probably meant that we should thank the US for not using the atom bombs again, probably ranks near the top the long list of misguided beliefs and "white lies" showcased in this time capsule of 1974 sentiments: when the US thought it had already won a war it was going to lose.So kudos to the director who quickly proceeds to ask the fundamental question: "why do they need us there (Vietnam)?" The honest answer given, only after the director was ridiculed as a "sophomore", actually started all the way from "Sputnik"-- no wonder then that people have to keep asking why they have been involved in this or that war, because the truth was so convoluted. But all these explanations start to sound hollow when the Vietnamese launch into their own centuries-old historical/ narrative tradition: where they have been fighting in defense or for independence against Chinese, then French, then American Imperialism-- it seems that someone conveniently forgot to ask how the Vietnamese saw things at their end, using the justifications that the Vietnamese were just "children", "savages", etc..Made in 1974 after the Paris Peace Accord of 1973, this documentary shows various people in the US reflecting on its involvement in Vietnam and sheds light on why the US didn't get involved again when North Vietnam invaded South Vietnam in 1975: the US never had a clear, consistent or compelling reason or plan to be in Vietnam ("I think we are fighting for the North Vietnamese", says a truck driver) in the first place-- to the point where a veteran says "the reason we went over was to win this war"-- and they thought they had achieved victory in 1973. The US only began to wake up and accept the true nature and effect of their involvement after 1975, when draft dodgers were finally pardoned.

Dhaval Vyas There are certain events in a country's history that leaves a scar so painful, it cannot be forgotten. If there is such a scar with the United States, is has to be the Vietnam War. Even to this day, its shadow still looms. Many people are starting to say the occupation in Iraq is turning into another Vietnam. Regardless if this comparison is justified, there is not doubt the harrowing memories of Vietnam are still embedded within the American psyche. I just recently ran across 'Hearts and Minds' at a library. I have not heard of this before, but after watching it, I could not help but think how controversial it must have been for its time period. It was released just as the war was ending; America was split into half and many Americans began to develop a pessimistic view of their country. This film does not show the U.S. in a good light, in fact many people would still consider it an anti-American film. It is not surprising that such a film emerged from the Vietnam War. No other war in the country's history has created such bitter feelings, although Operation Iraqi Freedom is creeping closer.What is so powerful and memorable about 'Hearts and Minds' is its use of juxtaposing contradictions. One moment we see the immense suffering of both the North and South Vietnamese civilians. We see how their lives have been ruined and devastated by war. The next minute we see the cool indifference of the the American generals and soldiers. They do not see the Vietnamese as human beings; they see them as savages, primitives, and playthings. The Americans act like they are doing their job and do not realize the moral values at hand. It is shocking just how much racism existed within the military during this war. It makes me wonder if the same level of racism exists for the Iraq situation. Sadly, the same mentality is seen again and again. The idea of 'white man's burden' is prevalent throughout the film. The U.S. suffers from the winner's complex. The U.S. is the best and the rest of the world is sub-human.This mentality, as the film shows, is implanted at a very early age. The air force pilot who tells elementary school children that the Vietnamese are savages. The psychotic football coach who slaps this players on their helmets, yelling at them to "kill and win". It is frightening, but the Vietnam War showed that this is what this country has become. When a country is as rich and powerful as the U.S., all moral values can be put aside. How can this be stopped? 'Hearts and Minds' gives several clues. It show American soldiers who have been wounded both physically and psychologically by the war. It showed that even underneath the heartlessness, there exists still a heart. The human soul almost naturally knows what is right and wrong. It can reflect on what it has done and make a judgment. This film, although a little one-sided, is a must see. It is a must see because we are seeing another war that is becoming just like Vietnam.