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Hearts and Minds

Play trailer Poster for Hearts and Minds R Released Nov 17, 1975 1h 52m Documentary History Drama War Play Trailer Watchlist
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90% Tomatometer 42 Reviews 90% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Many times during his presidency, Lyndon B. Johnson said that ultimate victory in the Vietnam War depended upon the U.S. military winning the "hearts and minds" of the Vietnamese people. Filmmaker Peter Davis uses Johnson's phrase in an ironic context in this anti-war documentary, filmed and released while the Vietnam War was still under way, juxtaposing interviews with military figures like U.S. Army Chief of Staff William C. Westmoreland with shocking scenes of violence and brutality.

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Hearts and Minds

Hearts and Minds

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Critics Consensus

A powerful, unflinching exploration of the Vietnam War, with first-person stories from both sides of the conflict, Hearts and Minds still hits the mark decades after its release.

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Critics Reviews

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Matthew Leyland BBC.com Though you could accuse the film of being heavy-handed... it's impossible not to feel its punch to the gut. Rated: 4/5 Jun 11, 2020 Full Review Stefan Kanfer TIME Magazine Throughout, Hearts and Minds displays more than enough heart. It is mind that is missing. Feb 8, 2018 Full Review Mike D'Angelo AV Club A cry of despair made by a person whose viewpoint hadn't yet been soundly vindicated. Rated: B+ Jul 2, 2014 Full Review Rob Aldam Backseat Mafia Hearts and Minds is a difficult and powerful anti-war documentary which depicts horrific events as well as cataloguing equally disgusting attitudes. Sep 26, 2022 Full Review Jordan M. Smith IONCINEMA.com Hearts and Minds remains a brutal, eye opening piece that mixes 60s style direct cinema with honest and balanced interviews columnating in a work of activist non-fiction that falls unapologetically in the anti-war camp. Nov 4, 2020 Full Review John Simon Esquire Magazine The faces, intonations, backgrounds of Hearts and Minds -- even its small gestures and sometimes very long pauses -- speak as eloquently as its words. Feb 10, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Pro-Vietnamese propaganda piece and by no means a 'documentary'. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 09/20/24 Full Review s r A manipulative film, but still worth seeing for its historical worth. Saw on HBO. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member A fantastic documentary that chronicles US policy vis a vis the Vietnam war. Brilliant to be taken back in time to see what was driving people back then and to see the warped mess play out. Some severely brutal scenes that are hard to stomach but hit home hard about the truth of the horror perpetuated. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member Sem dúvidas, uma descrição objetiva e crua das atrocidades cometidas contra os vietnamitas na traumática Guerra do Vietnã. Entretanto, o documentário também destaca-se por abordar tanto o implacável imperialismo estadunidense quanto a alienação que impera absoluta nas forças armadas do Tio Sam e em grande parte da sociedade norte-americana - ainda que, claro, já existissem no país diversas organizações militares, políticas e sociais contrárias à carnificina no Vietnã. Grandes elogios para a montagem inteligente e habilidosa - que já deixa clara a posição do cineasta, sem a necessidade de uma narração em off - e para os variados e interessantes depoimentos das testemunhas, agentes e vítimas do conflito. Mas além do seu imensurável valor histórico, "Corações e Mentes" também nos lega a infeliz constatação de que o cenário militar estadunidense praticamente sofreu nenhuma mudança nos últimos tempos, mesmo depois de todos os estragos causados pelas bombas de napalm. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/10/23 Full Review Audience Member Hearts & Minds, released in 1974, was one of the first films about the Vietnam War to have an anti-war message. Before this, movies like The Green Berets were as pro-war as they could get. But then Hearts & Minds was released, and even though I wasn't alive then, I am sure that it changed alot of people's opinions about the war. The film consists mostly of interviews of soldiers, politicians, and Vietnamese civilians, and it shows how it affected their lives. Most of the interviews offer alot of insight into the war, especially with the injured soldiers, but there were a few interviews that didn't really have any purpose, and they could have been left out. The rest of the film consists of news footage of the war, and even though the footage is usually very brief, the imagery is very haunting. Is the film biased? Yes. Does that make the film bad? No. The film is very one-sided, but it came out during a time when that side didn't really have any support. Hearts & Minds is a great documentary, and it is a great example of anti-war film making, and because of that, it deserves to be watched. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie was an excellent documentary on the war in Vietnam. It is graphic, but it explains so much and tells us everything that happened to those poor people. Also the personal application of some of the soldiers added to the extreme chaos, and gives us a better understanding because they were there. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews
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Movie Info

Synopsis Many times during his presidency, Lyndon B. Johnson said that ultimate victory in the Vietnam War depended upon the U.S. military winning the "hearts and minds" of the Vietnamese people. Filmmaker Peter Davis uses Johnson's phrase in an ironic context in this anti-war documentary, filmed and released while the Vietnam War was still under way, juxtaposing interviews with military figures like U.S. Army Chief of Staff William C. Westmoreland with shocking scenes of violence and brutality.
Director
Peter Davis
Producer
Peter Davis, Bert Schneider
Distributor
Rialto Pictures
Production Co
BBS Productions, Rainbow Releasing
Rating
R
Genre
Documentary, History, Drama, War
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 17, 1975, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 15, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$28.3K
Runtime
1h 52m
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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