The Last P.O.W.? The Bobby Garwood Story (1993)

Sadly Over-hyped

Don't listen to the negative reviews

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Too bad some previous raters weren't privy to classified documents on this case. As a S.F. combat vet I know this case more than I'd like to. It's easy to wave the flag and condemn someone psychologically beaten who does things under duress for fear of (further) beatings or worse. He was no way like Jane (POS) Fonda. I was in that war & I support all vets in whatever billet they occupied. Even the presiding judge called the court martial a "long-reaching conspiracy." Bottom line is, we forgot him, he snuck a note to a neutral countries diplomat and when we were forced to take him back what better way to sweep our duplicity under the rug than to make him complicit with the enemy. More than ample anecdotal evidence exists to prove his story. As unpleasant as it may be to patriots, this is a sad case of a HS dropout suffering years at the hands of barbarians and returning home to (surprise) a country that had not supported the troops as in recent wars and the last thing it needed was someone proving he, along with hundreds more (as stated in numerous military, government & diplomatic witness testimony) were left to rot. So...make him the villain. Beat that drum loud & long enough & everyone will think the emperor has clothes on! Remember this: No matter how thin you slice it, there's ALWAYS two sides! I have seen the other side. It is so distasteful, I understand why our government chose to cut this guy lose to save face. They would open a can of worms that would rival Pandora's box. But...that's our government.....

There are many rumours and untruths spread by those who wish to hide the truth about that happened between POWs in Vietnam. It is likely that Bobbt Garwood was a scapegoat, to try to discredit his stories of dishonourable actions by American POWs. This is supported by independent information sites (try http://www.pownetwork.org/bios/g/g047.htm for further details). This is made all the more the case when one considers that he was the only person so charged. I think that this is a well-executed film and probably more truthful than other films of the genre. The people commenting on here probably condemned other classic films such as Platoon, Full Metal Jacket and Hamburger Hill. Just because the White House or Pentagon says it is true, does not make it so.

I read above at the other comments and notice all the scorn and contempt everyone throws on this movie. I saw it but remember very, very little. I would like to see it again with more of an unbiased eye. I mention also that I served 8 years in the Army during the Persian Gulf War and was honorably discharged. I see many of the comments portray Mr. Garwood as a traitor. I read the book written by him released after he came back to the states in 1979 and never have really known what happened over there. He has made mention of the fact that he was not the last to leave over there so are we to assume that there are still others being held? I would like to find this again to see and will hold off expressing any opinion concerning Garwood because I don't have a real accurate way of knowing what he did experience. torture? brain washing? or crossing over? We will never really know, but I hold no malice towards this man.

Sorry, but this cheesy T.V. movie was not the work of "Hollywood Liberals", far from it. Garwood, a fraud and con man, suckered the well meaning but foolish "Bring back The M.I.A.'s" movement, which cashed in on the vain hopes of many relatives of dead Vietnam soldiers. This T.V. movie was sold and promoted by those who had bought Garwood's tall tales because they included nonsenseabout MIA's he had supposedly seen still alive after the war. Over the years he was fully discredited, but for years and years the "Liberal Media(Ha) ate this kind of nonsense up. See Susan Katz Keating's "Prisoners Of Hope" for thewhole sad, shameful story. Zero out of ten.