John Wayne never changed, only the world around him did. The 1950s had produced a good amount of rambunctious and timely US patriotism around the Korean War, so why not churn out the same stuff 10–15 years later about the latest crusade against Communism? With uncompromising reactionary spirit and in downright epic bad taste, The Green Berets was the only spectacular Hollywood production made during the war that portrayed the operation in Vietnam directly, without veiling itself behind allegory.
Wayne’s second and final directorial is particularly interesting from a Finnish point of view, seeing as it’s loosely based on the activities of Larry Thornen alias Lauri Törni in the ranks of the US Special Forces. Unanimously panned by critics on release, the film now appears to be a dynamic and unmissable time-capsule for all friends of G.I. entertainment, who remain unimpressed by the American self-pity of á la The Deer Hunter and Coppola. (Petteri Kalliomäki)
Language: English, subtitles: Finnish and Swedish
Introduced by film archivist Petteri Kalliomäki (Finnish Arts and Culture Agency)