One thing I am tired of seeing in Hollywood movies is their typical depiction of Vietnam vets. You know the drill - mentally scarred, unable to fit in society etc. I'm not saying NO Vietnam vets are like this, but in this movie, the message seems to be that ALL Vietnam vets are like this. This is despite statistics that show that most Vietnam vets are in good shape mentally and otherwise.
Still, this movie could have been an interesting look at an estranged father and son, but the movie disappoints here as well. The movie is slow and overlong, for one thing. The characters of the father and son don't meet until more than half of the movie is over! And when they do meet, there isn't much dialogue or soul-searching between them before the movie abruptly takes a page out of "Rambo" and has the characters dodging bullets.
Is there anything good about this movie? Well, I did think that John Lithgow did give a good performance. Ralph Macchio also tries hard, but since he has a lot less screen time than Lithgow, he doesn't get to do much.
Still, this movie could have been an interesting look at an estranged father and son, but the movie disappoints here as well. The movie is slow and overlong, for one thing. The characters of the father and son don't meet until more than half of the movie is over! And when they do meet, there isn't much dialogue or soul-searching between them before the movie abruptly takes a page out of "Rambo" and has the characters dodging bullets.
Is there anything good about this movie? Well, I did think that John Lithgow did give a good performance. Ralph Macchio also tries hard, but since he has a lot less screen time than Lithgow, he doesn't get to do much.