there be spoiler base on the 1967 daniel ford novel incident at muc wa the movie go tell the spartan show how the u get slowly draw into the disastrous vietnam war in think it be both winnable and a noble cause when it fact and a history have show u and it be anything but . the film start in that fateful summer of 1964 when the u military have only an advisory involvement in help the south vietnamese government in it war against the insurgent communist vietcong and know a charlie to the gi and who be overrun the country . maj. asa barker and burt lancaster and who have serve his country in two previous war and wwii and korea and be in charge of a south vietnamese outpost in the mekong river delta that surround by hundred of vietcong irregular . the major be desperately short of both men and ammunition to hold off the vietcong who be try cut off his supply line and then overrun his weakly defend outpost . with the handful of men and both u gi and local rvn troop and at his disposable maj. barker know that it only a matter of time before the determined and tenacious vietcong will achieve their objective . the gi at the outpost be either green recruit and one be a draftee and or burn out veteran who and despite their superiority in air and fire power and be in no way any match for the seasoned battle harden vietcong . the one thing that both maj. barker and his vietnamese interpreter cowboy and even c. kim and know be that the fight be not only with the vietcong but most of the vietnamese population in that area who be not only sympathetic towards the enemy but be in fact the enemy vietcong itself . spoiler we get to see in the movie just how totally unprepared the u be in fight the war for the heart and mind of the vietnamese people in the person of both high and ethically mind lt. hamilton and joe unger and and cpl . courcey and craig wesson . it be their high mindedness and unlike maj. barker and cowboys pragmatic common sense and that lead to the disastrous result that be to soon follow in the movie . one of the best vietnam war film ever make and at the same time one of the most overlooked . the fact that go tell the spartan be make three year after the war end when the wound of the vietnam war be barley heal have the movie go amercan public in no mood to go see it . even though the film be about as accurate a a description of why and how we get involve in that disastrous war and against the sound advice of men like maj and barker and a any movie about the subject that ever be release . before and after the vietnam war end . burt lancaster love the script so much that he contribute $ 150 and 000 . 00 out of his own pocket to finance go tell the spartan when it budget run out with a couple day leave to be film . lancaster also disregard a serious knee injury he suffer in order for him to star in the movie which have him limp all throughout the film .