A Bright Shining Lie

Bill Paxton commands the screen as Lt. Col. John Paul Vann, the flawed and conflicted subject of Neil Sheehan's Pulitzer Prize-winning book. The military funeral that begins this film sets the mournful and portentous mood that charts one man's odyssey through a decade of war. Vietnam, he crows, is "the war of the future" and "where guys like me get promoted. I'm going to fight my way to the top." As it turned out, Vann would fight hardest against his superiors as he became disillusioned with America's involvement in the war and spoke out to the press (a restrained Donal Logue--best-known for his MTV spots as the maniacal cabdriver--gives the best performance of his career as a New York Times reporter). A well-made film which will be of interest to readers of the book, A Bright Shining Lie also covers very familiar territory (Go Tell the Spartans, et al). While I'm not entirely convinced that we really need another film to tell us how America lost "its moral compass," this is still recommended, with reservations. (K. Lee Benson)