Don't Cry, It's Only Thunder

This movie has been a personal favorite of mine almost since it was released, so I echo all of the positive reviews of this movie, especially the accuracy of the portrayal. The one negative review I saw was factually inaccurate and largely biased. Doubtful the reviewer ever served in the military; certainly not in Vietnam.

Mainly, I wanted to post this review to say that the movie is currently available on YouTube, and has been--almost since the time YouTube went public (can't say if it has been continuously available). In the early days of YouTube, it was posted in separate 10 minute segments, as evidently they had a time limit on videos (most still had dial-up modems at the time), but now is available as a complete movie.

I downloaded the movie from Y. T., so finally, after 35 years I have a personal copy. It made me very happy.

When I first saw this film I about fell out of my chair. Of all the films on Viet Nam, this one is the closest to my own experience during the war...I was trained as a medic, I was stationed near Tan Son Nhut, my unit was the same as the shoulder patch in the movie (USARV), and I worked closely with the orphanages in the Saigon area. The film was very accurate in costuming, the military lingo of the time, the depiction of the out-of-control black market, the lack of government support for the orphanages, the delayed booby trap of the hand grenade in the gas tank, and so on. I now have two copies of this film and there were about nine copies available on amazon.com the last time I checked. Only an independent co-production could have made such an accurate and controversial depiction of the rear area support environment of wartime Viet Nam. I know very few people, including Vietnam vets, who have seen this movie. The Philippines is an ideal place to shoot a Viet Nam film just as was Apocaplyse Now.

When Seeing This Film At The Tender Age Of 10 I Knew What Death And Dieing Were About. I Just Didn't Understand The Premise Of War And Why Children Needed To Die During The Course Of It. Saw It Almost 8 Years Later And Understood. It's Possibly The Greatest Movie Ever Made And I Personally Believe It Was Robert Englund's Best Role. YES Even Better Than The Nightmare Man Himself. When I Met Mr. Englund I Was The Only Person To Ever Mention This Movie. His Face LIT UP! He Said To Me, "Wow! You're The First Person To Mention THAT Movie! I Thought It Was Forgotten! Mr Englund, I Said, That Movie Is Possibly One Of The Best Tearjerkers Ever. NO WAY It's Being Forgotten! He Signed My Magazine And Was Willing To Talk To Me For A Little While Longer Than Everybody Else. But Like I Said...GREATEST 80s MOVIE!

I saw this theatrically and was very taken with the realism. I served in Vietnam and this hit me much harder than Apocalypse Now or The Deer Hunter. It has much more heart., Anyone who calls this formulaic and doesn't say the same of Apocalypse Now isn't paying attention. West Side Story is formulaic, but when well performed that doesn't matter. The acting in this film was spot on across the board. Dennis Christopher's scenes with the kids were extremely heart felt. If you can this I can't recommend it highly enough.

I read that this movie did so poorly in its first regional release, the filmmakers withdrew it and decided not to make any more movies (!) Which is a real shame, because it's a very good movie. Christopher gives an excellent performance as a soldier who may not be physically strong, but is strong in spirit. This and BREAKING AWAY show what a great actor he is, and it's a real shame that he's never gotten such a meaty role since.

A lot of the movie is fairly predictable (hero doesn't want to help at first, softens bit by bit, etc.), but it's believably done. The ending is a little sad, but also filled with the knowlege that the hero has triumped in a way.

You better go and rent it now - it's only been issued on video once in the early 80s, and the remaining copies are disappearing from video stores...