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Released
2002 · FILM

We Were Soldiers

A battle-scarred U.S. Army officer leads his battalion into a deadly ambush in the Ia Drang Valley, where they face a vastly superior North Vietnamese force in a harrowing clash that redefines the brutal reality of war.

“Father, Husband, Brother. No Man is Just a Soldier.”

Directed by
Randall Wallace, Randall Wallace Nm0908824
Written by
Harold G Moore, Joseph Lee Galloway
Rated
MPA · R
Runtime
138 min
ActionDramaHistory

Synopsis

In 1965, during the Vietnam War, the United States is engaged in combat with North Vietnam. Lt. Col. Hal Moore, portrayed by actor Mel Gibson, commands the air cavalry and is deeply committed to his soldiers. His mission is to lead an operation in the Ia Drang Valley, a location later known as "The Valley of Death." As Moore prepares for what will become one of the most intense battles in U.S. military history, he delivers a powerful message to his troops and their families: "I will leave no man behind...dead or alive. We will all come home together."

Credits

Actors
Editor
Production Designer
Director of Photography
Writers
Directors

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How many hands made this film

The scale of the collaboration

A crew of 286+ credited

Why a floor?

This is a minimum, not a total. We only count the credits we’ve captured so far, and coverage is uneven — a blockbuster might show a few hundred names while another of the same size shows a couple dozen. The real crews all ran into the thousands. The number here only grows as full credits are enriched — so we frame it as a floor, never a headcount.

Craft leads on file

Edited by William HoyShot by Dean SemlerScored by Nick Glennie SmithDesigned by Thomas E SandersSound by Lon BenderCostumes by Michael T Boyd

Box Office

2002 · Box office

⚖️ Fell short of break-even — grossed 1.5× its budget

Why 2.5×?

Cinemas keep roughly half of every ticket sold, and a wide release’s marketing often costs about as much again as the film — so a movie needs to gross around 2.5× its production budget just to break even theatrically. It’s a rule of thumb, not the studio’s ledger (home video and streaming come later).

Worldwide gross

$114.7M

Budget$75.0M
Worldwide gross$114.7M
break-even (2.5×)

US & Canada: $78.1M — 68% of worldwide · International: $36.5M (32%)

Opening weekend: $20.2M — 26% of its US run.

Opening week (7-day): $26.3M — 34% of its US & Canada run.

Peak 3,143 theaters

Full synopsis

Versions & cuts

  • TV· 124 min
  • cut· 126 min

Also known as

  • Wir waren Heldende
  • Nous étions soldatsfr
  • We Were Soldiers - Fino all'ultimo uomoit
  • (Bulgarian)Бяхме войници
Release dates around the world4 countries · show
  • United StatesFeb 25, 2002
  • CanadaMar 1, 2002
  • PhilippinesMar 6, 2002
  • United KingdomMar 8, 2002

Companies

ProductionIcon Entertainment International, Motion Picture Production GmbH & Co. Erste KG, StudioCanal

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