Faith of My Fathers (2005)

the audience applauded

Good movie but grossly overrated

Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

United States Senator and Presidential Candidate John McCain's story about his five and half years in Vietnamese prison camp as a prisoner of war is told here. Most of the cast members are not well-known but they all play very well in this ensemble. The movie does it's best to show the brutality of war and the humanity that sometimes comes within. The actor who plays John McCain as the wounded soldier does a brilliant job in portraying him as a complex but likable fellow. The story offers a background regarding his complex relationship with John's father, a high ranking military man and the family's military history. We only see mother, Roberta, and hear her reaction that her son may not be coming home when his plane is shot at down. The same scene for his wife and the mother of his three children is also shown. We also see how he met his first wife, Carol. The five and half-years is well-documented as painful, violent, and inhumane at times but it built character in John to protect his squadron as well as remain behind rather than go home sooner than later. He couldn't bear to leave his men who became his friends behind. This movie is about politics but about a man's battle to survive with broken limbs but not a broken heart.

"Faith of My Fathers" tells the tale of Senator John McCain's survival as a POW in Vietnam under the harshest of circumstances. His arms and one leg broken in his shoot-down over Hanoi, McCain is stabbed, denied adequate medical treatment and eventually left for dead by his captors, saved only when two other American POWs, Bud Day (who later received the Medal of Honor for his heroism as a POW) and Norris Overly become his cellmates and minister to his injuries.McCain is later faced with a greater moral dilemma when the Vietnamese offer to release him just as his father, an admiral, is about to assume command of all the US forces in Vietnam. McCain sees it for the propaganda ploy that it is and refuses early release even though his injuries warranted him accepting it. He sticks it out for three more years before returning with honor.Despite some of the comments by others, I found Scott Glenn's performance as Admiral McCain quite good. Admiral McCain is a war hero himself and he has to balance his role as a father with his role as a military leader. Invariably Admiral McCain sacrifices his personal concerns for his son's safety in favor of his responsibility for all of the Americans in Vietnam. His sense of honor is as stout as his son's. Admiral McCain seeks no privileges for himself or his son despite his son's harrowing ordeal.The Obama camp can only hope that his movie, first broadcast in 2005, isn't run again and again during the on-going election in 2008. Nothing in Obama's life story begins to even compare to the heroism and character that McCain demonstrated in his life and which is depicted in this movie. People should watch it to get insight into this man who may become President.

Faithful biography depicting the life of Sen. John McCain as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War.Coming from a strict military family, McCain is able to weather the storm on confinement and brutality of the North Vietnamese during the conflict.A weak student at the academy, McCain is backed up by his father, a very good performance by Scott Glenn. Glenn portrays a totally dedicated military official who doesn't even shake an eyelid when he informed that his son has been captured.The torture chambers and the torture inflicted on McCain and others is well shown.McCain is definitely pictured as a hero in this film. He refused to be released if it meant having to participate in North Vietnamese propaganda.A very good story dealing with military honor, call to duty and undying patriotism by our men and women in uniform.

This movie covers the period time Sen. John McCain spent as a POW at the Hanoi Hilton during the Vietnam war. For those of you who enjoyed this movie but have not read the book I would strongly encourage you to do so.For those of you who have read the book and felt a little unsatisfied with the movie, I feel the same. Unless I missed it they left out Hanoi Jane's visit to the camp which is totally unacceptable. Also, McCain's theft of another persons washrag was not part of the movie.I'm glad a movie was made from this great book, but as is often the case, the movie is substantially inferior to the book.