Word of Honor

I read this book by Nelson DeMille in 1986. I just re-read this month. During my second read, I could not put the book down. Over 500 pages and I wished there were more. Unfortunately, the movie did not do the book justice. Don Johnson has great appeal but the other characters in the movie did not develop. A solid movie theater remake with someone like Mathew McConaughey or Ben Afleck would work well. It needs to be more than a 90 minute movie to be a hit

This is much more a man's movie with all the flashbacks of an episode in the Vietnam War. Don Johnson does an excellent job in the lead role and his son the same as a younger version of him. This should get his son many more offers of roles. I enjoyed it perhaps because of a chance to see once more the talent of Don Johnson in a good role. He has aged well since Nash Bridges. Good war remembrance movie, reminding us again how this war affected those involved, so many of them very young at the time.

I put off watching this movie for several years because it just didn't sound like something I'd like, and there have been so many badly-done Vietnam-remembrance movies. I didn't want to see one of my favorite actors (Don Johnson) in one. When the movie began I had no idea that Don's son Jesse plays him as a young soldier, and couldn't figure out where they'd found someone who looks EXACTLY like he did in his 20's to play his younger self!! Then the words "Jesse Johnson" flashed across the screen and I about dropped my glass of iced tea --Jesse's grown up! How time flies. So I settled in to watch with a critical eye. The younger Johnson played his part flawlessly, never over-acting, but very believable in very difficult circumstances. The movie shields the viewer from the truth quite well, I couldn't figure out what actually happened at all until it is revealed.

Don is characteristically excellent, but then I am admittedly biased. To me Mr. Johnson gets into the heart of his characters like few other American actors today. Through his soulful handling of the difficult character he plays the movie's message comes through loud and clear.

It would have been a stronger movie if the character playing Marcy had been stronger. Although many of us may have skeletons in the closet, she comes across as a bit of a screaming mimi and "why me?" character. If these characters had a good marriage before (reportedly, we don't see enough to judge IMHO), then her first reaction shouldn't have been to be defensive and and offensive by turns to her husband. It would have been better if we had seen a Marcy worth fighting for, as Ben Tyson claims that "his family is everything," and he struggles to put them first all the while he is fighting what is happening. There is a scene where you finally understand why & how important his family is to him, but to me it comes waaaaaay too late in the movie. A few more close-family scenes in the first hour, and a wife less shallow & selfish, would have gone further to me to establish what Ben Tyson actually had, and would have upped my rating by at least one point. This guy is fighting the battle of his life and trying to save his marriage at the same time, and you want to ask him why he doesn't just tell her off at some point. His son's character has more depth and is very believable.

All in all, an excellent movie worth a few repeat watches. It definitely leaves you with a few deep thoughts at the end, not the least of which is, "Who is Thucydides, anyway? Must check him out...."

This Don Johnson performance should show everyone who has been guilty of characterizing this man as more style than substance how wrong they have been!

The underrated Johnson gives a moving performance as Tyson, a man tortured by this horrendous incident from his past who tries to come to grips with it without hurting anyone around him. Breathtaking!

A very good TNT original movie made for TV. A former Army Lieutenant(Don Johnson) sees his world falling apart when allegations that his platoon slaughtered innocent civilians thirty years ago in a hospital massacre. Jeanne Tripplehorn plays the Army Major prosecutor. The defending attorney is played flawlessly by Arlin Howard. Also in the cast is Sharon Lawrence as the Lieutenant's lovely wife; John Heard as the platoon member "blowing the whistle" and Johnson's son Jesse plays the young Lieutenant in Vietnam. Good courtroom drama. Well worth watching. It's also nice seeing Johnson letting go of some of the ego. He is aging nicely and still can command a scene.