BLU-RAY REVIEW

We Were Soldiers

Featured In Issue 112, September 2006

Picture3
Sound4
WSR Score5
Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
(Studio/Distributor):
Paramount Home Entertainment
(Catalog Number):
070424
(MPAA Rating):
R
(Rating Reason):
For sustained sequences of graphic war violence, and for language.
(Retail Price):
$29.95
(Disc Type):
Single Side, Dual Layer (HD-30)
(Widescreen Edition):
Yes
(Full Screen Edition):
No
(Running Time In Minutes):
138
(Color Type):
Color
(Chaptered/Scene Access):
Yes
(Closed Captioned):
Yes
(Regional Coding):
1
(Theatrical Year):
2002
(Theatrical Release):
Yes
(Direct-To-Video Release):
No
(Disc Release Date):
08/01/06
(THX® Digitally Mastered):
No
(Director):
Randall Wallace
(Screenplay/Written By):
(Story):
(Music):
(Director Of Photography):
(Production Designer):
(Visual Effects):
(Costume Designer):
(Editor):
(Supervising Sound Editors):
(Re-Recording Mixers):
(Executive Producers):
(Co-Producers):
(Producers):
(Academy Awards):
(Principal Photography):
(Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
(Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
(Disc Soundtrack):
Dolby Digital+ Surround EX, DTS-ES Discrete 6.1
(Theatrical Sound):
(Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
(DTS Bit Rate):
(Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
(Additional Languages):
(French Language):
(Spanish Language):
(Chinese Language):
(Subtitles):
(Cantonese Language):
(Mandarin Language):
(Japanese Language):
(Italian Language):
(German Language):
(Portuguese Language):

We Were Soldiers is a fact-based Vietnam War drama which follows Lt. Col. Hal Moore (Gibson) as he leads his men into what would be the first major battle of the war. Assigned to an area known to be overrun by North Vietnamese troops and nicknamed "The Valley of Death," Moore and his men find themselves contained and surrounded by the enemy. Facing heavy loss of life, heroism and bravery will bring these men together. Based upon the book We Were Soldiers Once...And Young by Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore (Retired) and Joseph L. Galloway. (Suzanne Hodges)

Includes audio commentary with Writer/Director Randall Wallace, a 26-minute behind-the-scenes featurette, 10 deleted scenes with optional commentary, the theatrical trailer, and previews.

Colors are well balanced in the 2.35:1 VC-1-encoded HD DVD picture, with deep reds and greens. While some scenes can look finely detailed, there are many that are poorly focused and occasionally smeared. Shadow delineation is not great, and blacks look downright milky. The result is an image that is very flat with little dimensionality. The picture really is not very good. (Danny Richelieu)

This is the first HD DVD to include a "5.1 EX Dolby® Digital Plus" encoding, but because the HD-XA1 does not include 6.1-channel analog out, and we do not yet have a reference processor that includes an HDMI input for audio, I was not able to evaluate the quality of the matrix center back surround channel. Because the DTS® ES™ encoding can be transmitted over S/PDIF, however, I could evaluate it. While the mix is quite good, fidelity can be limited, with a slightly thin presence. Dynamic range is fantastic and the timbre of various guns is delivered very well. The split surrounds play a very prominent role, and the discrete center surround of the DTS track is very welcome for the improved surround imaging, but the decreased fidelity of the DTS track is noticeable in a edgy ringing that is especially audible in the vocal range. (Danny Richelieu)