One of the ways I personally classify whether a documentary based on famous real-life events is good or not is whether I learn something new about it. For example, I didn't think the Robert McNamara movie, "The Fog of War" was good, because it just regurgitated things I already knew about Vietnam. Last Days in Vietnam, however, showed me new things that I didn't know about and found interesting. I won't list them all here, but the most fascinating thing for me (and they even had footage of it!), was all the South Vietnamese helicopters that landed on the aircraft carrier to leave the country, and because they couldn't store the helicopters anywhere, the military had to push them into the ocean so the next one could land.
As an American who grew up during this time, Vietnam is still a raw experience for many of us. It was refreshing to see how many Americans felt responsible for the South Vietnamese, and tried to get as many of them out of there. You never really hear very much about those kinds of stories.
Because of her family name, Rory Kennedy carries lots of baggage, mostly good, but some bad. However, along with the very personal documentary about her mother Ethel, she is proving to be very, very capable in this genre. I look forward to seeing more of her work in the future.
As an American who grew up during this time, Vietnam is still a raw experience for many of us. It was refreshing to see how many Americans felt responsible for the South Vietnamese, and tried to get as many of them out of there. You never really hear very much about those kinds of stories.
Because of her family name, Rory Kennedy carries lots of baggage, mostly good, but some bad. However, along with the very personal documentary about her mother Ethel, she is proving to be very, very capable in this genre. I look forward to seeing more of her work in the future.