A Bright Shining Lie Page #2

- We will attack here...

and here.

Shouldn't we bring a team

around behind the village

- to cut off any retreat to the mountains?

- Yes, yes, but, er, all in good time, Colonel.

Shall we, er, commence battle?

Let's go.

- Er, Colonel, I thought we fight better together.

- Yeah.

No, no. We must command from here.

This is where I fight many battle.

Gee, Colonel, that's not how I do things.

Colonel, please, join me, by my side.

Tiger Centre, we're approaching

Than Bin, over.

- Sir, we should cut off their retreat now.

- Patience, Colonel, we must not hurry.

(Man speaking Vietnamese)

Tiger Centre approaching from south,

appears to be movement up ahead. Over.

(Gunfire, cries)

One man down, repeat,

one man down. Over.

- Hold the advance, I send helicopter now.

- I'll take care of that.

Colonel Vann!

Hold the advance.

I will send a helicopter to you now.

Do not advance. Repeat, do not advance.

OK, Frank, I've got a chopper,

I'm on my way.

What's your situation? Over.

John, we got one ARVN soldier

with a leg wound. He's stabilised. Over.

- Roger that, Frank.

- John, my hands are tied here.

The enemy's getting out the back door.

(John) I'll come from the south,

cut off their escape route,

see if I can't put a scare in them. Over.

(Speaking Vietnamese)

(Pilot) I see 'em.

I see one, two, three, four hostiles.

- Go lower, circle around fast.

- Roger that.

(John) Get down low behind them,

by that tree line.

Don't let them get away. Go lower.

(Pilot) There they are, there they are.

We're coming in behind them.

(Pilot) Get in with the chopper, men.

(John) Hold it, stay on the deck.

(Pilot) Great shooting.

(John) Let's go.

(Pilot) Outstanding, sir, outstanding.

(John) All right, let's get after the rest.

(John) Looks like we got

a reception committee.

(Pilot whistles) We got prisoners here, let's go.

This is no good, Colonel.

I am in charge, you hear? I am in charge.

Your plan worked, you've killed

the Communist recruiter. Congratulations.

Good work. I will radio headquarters

that Than Bin has been cleared.

- Very good.

- Man, look at the scars on this old guy.

They gotta be years old.

This man was a warrior.

Probably been fighting all his life.

The Japs, the French, now us.

In recognition of his outstanding victory

at Than Bin,

President Diem has awarded Colonel Cao

the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry.

We are honoured to have

his sister-in-law, Madame Nhu,

who will make the presentation. Madame.

I am so proud of Colonel Cao.

(Applause)

I hope he will kill many, many more

of these Communist traitors

and together, we will... kill them all.

(Applause)

- That's one tough lady.

- Yeah?

- I heard the men aren't so tough.

- Bullshit.

There's been talk

that Diem's men are unwilling to fight.

These men are kicking the Vietcong's ass.

All we're doing is supplying intelligence

and logistics, right, Major?

- Yes, sir.

- (Man) Madame Nhu, photograph.

(Man) Madame Nhu, this way.

(Second man) Right here, sir.

- Thank you very much.

- General, move in, please.

(Speaking Vietnamese)

Excuse me.

Do any of you ladies speak English?

- We all speak English.

- Oh, you're students at this school?

- They are students. I am the teacher.

- You're the teacher?

Well, I hope this is my lucky day.

I need a good translator

and, well, I'd be honoured if you'd help me.

(Woman laughs)

Soon I must go.

Do you still want me to translate?

Yes, I do.

Would you read the last entry?

"The Americans are here.

"They have brought tanks and helicopters.

"The young men are afraid

"but I tell them do not fear

because the Americans are huang phi."

Huang phi, it's a word that means soft.

Well, actually...

decadent. Do you understand?

"They can never win because they use only

those of our people who are also huang phi.

"The peasants are with us

because they hate the huang phi."

What do you believe?

Oh, I'm not interested in politics, Mr Vann.

What are you interested in?

My school.

I enjoy it.

You know, it allows me to decide my own life

and that's a very rare thing for a woman here.

I have to say this.

I think you're one of the most

beautiful women I've ever seen.

You did not bring me here

to translate, did you?

(John)... immediate kill, he disables

his enemy, then he kills him.

OK. Again.

(Burnett) These men

are kicking the Vietcong's ass.

It wasn't so much a lie as something

he knew he could make happen.

- Here he is, tiger of the delta.

- Colonel Vann.

Congratulations, commander.

Beautiful medal. I must have a photo.

(Burnett) Vann would charm, coax, cajole,

anything to rally the South Vietnamese.

At first it worked.

By God, the best US Vietnamese team

for fighting Communists.

(Broadcaster) American advisors

work to bring the level of training

and combat readiness of these forces

as high as possible.

Superior equipment and mobility

are used to full advantage

to carry the fight to the enemy, swiftly,

wherever his presence becomes known.

The Vietnamese soldier

is quick to grasp the techniques involved

in copter-born counteraction

to guerrilla raids on villages,

and he uses his new knowledge well.

(Speaks Vietnamese)

Colonel Cao, what is the mission?

- We are mounting an assault on Than Bin.

- Than Bin? We've already cleared Than Bin.

No, no, we must cleanse the village thoroughly.

- This is ridiculous.

- Colonel, please.

You have to understand,

I must follow the order of my president.

If I do not, then my family is in danger.

- He has told me no casualty.

- But you are at war with the Vietcong.

You want us to fight the Vietcong,

so we fight them.

My president needs your money

and your guns, because he has many enemy.

Thing are not as simple as in America.

Jesus H Christ. We're eyeball to eyeball

with the Communists all over the world

and these guys are out shooting rabbits.

"General Giap's instruction

for us to steal back the rice

"on behalf of the peasants

has paid great dividends."

This General Giap is a very clever man.

Tell me about your wife.

We're separated.

What does that mean?

Well...

It means that she lives on one side

of the ocean, and... I live on the other.

(Woman speaking Vietnamese on radio)

The Russians are taking

the missiles out of Cuba.

Ha! I knew it.

These are dangerous times, John.

But they're exciting times, Lee,

exciting times.

(Helicopter overhead)

Saigon Command has located

the enemy's radio transmitter here at Ap Bac.

We will land the first airborne force here

and the second here.

Advance here and here

and capture the objective.

I have to brief my men, Colonel.

(Man speaking Vietnamese)

All right, here's the drill.

Frank, I want you take the lead armoured.

Ron, take the first chopper.

I'm going in the spotter plane.

- What about Cao?

- The hell with him.

I'm gonna check this one out for myself.

Go.

(lnstructions called out in Vietnamese)

(John over radio) We're coming up

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes