johnp234

Like other reviewers, I was reminded of the "heroic" death of Pat Tillman. The misguided attempts of some in the armed forces to console the families, friends and country about the loss of a favorite son resonate deeply into the heartland.

Seeing this movie made in 1979 showcases how little we have learned from the lessons of Vietnam, or the Colin Powell doctrine (if you don't know it, Google it). What a rich and fortunate country we are that we can afford to throw away our best young men, over and over and over.

I lost 6 men from my squadron on February 11, 1971. Non-combat related, but dead just the same. Years later, Clyde's heartbroken daughter asked me why he had died. I had no answer for her, just as the Sam Waterston character has no answer for the Mullens. I still don't know. At the time, I didn't even know why I survived. I since have learned that lesson. It's so I can keep the memory of those 6 men alive, and remind others that they once walked among us, and are still loved by those who knew them.

Friendly Fire is not perfect, but it's good enough. See it. Reflect on it. Go out and change the world.

The only reason I don't give this documentary 10 stars is its poor production quality. The film's video and audio are not up to even the standards of 1981. That said, the focus on Basic Training of (female) Army recruits is presented unvarnished in all its cruel reality. (I underwent Basic in 1970, and it was pretty much the same).

Without explaining it in middle school terminology, the way so many modern movies and TV shows do, filmmaker Nick Broomfield lets the principals do the explaining with their actions and their own words. Many times, the hazing of the girls may seem excessive. It's not. The mission is to prepare these future soldiers to survive life and death confrontations, by learning to follow the orders of their superiors instantly and without question. Those who can't or won't are "encouraged" to leave, and they leave. This weeding out is necessary, to save them and their comrades in arms. It ain't beanbag, it's war they're being prepared for!

Finally, the last 2 minutes of this movie are an elegy for Sergeant Hill, the tough male drill instructor. A recruit asks him what effect the (Vietnam) war had on him, and in his plainspoken eloquence, he gives the lie to the glory of battle so exalted in speeches like Shakespeare's Henry V (the famous "Band of Brothers" monologue before Agincourt). His mourning for the death of his soul in the jungles of Vietnam is a moving as anything I've ever heard, and I've often wondered what became of him. And pay attention to the cadence the girls repeat over the closing credits. The hairs will stand up on your neck.