Religion.
I felt that all of the religious crap heaped on me by, presumably, Mel Gibson made the movie much less enjoyable to watch.
shareOk. Sorry to hear that.
share
MovieChat Forums > We Were Soldiers (2002) Discussion > Religion.
You know nothing about the actual man Gibson was portraying (hint: he co-wrote the book this movie was named after and is a very devout Catholic), do you? I applaud any attempt to realistically portray what these people were actually like, rather than censoring one aspect of their lives that was important to them just because a few random viewers might not personally agree with their beliefs. That's actually pretty absurd if you think about it.
Why don't we just wait here for a while... see what happens.
This. The protagonists religiosity was a pain in the ass at times, but why would the film censor his beliefs, particularly when, at the time 80% of the Americans who view it would be Christians? That being said, bringing religion into war without actually commentating on the hypocrisy can be a little distracting, especially to people of different, or no, faiths to the one portrayed.
shareI was thinking the same thing.
Hal Moore was very religious. It makes sense for Mel Gibson to portray that aspect of the man since it's based on a true story. And, as somebody else pointed out, a good percentage of the population believed in a higher power in 1965 than they do today. Just ask somebody who lived during that era.
Did it bother me? Not at all. I think it was handled pretty well in the film.
Remember the scene in the church? Hal even swore a little bit at the end:
Lt. Colonel Hal Moore: "Oh, yes, and one more thing, dear Lord, about our enemies, ignore their heathen prayers and help us blow those little bastards straight to Hell. Amen."
Oh no, did big bad God make you feel bad?? Ahhhh, boo hoo...
Actually learn about the movie and realize the author was a very devout Catholic. You're not Catholic? Fine...You're not "religious"? Fine...but if that all makes you uncomfortable then it seems you have some issues you personally need to work through. I am not Jewish nor Muslim, but if a main character's religion is that and it comes through, I know how to put on my big girl panties and not be bothered by it one bit.
Ironic that he was a Catholic. Don't they teach "thou shalt not kill?"
But he was complicit in mass murder; leading many conscripted young men to help murder and be murdered by other conscripted young men.
3 There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.
You have no clue as to what "Thou shalt no kill means" in the Bible.
Murder is defined as the killing of someone with malice aforethought, as in killing for selfish gain. Killing an enemy in war is different. But I suspect you know this and are presenting a dishonest argument to propagandize against military personnel.
"Spock is the shiz-nit!"
...and more than a few scholars of the Torah have said the 'proper' translation is 'thou shalt not commit murder'; clearly a world full of tribal nomads trying to steal from or defend themselves from other tribal nomads was a rough place to live.
Why can't you wretched prey creatures understand that the Universe doesn't owe you anything!?
"Thou shalt not kill" means exactly that. There are no "ifs" or "unlesses" in the bible.
The Bible doesn't say "thou shalt not murder".
There is a huge difference.
Of course, if you believe what you read in the Bible you have other big problems.
"Thou shalt not kill" means exactly that. There are no "ifs" or "unlesses" in the bible.
It refers to murdering people, not executing people in war. The context of the Ten Commandments was when the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness wherein God instructed them to kill their enemies, including the nations inhabiting Canaan, the promised land. The LORD would not issue a commandment to not kill and then contradict it with an order to kill in cases of war. So the context shows that "Thou shalt not kill" means "Thou shalt not murder."
My 150 (or so) favorite movies:
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070122364/ share
you are correct in your statement. the problem with citing the bible is that most people have not read the book in its entirety or they have just been spoon fed what was taught in their respective religions. now, I don't mean that to sound as insulting as it does because I, also, was spoon fed a dogma that I did not agree with when I put it up against the world I lived in.
this movie shows, in my opinion, the duality of man in that a person can have great faith in their god, a devotion to country and those who send down the orders and that somehow man has to balance those beliefs. the fact that hal moore was a devout catholic who was trained to kill an enemy designed by his government does not detract from the fact that he was a soldier. it is so easy to make the claim that the bible states thou shall not kill but it also makes other actions offensive and people manage to let those slip for much less ideals than a commitment to country. personally, I don't think I could have done what my father and other family members did in the war, given that I know their spiritual beliefs. but, somehow, this personal inner conflict is one that, as outsiders, we can only speculate on how it is compartmentalized when on the battle field.
Sorry, if you don't translate the Hebrew properly, then you are off.
shareI am not religious, but I don't get while some people are so bothered by stories of true characters who were religious. If a character is very religious, it makes sense to show it on film.
shareDo you understand this movie is based on a book written by the real Hal Moore, and this is a true story?
Did you not notice all his bloody kids? Hal Moore was a practicing Catholic.
At least they balanced it by showing the religious activity of the North Vietnamese commander.
I feel as though you are looking for fault where none exists.
(Yes, Gibson's father is a religious nut. And yes, Mel Gibson is a bigoted *beep* but that does not diminish his talent as an actor.)
Excellent post, drjettrink.
[deleted]
I was thinking of the religious BS, too.
But, it also can be a positive - to make you think about the stupidity of all of it. It shows the American Christians (especially when Gibson's character is in the church, calling the Vietnamese heathens) and then it shows the North Vietnamese commander praying in the custom of his religion later in the movie.
They both BELIEVED in it, and - although not a religious war - let their belief bring them psychological strength and think that the others' belief makes them heathens.
It's on top of the stupidity of arbitrarily hating someone to the point of wanting to kill them just because the leaders of the country you live in tell you to.
Then don't watch it. What it is with you meatballs that you think art should reflect what YOU think rather than the what the guy who created it thinks?
620,000 whites died to free black slaves and not a single thank you yet.