The Green Berets

Only John Wayne could have made a flag-waving film about the Vietnam War in which excitement and impressive battle scenes are the focus and moral ambiguity is nowhere to be found. Wayne--who codirected with Ray Kellogg, and whose Batjac Productions put the project together--stars as Col. Mike Kirby, the blood-and-guts commander of a regiment of battle-toughened Green Berets who courageously defend, lose, and then retake an important position. Later, Kirby leads a mission behind enemy lines to kidnap a Viet Cong general, educating reporter George Beckworth (David Janssen) in the importance of fighting communism along the way. Moreover, when Sgt. Petersen (Jim Hutton...