John “The Duke” Wayne could easily be considered the definitive movie
action hero in cinema and with so many films under his belt from
westerns to war, his movies were quite popular in his heyday. Of course,
Wayne generally had one style of acting but ironically it worked,
whether in action, drama, romance or comedy… The Duke may not have been
a man of many faces but he did create some very memorable movies and
moments.
The story behind the Green Berets is
quite simplistic at times where Wayne plays Colonel Mike Kirby, a
man responsible for choosing and leading a team of Green Berets into
enemy territory, Vietnam. Their tasks are simple (not really), gain
control of a camp that the enemy is attempting to take over and also
kidnap a North Vietnamese General. It's a challenge but the Duke and his
men are definitely up to it and even though the acting is a little
clichéd, the premise behind this classic war story is not that had me
glued to the screen. A good effort for a 1968 film!
The Green Berets was quite a political movie in its time thanks to its
clever propaganda, although not as strategic as The Green Zone (2010).
Dubbed as one of the world’s first Vietnam War movies, The Green Berets
is quite a serious story at times, that is heavily laden with some
impressive action scenes that would be the archetype of Hollywood war
movies to come. With an impressive budget, directors Ray Kellog and John
Wayne manage to retell a particular aspect of the Vietnam War quite well
and although John Wayne isn’t that spectacular as Kirby, he does add an
element of realism to the film. It's also good to see George Takei (Star
Trek fame) play a captain in the film... stereotyped? Yes but
interesting in a historical movie way.
For such an old film, Warner have managed a decent transfer to Blu-ray
and although the colours look a little surreal at times, the quality is
quite decent. It can’t be compared to films of today but for what it’s
worth, it does it well. Add in a decent audio track from clear audio to
spectacular explosions and this was the dawn of films such as Apocalypse
Now. In terms of special features, The Green Berets contains the
following;
-
Vintage Featurette - The
Moviemakers: The Making of the Green Berets (An interesting
documentary about not only the movie and politics but also John
Wayne himself &
-
The Green Berets Theatrical
Trailer (Classic Hollywood campiness from a simpler time)
At
the end of the day, The Green Berets is an interesting part of Hollywood
and you can see two strong themes in this movie, American patriotism and
the anti-war message. Wayne plays his generic hero but manages to ground
his character, making him quite realistic and relatable at times,
especially when the action heats. I know for a fact that I would follow
him into battle!
Definitely a film for those interested in early Hollywood or for lovers
of film in general.
