Word of Honor (2003)
Prompted by a just-published book that holds ex-lieutenant Ben Tyson accountable for a hushed-up massacre committed by his platoon in a Hue hospital 18 years before, the army recalls Tyson to stand trial for murder. Tyson, confronted by an army authority anxious to save its own face, an embarrassed federal government, and a threatened marriage, and entangled, furthermore, in his own past lives and present sense of guilt, must call on all his cleverness and his own inner toughness to fight his case.
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This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place
Just what I expected
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.
Don Johnson has a certain presence that makes him watchable in most of his projects. It's a sort of a gravitas combined with the cool alpha southern guy. He does not possess a huge range, as evidenced by this performance and most others, but in the final courtroom scene, he gives a fine emotional yet understated performance.I was convinced that this was going to be another movie depicting American soldiers as sadistic, maniacal murderers and rapists. It basically was, but Johnson's speech at the end balances things out with an interesting and original use of logic.He admits that his fellow soldiers did something terrible, but suggests that their acts were crimes of passion during an otherwise honorable period of service and subsequent honorable lifetimes.The only way the movie can exist is if we don't get to hear Johnson's account of the key event in Vietnam until the end of the movie. Everything hinged on this suspense. Therefore he awkwardly refuses to tell his own wife and kid what happened, and we don't hear him tell his own lawyer.One reviewer already mentioned that the key witness, a French nun, became black over the 30 year period since the war. She was a missionary, but perhaps we are supposed to assume that she went through a skin pigmentation darkening process. Michael Jackson was a missionary too.I usually love Jeanne Tripplehorn, but she was wooden in this one. I usually love John Heard too. I guess he was OK, but I really didn't get a feel for who the hell he was.More importantly, I still don't understand why the soldiers massacred everyone. I guess Johnson's speech about temporary insanity explains it. They were distraught over the deaths of their fellow soldiers and suspicious of everyone, they were fatigued, and they just lost it.There is one born again Christian in the adult version of the platoon whom we see when they reunite in D.C. But it would have been nice to see Don Johnson's character consult with a clergyman.Also, as one other reviewer cleverly mentioned, I saw no evidence that the Johnson character's marriage was so sacred. He tells his lawyer that his wife and kid are everything to him, but it seems like his wife is just a sexy blonde with whom he has a lukewarm relationship.This picture is slow, has low budget production values, is filled with clichés, and makes little sense. The Vietnam sequences are totally unrealistic and clichéd too. One soldier even says, "Don't die on me man," while he holds his bloodied friend. I've never heard that one before.Stay away from this stinker, unless you are a Johnson fan, or just have a penchant for anything to do with Vietnam. It includes Arliss Howard, a pleasing actor from the 80s as well.
Excellent movie . Don Johnson's outstanding performance is to be seen. The ending is a real surprise and demonstrates the depth of Don Johnson's character. His eloquent words in his defense about the men that served under him were tear inducing. It is a must-see. The weakest role appeared to me to be John Heard. The terror in young Don Johnson's eyes when in Vietnam was amazing. The scenes of the soldiers in Vietnam were so real I felt like I was there with them in the water etc.The dialog of Johnson's lawyer interrogating the witnesses was superb! I do not see the necessity of giving Sharon Lawrence such a "scandalous" past but it did demonstrate that for some people the past is is th past on not to be dwelled on because what counts is the present. See it now.
I had never heard of this movie but I'm a great fan of DeMille. I was totally blown away by Johnson's performance. He's way more believable than Sean Penn who always overacts. Johnson's performance is subtle even when he breaks down at the end. Great Great great. There's a great line in the film about the media being a giant conglomerate only interested in exploiting human tragedy for big bucks but calling it a search for truth.(Funny how apt this is with the NY Times looking into the adoption of Judge Roberts' kids) If this had been a feature film, I'm sure Johnson would have been nominated for an Oscar.The rest of the cast was so so but it doesn't make any difference. When Johnson is on the screen, the film is riveting. I also thought it was great that his son played him in the flashback scenes.
At least, as far as I'm concerned. *Some spoilers ahead.* Jesse Johnson was nicely cast as flashback-Tyson. Not only for his resemblance to Daddy Don! But, also, the sincerely promising potential he showed, as an actor, in general. What's more, I just loved the way they maintained the mystery behind older Tyson's silence, right up until the end. Whether they deserved it or not, he thought of his ex-platoon mates before himself. A feeling they obviously didn't think had to be mutual (the b******s)! In short, this is a five-star movie that does NOT make me regret missing certain portions of "Picking Up & Dropping Off," against which this was counter-programmed.