Jardines de piedra

This is a great movie and it makes a very interesting pairing with Apocalypse Now to achieve Coppola's complete take on the Vietnam war. While Apocalypse Now was a surrealistic view of the front lines and insanity of war, Gardens of Stone is pulls no punches with a realistic portrayal of the home front, which presented its own type of warfare during Vietnam. As the other reviewers said, the acting is top notch throughout. Caan and Jones are perfect, but I disagree with the comments about Masterson and Huston. Theirs are key supporting roles and critical to the success of the movie. Huston is especially good in her scenes with Caan to bring the story full circle. This is an overlooked gem and highly recommended.

It's the military funeral of Jackie Willow (D.B. Sweeney) as he recounts his journey. It returns to Jackie's first day at Fort Myer which provides soldiers for Arlington National Cemetery and he's gungho to fight in Vietnam. He's the son of a friend of Sgt. Clell Hazard (James Caan) who tries to talk him out of Vietnam. He helps screw-up Wildman (Casey Siemaszko) from platoon Sgt. Flanagan (Laurence Fishburne). Sergeant Major Goody Nelson (James Earl Jones) and wife Betty Rae set up Hazard with anti-war Washington Post reporter Samantha Davis (Anjelica Huston). Pete Deveber (Elias Koteas) is a clerk and Homer Thomas (Dean Stockwell) is the commander. Jackie marries Rachel Feld (Mary Stuart Masterson), the daughter of a colonel.

Francis Ford Coppola revisits Vietnam with something less epic and more traditional. There are great actors. The thing I remember most is the story of the Vietcons fighting helicopters with arrows. This is certainly not as iconic as Apocalypse Now. It doesn't mean that it's not a worthwhile watch. For a war movie, this surprisingly has little war action. That's probably what throws most people off.

This is a very underrated movie and belongs up there with some of Francis Ford Coppola's best movies. The movie has a great cast that includes James Caan, Anjelica Huston, James Earl Jones, Dean Stockwell and several more people. Caan plays a solider who fought in Korea and Vietnam but is now in charge of Arlington national Cemetery and wants to train young soldiers going into Vietnam but is turned down. Huston is Caan's girlfriend and Jones is his friend who fought with him in Vietnam and now serves with him. Stockwell is the man in charge and D.B. Sweeney is a young soldier who can't wait to get to Vietnam. It's a really great movie that is one of Coppola's best films.

An excellent film. The subject matter is not one that I thought would hold my attention....but I was wrong. The characters in this movie will involve you in their lives, so be prepared to stay awhile. The writing is first-rate. But I was most impressed with the directorial abilities of Coppola....and here's the reason why: he reined in the actors so that they gave marvelous, realistic performances (James Caan and Dean Stockwell are not always the most subtle of performers - but here, they are perfect). There is one exception - Coppola allows Angelica Huston to shine, and brings her out to full advantage (what is the opposite of 'reining in?'). For all the actors to turn in such great portrayals says something about the director, I think.

Being a former drill instructor , I can testify to the fine portrayal of the lead character by Mr. Caan . The entire film is an excellent depiction of the dedicated military man , without the usual condemnation of the military in general , so often found in films made since the Viet Nam conflict . The acting , in general , is superb , making the characters believable and the story touching . It is certainly one of Mr. Caan's finest roles and he is accompanied by a terrific cast who contribute magnificently to the overall effectiveness of the story telling . I have seen this film a number of times and will continue to do so on a periodic basis , because of the subject matter and the acting in it. It is highly recommended !!!