compare with many war film that cover america involvement with vietnam and go tell the spartan do not set the world alight due to it very understated style and low scale resource and but because of center towards a steady character or situation drive story and it remain an thoughtfully harrowing and toughly grim account show that there be no hero and or anything to gain from this war . lead the way be the commanding presence of burt lancaster inspire performance bark out his dialogue and but hold a truly genuine rapport with his mainly unprepared soldier . he not in it for pride and a his know this isn not the place for it . vietnam and 1964. american force haven not be fully deploy into the vietnamese jungle yet and but major asa barker be assign to set up a barricade at an abandon post at muc wa ( where 10 year earlier 302 french soldier be massacre by the viet cong ) and but at his disposal be only a few american soldier and ragtag bunch of vietnamese volunteer soldier . soon make there presence know and the motley crew come up against overwhelm odds to hold the barricade . direct by ted post ( who noticeably helm clint eastwood in hang em high and magnum force . plus make the weird horror the baby ) and it tautly handle in very candid and no frills way . this forthrightly ground touch and lend it to have some almost tv like quality ( like the mechanical camera work and spotty editing ) but on the other hand it give it true grit and an imitate cloud that stamp in a realistically raw air . this mean the drama ( psychological or psychical ) while there ( and this be a fairly laborious and talkative film confront the issue of war and politics ) and be never overdone or overly milk and but still have enough kick to leave an impression . i read some complaint about it be flat or lacking emotion but i think it do enough question the naïve involvement ( doubt outweigh the for ) and the state of mind of their soldier ( look at misguided obligation ) . wendell mayes harden script ( who adapt the screenplay from daniel ford incident at muc wa ) be precisely stimulating in it text be it personal or tactical and but also work in be some welcome humor . outside of lancaster and there be solidly humane and rounded performance from the cast in the like of david clennon and jonathan goldsmith and joe unger and dennis howard and dennis howard and craig wasson and dolph sweet and james hong and marc singer . the literary be heavy and but the roughly rampage action ( intense firefights ) might only be minor and still it stag with excellent ferocity and alertness that it become like a disorienting blur ( definitely the night sequence ) amongst the harshly authentic surround terrain . you can feel it set itself up for a big one and and when it happen the you know what really hit the fan . despite the cheap origins go tell the spartan be an accomplished effort deserve a lot more merit and both meaningful and scathing without be pushy in it text and but also visuals .