Summary

• War movies often prioritize entertainment and storytelling over historical accuracy, leading to criticism from experts.
• Some historical changes in movies are intentional for dramatic effect, while others are unintentional errors that slip through.
• Movies like "The Green Berets" and "Rambo: First Blood Part II" took a pro-American stance and depicted a simplified version of the complex Vietnam War.

Over the last several decades there have been many powerful Vietnam War movies that have highlighted the harrowing brutality of battle and the tragic cost of conflict, many of which have received criticism for accuracy or realism by experts. While war movies on the big screen can act as important reminders of the bloodshed and lives lost during conflicts, such as in Vietnam, sometimes entertainment or the narrative requirements of a story are placed above historical accuracy. In these instances, experts are often quick to point out what the filmmakers got wrong and what the real historical facts regarding an event were.

Some historical changes in movies were made intentionally by the filmmakers for dramatic effect with the understanding that viewers can tell the difference between fact and fiction, and that, while the film was based on a real conflict, not everything should be taken at face value. Other mistakes were less intentional, and despite the actors, directors, and writers’ best efforts toward realism, certain errors still managed to slip through the cracks. There are lots of reasons that Vietnam War movies get criticized by experts for accuracy or realism.

8 Apocalypse Now (1979)

Apocalypse Now diverted from true history for the sake of entertainment

While Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now has consistently ranked among the best war movies of all time, it failed to succeed when it came to historical accuracy. In a video from Insider, military history professor Bill Allison broke down how the iconic use of “Ride of the Valkyries” by incoming helicopters in Apocalypse Now may be effective on film, but it was not something that ever happened, although he did concede napalm has a distinctive smell, referencing the quote “I love the smell of napalm in the morning,” and gave the film five out of ten for historical accuracy.

7 The Deer Hunter (1978)

The Deer Hunter portrayed barbaric Russian roulette games there is no evidence ever happened

While The Deer Hunter did win Best Picture at the Academy Awards for its shocking portrayal of the Vietnam War and its devastating impact on veterans, The Deer Hunter failed to impress historians. One thing that military expert Bill Allison took issue with was the scene where POWs played Russian roulette. Allison stated there was “no evidence” that this occurred and that the way the Viet Cong were portrayed was “brutal, barbaric, incredibly racist.” Released just three years after the end of the Vietnam War, The Deer Hunter did little to humanize the Viet Cong.

6 The Green Berets (1968)

The Green Berets took a pro-American stand and ignored the complexities of the Vietnam War

One Vietnam War movie that was shockingly historically inaccurate was The Green Berets. More a pro-war, anti-communist story than a true depiction of the real conflict, this John Wayne film was released at the height of the Vietnam War and was widely viewed by experts as a piece of propaganda (via Slash Film.) A completely biased production, The Green Berets depicted the Americans as inherently good and the Viet Cong as completely evil. This was a dangerous way to portray such a complex conflict that was much more nuanced and ideological than shown in The Green Berets.

5 Platoon (1986)

Platoon was based on Oliver Stone’s real experiences in Vietnam and was more of a personal than historical document

While Oliver Stone’s Platoon has been praised for its commitment to historical accuracy, it still received criticism for an inaccurate depiction of the Vietnam invasion. An unflinchingly harsh look at the stark realities of war, Stone based the film on his personal experience serving a tour of duty in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968 which gives Platoon more credence as a personal . Not every moment of Platoon stood up to historical scrutiny. However, its depiction of the 25th Infantry Division, drug use among soldiers, and brutality towards Vietnamese villagers were unusually realistic for a Vietnam War movie.

4 Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)

Rambo: First Blood Part II had a premise about American POWs in Vietnam that was entirely fictional

The Sylvester Stallone sequel was completely destroyed by a realism expert who stated there was “no evidence at all” that Americans were held as POWs after the Vietnam conflict. This reality completely invalidated the movie from an historical perspective as the entire premise was Rambo returning to Vietnam and freeing those who had been in captivity. Military expert Bill Allison explained that Rambo: First Blood Part II perpetrated this longstanding myth, and he ranked the movie a zero out of ten for historical accuracy.

3 Missing in Action (1984)

Missing in Action depicted POWs in Vietnam when there was no evidence this ever occurred

Missing in Action, starring Chuck Norris, much like the Rambo series, was criticized for inaccurately portraying POWs being held captive in Vietnam after the war had ended. Missing in Action was slated by critics as a cheap Rambo rip-off that was described by Derek Adams of Time Out as “xenophobic, amateurish, and extraordinarily dull.” While the film itself received criticism for its quality, its concept too was flawed and was just another example of the myth of missing-in-action Vietnam War veterans being held captive that was widely believed at the time (via X Roads.)

The response to movies such as Missing in Action and Rambo: First Blood Part II, which depicted Veterans going back to Vietnam to rescue POWs, led to the United States Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs of 1991–93 (via IRP) which found “no compelling evidence that proves that any American remains alive in captivity in Southeast Asia.”

2 Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Full Metal Jacket did not shoot on location and instead reimagined London’s Docklands as a war zone

Full Metal Jacket

R

Drama

War

Cast

See All

• 
  Matthew Modine
• 
  Adam Baldwin
• 
  Vincent D'Onofrio
• 
  R. Lee Ermey

Release Date

July 10, 1987

Runtime

116 minutes

Director

Stanley Kubrick

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While Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket was an insightful exploration of conflict, masculinity, and war during the Vietnam conflict, it took certain liberties when it came to the truth. According to historian and Guardian contributor Alex von Tunzelmann, the first half of Full Metal Jacket must be commended for its “doubtless valid”, albeit fictional, depiction of Marines recruits and their difficult training requirements. The main historical inaccuracies stemmed from filming locations which, rather than taking place in Asia, were actually captured in London’s Docklands. Despite this, Tunzelmann called Full Metal Jacket “a well-researched historical picture.”

1 Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)

Good Morning, Vietnam was based on a real DJ, but most of the rest of the movie was a fictional

While Good Morning, Vietnam was inspired by the real DJ Adrian Cronauer who was stationed in Saigon during the Vietnam War, it was not a true story in the strictest sense. One expert who should know was Cronauer himself who, at the American Veterans Center's 2008 conference, stated Good Morning, Vietnam, had a lot of “Hollywood exaggeration and outright imagination” and that many of the events of the film did not happen. Despite this, Cronauer still loved the film (via CBR) and while it may not have been entirely accurate, it acted as a heartfelt tribute to a real man.

Sources: Insider, Slash Film, Time Out, X Roads, IRP, Guardian, American Veterans Center's 2008 conference, CBR