Hearts and Minds (by Brogan)

How ironic is it that I watch and subsequently review Hearts and Minds (a 1974 documentary about the Vietnam War) the very night before the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops (a first-person-shooter video game about special-ops soldiers in the Vietnam War)? Personally I feel there’s no way in hell our friends at Treyarch injected even a sliver of the pain, suffering and hardships of the people from both sides of the war into Black Ops. However, I can’t use this powerful film to attack a game I haven’t played yet.

This documentary depicts both the opinions of the Americans involved and the atrocities committed against the citizens of Vietnam. Ex-soldiers, enlisted soldiers, Vietnamese villagers, stock plus captured footage, and various other people are all shown as they are. Reactions are real, opinions are stated plainly, and above all, I felt I was the only one who really took sides. I felt all that was shown here was truth; there was a scene that a small part of me will never be able shake.

This one will be short. But I don’t think there’s a whole lot to say. There are themes expressed in Hearts and Minds that could easily be applied to today’s modern world.  All I can really say is, if you like documentaries, or better, if you have an opportunity to see this film, see it; and if you don’t have an opportunity to see this movie, make one. I won’t give Hearts and Minds a score, but whatever your “see it” threshold is, give it that score if you really want to.