Jarkko Voutilainen

It is a masterpiece in cinematography and editing. The style of the documentary is extremely well done, but the problem why I can't give 5 stars is in the one sidedness of this documentary and much poorly researched information that has been debunked decades ago, yet still presented here as the truth. Saigon and it's leaders are depicted as corrupt and inept leaders, but nothing is really shown about the north Vietnams system, which was much more corrupt and violent, insofar that no one could even protest or speak against their regime. This is taken with face value as showing how the north had a staunch support, even though it was a red fascist regime, in every way worse than Saigon regime, and only way it could survive and continue it's war against the south was due to it's endless support from the soviets and the red China. Also the years 68-73 are covered like if not much had changed under the leadership of Abrams, even though Lewis Sorley has extensively documented in his book A better war, how this was the time when the US completely dominated the space and secured south so well, that their cities were safer than New York. This new strategy secured south and decimated the north and the Vietcong, making them incapable to harass the local population, but this is not really apparent from this document. The document almost completely whitewashes the final outcome and how it was exclusively a democrat betrayal that handed over the victory back to the communists, it tries to lay the blame on everything else, except the democrat super majority in the congress, that caused this betrayal, which sealed the fate of the much more powerful south, once they lost all the support and their ability to rearm themselves against the constant soviet flow of weapons in the south. Neither does this series make it known that the anti war movement was actually very small in comparison to those who did support the war, that the anti war movement lost it's steam once draft was ended, even though war still continued, showing that it was cowardice, not high ideals that motivated the movement. This document does show amazing combat and bombing footage and has interesting stories told, but it seems to be working as an anti American propaganda in behalf of the communists. It is a shame that it does not cover American's very deeply, it mostly uses the old myths reinforced now with steroids, while much more and better material is now available about this war, that could have made this documentary much more balanced and fair to the Americans and especially for Diem, Thieu and the ARVEN, now it only repeats the communist talking points and anti war propaganda, leaving any one, who already knows a bit about this war, annoyed and disappointed that much new insight was not possible to be acquired from this 16 hours of repetition of old flawed views. But it is made really well regardless.