The "Gardens of Stone" in the title refers to a military cemetery...and the film is set in a unit outisde of Washington, DC whose job it is to provide military funerals. It's also set during the Vietnam War, so as these men serve domestically, their comrades are being killed and returned to them for burial.
One of the sergeants, Hazard (James Caan), is having a crisis of faith. While he enjoys being in the Army and believes in it, he does not believe in the mission in Vietnam. After all, he served two tours of duty there and realizes that the war in unwinnable. This causes difficulties, as Hazard isn't completely quiet about his opinions...and he is trying to convince the young soldiers under his command that going to Vietnam is NOT a great idea. In particular, the son of an old friend is gung ho about going to serve in Vietnam...as Willow (D. B. Sweeney) is completely committed to the war and wishes he had been sent there instead of serving in the States.
I appreciate how the film addresses hyper-masculinity...and you see a lot of it through the course of the movie. The acting is excellent...which makes the story more convincing. The only problem is one that perplexes me...the ending is shown at the beginning of the film so you KNOW what ultimately must happen. I just don't understand that decision, as it really takes away from the overall impact of the story. Without this, I would have given this good film an even higher score.
One of the sergeants, Hazard (James Caan), is having a crisis of faith. While he enjoys being in the Army and believes in it, he does not believe in the mission in Vietnam. After all, he served two tours of duty there and realizes that the war in unwinnable. This causes difficulties, as Hazard isn't completely quiet about his opinions...and he is trying to convince the young soldiers under his command that going to Vietnam is NOT a great idea. In particular, the son of an old friend is gung ho about going to serve in Vietnam...as Willow (D. B. Sweeney) is completely committed to the war and wishes he had been sent there instead of serving in the States.
I appreciate how the film addresses hyper-masculinity...and you see a lot of it through the course of the movie. The acting is excellent...which makes the story more convincing. The only problem is one that perplexes me...the ending is shown at the beginning of the film so you KNOW what ultimately must happen. I just don't understand that decision, as it really takes away from the overall impact of the story. Without this, I would have given this good film an even higher score.