Faith of My Fathers

Basically a 2-hour film showing McCain getting abused as a POW. I learned nothing about McCain from this except that he was horribly abused. Even how or whether he stood up to it was deliberately left unclear. Or maybe I dozed off in the middle and missed it.

What's left out was his reaction, his growth, what he thought about during his time, and what he did when he got out that made him enter politics. In other words, the movie was totally lacking in merit. I gotta figure that McCain's book (on which the movie is based) had to provide all this detail but the producers had no interest in that aspect.

As for Scott Glenn, I cannot understand how he agreed to this role. There was no meat here for him to sink his teeth into. Anyone can play the role of a father that never shows his emotion. But the opportunity to go into his inner conflict between being a major leader of the Vietnam conflict and his son's confinement was dealt with in less than 1 minute of the film.

Acting from other players was similarly disappointing. For example, there was no in-depth struggle by the actors playing the soldiers who confessed for fear of more torture.

What a disappointment.

FAITH OF MY FATHERS tells the true story of John McCain's military service, capture, and imprisonment in Vietnam during the Vietnam war. Nearly all of this made-for-TV movie is shot with a hand-held camera bringing the drama in close and making it personal. The pacing is fine, although the commercial breaks tended to disrupt more than average. The acting was the highlight of this production. The unknown actor playing John McCain really captures his essence. About the only thing that did not work in FAITH OF MY FATHERS was the shower peeping scene. It was out of place and did not advance the story.

Interestingly, the conflict in FAITH OF MY FATHER -- Vietnam communists captors versus the American prisoners of war -- no longer holds water as Vietnam today is mostly known as being Asia's new shining tourist destination. All of the torture inflicted upon John McCain and his fellow servicemen was ultimately for naught. The heroic resistance of the American prisoners was also pointless.

As John McCain may run for President again, the war crimes depicted in FAITH OF MY FATHER connects to today's Iraqi prisoner abuse. Would a President John McCain, a torture victim of the Vietnam War, approve of the proxy torture and trained rape canines currently used against today's Iraqi war prisoners?

FAITH OF MY FATHER is a fitting companion piece to 1987's HANOI HILTON -- another drama focusing on the daily suffering, torture, and brutal treatment the American P.O.W.s in North Vietnam's Hoa Lo Prison. If I am not mistaken, John McCain was a technical adviser to HANOI HILTON. Very interesting.

Faithful biography depicting the life of Sen. John McCain as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War.

Coming from a strict military family, McCain is able to weather the storm on confinement and brutality of the North Vietnamese during the conflict.

A weak student at the academy, McCain is backed up by his father, a very good performance by Scott Glenn. Glenn portrays a totally dedicated military official who doesn't even shake an eyelid when he informed that his son has been captured.

The torture chambers and the torture inflicted on McCain and others is well shown.

McCain is definitely pictured as a hero in this film. He refused to be released if it meant having to participate in North Vietnamese propaganda.

A very good story dealing with military honor, call to duty and undying patriotism by our men and women in uniform.

This movie appeals to those viewers who are either military or related to a military member.

It is a story of what people endure at the hands of the enemy, regardless who that enemy is (reverse roles and you have the Iraqi prison scandal).

War is not sterile or "cool." The anger, frustration and hopelessness of those involved in its day to day actions is well expressed in this film. One commentator found fault with the Admiral's (Glenn's father) lack of emotion. As a seasoned military man, emotions are things which the professional soldier puts on hold until the issue at hand is resolved.

This story is NOT a warm and fuzzy. McCain endured for years what most people in the US could not endure for one week. We are quick to jump on the depiction of the events and criticize the story but those of us who HAVE served this country in times of conflict can only say that were the shoe on MY foot, would I have the temerity and fortitude to endure this torment? McCain, unlike the present Commander-In-Chief, IS a war hero and this film does justice to him, the US Military and the Code of Honor that upholds our military traditions.

This movie covers the period time Sen. John McCain spent as a POW at the Hanoi Hilton during the Vietnam war. For those of you who enjoyed this movie but have not read the book I would strongly encourage you to do so.

For those of you who have read the book and felt a little unsatisfied with the movie, I feel the same. Unless I missed it they left out Hanoi Jane's visit to the camp which is totally unacceptable. Also, McCain's theft of another persons washrag was not part of the movie.

I'm glad a movie was made from this great book, but as is often the case, the movie is substantially inferior to the book.