Adapted from the book "We Were Soldiers... and Young", by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore and Joseph Galloway, this film chronicles the first major engagement of the Vietnam War and the first test of a new concept in warfare, with cavalry using helicopters as 'horses', between the US Army and the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) in South Vietnam in 1966. The First Battalion of the Seventh Cavalry Regiment (Custer's regiment), First Air Cavalry Division is commanded by Moore.
This realistic, harrowing film graphically documents three days of intense fighting in which one third of the US battalion is killed, as are some 2,000 NVA soldiers. The excellent photography makes the audience feel part of the action, assailed by overwhelming odds as the US side is almost overrun, with fighting at very close quarters.
At one point the commander reflects on how Custer must have felt leading his men into slaughter, and wonders whether his battle will have the same ending. A mix of peacetime life and action, the film portrays Moore as a humane, religious family man doing his duty, and gives a glimpse from the NVA perspective. Not for everyone, but very well done.