Looking back at some essential Vietnam War flicks

I was at the Moran Prairie Library tonight to give a short talk before the Get Lit! screening of “The Deer Hunter.” Unfortunately, due to the lack of publicity, only one guy showed up. Which didn’t bother me because then I didn’t have to do anything other than introduce myself and chat for a few minutes.

Then I got to go home. I wasn’t going to stick around because, 1, I’ve already seen “The Deer Hunter” more than once and, 2, I don’t particularly care for it. I’ve never been comfortable with films that use Vietnam to make an artistic statement, and that I think Cimino did.

But in preparing for my aborted talk, I looked at all the Vietnam films that I’ve seen over the years and made a list of the ones that I think are essential views. They are as follows.

“The Boys in Company C” (1977)

“Go Tell the Spartans” (1978)

“The Deer Hunter” (1978 … Hey, I said I didn’t care for it; I didn’t say that it wasn’t an important movie to see.)

“Coming Home” (1978)

“Apocalypse Now” (1979)

“Platoon” (1986)

“Full Metal Jacket” (1987)

“Good Morning, Vietnam” (1987)

“Hamburger Hill” (1987)

“The Hanoi Hilton” (1987)

“Casualties of War” (1989)

“Born on the Fourth of July” (1989)

“84C MoPic” (1989)

“Heaven and Earth” (1993)

“Apocalypse Now Redux” (2001, the extended director’s cut and one of the greatest films ever made)

“We Were Soldiers” (2002)

“Rescue Dawn” (2006)

Below : The greatest Vietnam War film of all, “Apocalypse Now.”