The Boys in Company C

source: The Boys in Company C

I guess if you took this movie literally then you would feel that it is a stupid war movie. However, if you saw that the Generals represented a bureaucracy focused more on statistical body counts than what was actually happening on the ground you would see that this film had a good message to it. This was by no means a great film, but it was a very good film. Basically, the film shows how the men on the ground genuinely wanted to help the people in country and also wanted to get out alive. This film, like Apocalypse Now and Catch 22, show the double edged sword of war in the name of peace. And as to the "civilians might like this film" comment above, well, I'm a United States Army Veteran and I liked it. Josiah

This is the sorriest depiction of the vietnam war experience I have ever seen. For some reason, someone wants this black guy who's a heroin dealer to be the hero of the movie. The entire movie seems to be a SNL skit of stupidity. The only part of the movie that has any basis in reality is Ermy's performance, yet I cannot imagine how he let himself be associated with this BS. Shame on anyone associated with this travesty.

Spoilers. I only write that because it is necessary for the rules, not because there is really anything momentous to *spoil* in this movie, which starts slow, fails utterly to develop any thread of consistency or reason to care about any of the grunts or other characters, goes nowhere, and takes a circuitous, rambling, disconnected path to do it. Perhaps this started out with a decent script, but it almost feels as if there were large parts of the story that were left on the cutting room floor. Maybe this would have been an okay 3 1/2 hour movie with all the plot and character development put back in, but somehow making it *longer* wouldn't seem likely to have helped. Even with this unlikely assumption, the scenes chosen to remain in the movie fail to drive any sort of "story" or otherwise sufficiently illuminate or justify the actions of characters. After the eighth or ninth time that the Captain amply demonstrates that he is a one-dimensional flaming idiot in pursuit of "body counts for the Gen'rul", I don't think it serves any useful purpose to continue to drive this point like an icepick in the forehead. The heroin subtext in this movie is laughable. Can I believe Sgt. Washington's self-righteous indignation at the "junkie" (who isn't)? I can't. Do I care whether he screws the Vietnamese Col. out of a heroin deal (or a soccer game, for that matter)? I don't. There's a big soccer game in the finale, but I'm not compelled to care whether they win or lose the game, whether they end up at Khe Sanh or touring to play other teams, whether Pvt. Pike plays because he's a dad, or doesn't play because he hates the cardboard Captain. Oh yeah, and the soccer game turns into a battle scene, and women and children die, and I'M NOT MOVED. Many of the actors turn in reasonable performances, so the lack of emotional crescendo can only be attributed to the failure of this film to "connect the dots" on just about every level. The only reason I slogged on with this was because R. Lee Ermey was the Drill Instructor, and I figured things would pick up. This really surprised me because although I knew he had been a DI for real, I didn't know he had played a DI in any movie before Full Metal Jacket. Kubrick must have seen this movie before Ermey was hired as a consultant. (The apocryphal story is that his "consulting" was so effective, Kubrick replaced the intended actor with Ermey.) As an attempt at a "realistic" post-"Apocalypse" and pre-"Platoon" Vietnam movie, this movie does provide some useful moments and insights for the study of film, but is largely devoid of any persistent meaning in and of itself.

Anyone who thinks this flick accurately represents the Marine Corps just shows he knows nothing about the Marines. The guy who compared the boot camp scenes to his Air Force boot camp simply confirms that. Marine boot camp is to Air Force boot camp what the Green Bay Packers are to peewee league football. (Yes, I'm a Marine, so I know what I'm talking about.) This movie SUCKS and is fake beyond belief. The Marines portrayed are confused, sniveling cowards. Their leaders can't lead and have no idea what they're doing once under fire. This movie is an insult to everyone who ever wore the Marine uniform.

The Boys in Company C (1978) was a movie that follows the recruits from Company C. Golden Harvest known for their Bruce Lee films and Jackie Chan productions made several films that were targeted for a world wide audience. One of them was this film. A very good film about the war in Viet-Nam that's is sadly over looked by other films such as Apocalypse Now, Platoon and Full Metal Jacket. Shot in the Phillipines and filled with many minor stars (with the exception of the great R. Lee Ermey) this one has an aura of realism (i.e the real Drill Instructors and boot camp scenes). I liked this movie very much. Too bad it has never been restored to it's original wide screen aspect for maximum entertainment. If this were available on D.V.D. I would call this one a keeper. Highly recommended.

An interesting war film that is mostly overlooked by Full Metal Jacket fans. Stan Shaw gives a good performance that when I which makes me wonder we he hasn't had a bigger career. This movie shares the soccer connection with the Caine/Stallone movie "Victory" (1981/I). I actually think the soccer scenes were better done in Company C. Nonetheless this movie is an interesting choice which any war movie buff should not miss...

I loved it, and guess having been a soldier, I got the humor of it. Everyone compares it to "Full Metal Jacket" but "Three Kings" reminded me more of it. I have to have this one in my DVD collection. I was told that it was done and released as a very limited number.

This is absolutely the worst, most distorted movie on Vietnam. The script had no relevance to reality in terms of training or Vietnam combat. I know--I was an Army infantryman in that war in 1967-68. This is an insult to my brother Marine infantrymen, and the producers, director and actors in this movie owe them an apology. Stan Shaw, as the "guy who will get the others home alive", but is primarily interested in shipping heroin home in the bodies of our honorable dead, is but one despicable character in this soap opera. There was obviously no military background among those that should have advised the scriptwriters and director. The drill instructor, Ermy, is actually a much decorated, multi-tour Vietnam Marine veteran and I am amazed he was even associated with this dismal affair. All the laudatory comments by other reviewers have to be based on either no combat experience of their own, and thus a dependence on the tripe that Hollywood continually hands out on this and most wars. You want even a taste of reality, see "Hamburger Hill" or "Saving Private Ryan".

This is easily far and away the BEST movie made about the war. It is very VERY realistic, yet also points out the absurdity of how the war was fought to keep Dow Chemical and Colt Firearms in business. I was there for 18 months and believed in what I was doing, but we were sold out by the Government and Big Business and were sacrificed for a nation that didn't care about us, or even want to know what we were doing, for the most part. It also shows how very different types of people can change in their attitudes, like how Tyrone goes over a mercenary type, and comes to like and even respect his fellow jar-heads and dislike his old way of thinking. All in all, it's a great flick, and when the He** is it coming out on DVD?????????????????????? My VHS copy is falling apart! C'mon, Hollywood, put out a GOOD film for a change!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!