GurlyIamBeach
Instant Favorite.
Holstra
Boring, long, and too preachy.
Dynamixor
The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.
TxMike
Before I saw the movie I had read several comments that Don Johnson does a superb job here as the main character, Benjamin Tyson, a former Army Lt who now is a well-off oil business man in Dallas. In fact Johnson does deliver a very fine, convincing performance. But that came as no surprise to me, having seen his excellent performance in "The Hot Spot" in a totally different type of role.Here he has a pretty good life, a loving wife, a teen son, a high-paying job, and an upper class home. But something hits the news that comes back to haunt him, and as it develops might send him to prison. A former medic in his squad, John Heard as medical Dr. Steven Brandt, has a terminal illness and decides to tell all about an incident where many died and a hospital was burned down. In it he implicates Tyson, claiming it was he who ordered that everyone be shot and killed.Jeanne Tripplehorn is good as Maj. Karen Harper of the Judge Advocate office, and ends up being the one to prosecute the case.Sharon Lawrence is fine as Tyson's wife, Marcy McClure Tyson. The young Tyson in Viet Nam is played by Don Johnson's real-life son, Jesse Johnson. And Arliss Howard is very effective as J.D. Runnells, the attorney defending Tyson.SPOILERS: The movie's title is actually the central theme. The whole group of survivors has given their word to each other, what happened in Viet Nam was never to be discussed. Tyson planned to stick to that word of honor, even though what was being said was not true. In a flashback we learn that Tyson did not order everyone killed, in fact it was one of his men who stared shooting everyone, and to stop him Tyson killed that man, one of his own men. But Brandt had misbehaved in Viet Nam, and had actually raped a 12-year-old girl. That Tyson way back then had called him on it, Brandt was making these false accusations to get back at Tyson. The Army used a never-before invoked rule that allowed Tyson to be re-activated, since he was getting disability medical pay. So they were able to have a court marshal. In the end he was found guilty of murdering his own man, but his punishment was being discharged from the Army. No jail time.
MAC-16
I loved the book , hounded my friends to read it and looked forward to a movie being made from the story. After the poor job that was made with The General's Daughter (another DeMille novel) my enthusiasm waned a little and when I saw that Don Johnson was in the movie my enthusiasm waned even further.But the ratings given on IMDb and the comments left made me hopeful, after now seeing the film I have to wonder if it is members of the Johnson family who have voted here.The film has made a number of major changes to the story line and the casting of Don Johnson son to play the young Tyson is laughable, though not as laughable as the casting of the young and middle aged nun who not only grew old in the film but also changed ethnicity ! I was hugely let down with this movie and can only hope that it someone else will attempt to film it with a decent budget, a credible cast, a recognized director and a screen writer who doesn't move far from the original story.
Michael O'Keefe
A very good TNT original movie made for TV. A former Army Lieutenant(Don Johnson) sees his world falling apart when allegations that his platoon slaughtered innocent civilians thirty years ago in a hospital massacre. Jeanne Tripplehorn plays the Army Major prosecutor. The defending attorney is played flawlessly by Arlin Howard. Also in the cast is Sharon Lawrence as the Lieutenant's lovely wife; John Heard as the platoon member "blowing the whistle" and Johnson's son Jesse plays the young Lieutenant in Vietnam. Good courtroom drama. Well worth watching. It's also nice seeing Johnson letting go of some of the ego. He is aging nicely and still can command a scene.
MEEdmo42
This is much more a man's movie with all the flashbacks of an episode in the Vietnam War. Don Johnson does an excellent job in the lead role and his son the same as a younger version of him. This should get his son many more offers of roles. I enjoyed it perhaps because of a chance to see once more the talent of Don Johnson in a good role. He has aged well since Nash Bridges. Good war remembrance movie, reminding us again how this war affected those involved, so many of them very young at the time.
