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Reviews
Walker, Texas Ranger (1993)
A Great Action TV Series
I enjoyed 'Walker, Texas Ranger' for two reasons. First, as a student of karate Chuck Norris was one of my heroes. As a six time world champion he was a legend among American karate enthusiasts. I read his book 'Winning Tournament Karate' over and over again.
Second, the series is reminiscent of the old TV westerns which I also grew up watching. It revived the kind of action and characters seen on 'Gunsmoke' only set in modern times. In an age where the antihero has become popular it is refreshing to see the good guys as just plain good guys.
This is the last season for the series and I will miss it. Hats off to Chuck Norris for his accomplishments as a champion, instructor and actor. As for the show, the fact that it has been around for eight seasons speaks for itself. I look forward to watching the reruns.
The Green Berets (1968)
It depends on who you ask.
"The Green Berets" clearly follows the genre of war movies for which John Wayne is famous. While the movie is purely an action adventure it nevertheless has its merits. It does not depict the horrors and suffering of war but it does inspire through the heroism of its characters. It makes the same kind of social and political statement that John Wayne's World War II movies make. Many people pan the picture as simply a piece of propaganda but there is always a place for such films. We forget that stories and movies such as this inspire a sense of courage, duty and patriotism. When the movie was released the green beret had taken a seat next to the coon skin cap and cowboy hat. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt us as a society to have more heroes like those depicted in The Green Berets.
What was Vietnam truly like? I personally do not know but have learned that it always depends on who you ask. I have met a number of Vietnam veterans and each has a different story to tell. The Vietnamese soldier I am told was no better or worse than the American soldier. Those that look down on the Vietnamese soldiers probably looked down on the Vietnamese people as a whole. One former army ranger who served two tours of duty in Vietnam said they were some of the toughest soldiers he had ever seen. I have also read accounts that the elite units of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (rangers, paratroopers, marines) were indeed very courageous and fierce soldiers. As for the Vietcong and North Vietnamese, they were without a doubt brutal and cold blooded. As one posted comment noted "The Killing Fields" depicts the kind of cruelty that the Vietcong practiced. They were no different than the Khmer Rouge as a few Vietnamese I have met have told me.
One thing all Vietnam veterans have in common is a sense of frustration about how the war was fought. Why did we lose the Vietnam war? Perhaps because we never really fought to win.