This was made in 1974 before the end of the Vietnam War and one can feel the tensions of that era in this documentary. There are many interviews with people – both for and against the war. What is special in this film is what comes from Vietnam itself – both the war footage and the interviews conducted there – most of them are very poignant and heart-rending. This is not an easy film to watch.Some of the Americans interviewed come off as veritable idiots. Despite the hard-ships that George Coker endured he is nothing more than a super-patriot. Westmoreland is simply callous – to think that this man was in charge of U.S. forces is frightening. Daniel Ellsberg, Clark Clifford and others are most forthright.But there are some simplistic aspects to this documentary. To intersperse scenes of an American football game with the Vietnam War footage is very questionable. All cultures worship sport and to idly suggest that there is a connection between sport and war is a rather odd and detracts from the seriousness of the documentary. There are other interludes like this where clips are shown from older movies.While it is true that American involvement began with the French in the 1950's - it was the Kennedy administration and particularly the Johnson administration where the real troop escalations began. Actually Eisenhower was very good at keeping the U.S. out of foreign entanglements in terms of sending American soldiers.But watch this really for the Vietnamese aspect – it is very charged.

I think the main purpose of this documentary is to show how Americans entered the Vietnam war with the wrong attitude. They felt it was like a game in which they had to be aggressive. Like in all other circumstances, Americans had this volition to "win the war no matter what." Nobody really understood the damage that was being done to the Vietnamese. Nobody really understood the trauma and chaos that was going on due to the vendetta among the Viet Cong from the North and the republicans from the South. In Vietnam, people lost their lives and were convicted for crimes just because they fought for peace. American GIs did nothing but treat the Vietnamese like irksome flies and bomb their fields like they were supposed to. This is a well taken documentary which in some cases can pass as propaganda (especially when they show football scenes, demonstrating American morale), but it is definitely a good piece of work, and gives us all something to think about.

There are certain events in a country's history that leaves a scar so painful, it cannot be forgotten. If there is such a scar with the United States, is has to be the Vietnam War. Even to this day, its shadow still looms. Many people are starting to say the occupation in Iraq is turning into another Vietnam. Regardless if this comparison is justified, there is not doubt the harrowing memories of Vietnam are still embedded within the American psyche. I just recently ran across 'Hearts and Minds' at a library. I have not heard of this before, but after watching it, I could not help but think how controversial it must have been for its time period. It was released just as the war was ending; America was split into half and many Americans began to develop a pessimistic view of their country. This film does not show the U.S. in a good light, in fact many people would still consider it an anti-American film. It is not surprising that such a film emerged from the Vietnam War. No other war in the country's history has created such bitter feelings, although Operation Iraqi Freedom is creeping closer.What is so powerful and memorable about 'Hearts and Minds' is its use of juxtaposing contradictions. One moment we see the immense suffering of both the North and South Vietnamese civilians. We see how their lives have been ruined and devastated by war. The next minute we see the cool indifference of the the American generals and soldiers. They do not see the Vietnamese as human beings; they see them as savages, primitives, and playthings. The Americans act like they are doing their job and do not realize the moral values at hand. It is shocking just how much racism existed within the military during this war. It makes me wonder if the same level of racism exists for the Iraq situation. Sadly, the same mentality is seen again and again. The idea of 'white man's burden' is prevalent throughout the film. The U.S. suffers from the winner's complex. The U.S. is the best and the rest of the world is sub-human.This mentality, as the film shows, is implanted at a very early age. The air force pilot who tells elementary school children that the Vietnamese are savages. The psychotic football coach who slaps this players on their helmets, yelling at them to "kill and win". It is frightening, but the Vietnam War showed that this is what this country has become. When a country is as rich and powerful as the U.S., all moral values can be put aside. How can this be stopped? 'Hearts and Minds' gives several clues. It show American soldiers who have been wounded both physically and psychologically by the war. It showed that even underneath the heartlessness, there exists still a heart. The human soul almost naturally knows what is right and wrong. It can reflect on what it has done and make a judgment. This film, although a little one-sided, is a must see. It is a must see because we are seeing another war that is becoming just like Vietnam.

The only fully honest movie or documentary I've seen on the Vietnam War. Several movies show the suffering of U.S. soldiers who fought or were wounded in Vietnam, or readily admit that the war effort was flawed - e.g., former Secretary of Defense Bob McNamara in "The Fog of War." But none that I know of tell us what was really behind the war and how it divided the country between the jingoist or conformist hawks and the people of conscience who could not support such a bloody Ne-colonial war of aggression - "aggression," not an honest "mistake" that our media portray. It showed the Vietnamese people in their humanity, patriotism, and incredible courage in the face of crucifixion by an utterly awesome U.S. war machine. Unfortunately, the documentary's message got lost or was never seen by millions of Americans who are still in denial about what Vietnam stood for - a denial that permits the kind of character assassination by the "swiftboat veterans" that may have cost John Kerry the election in 2004.