A sergeant must deal with his desires to save the lives of young soldiers being sent to Vietnam. Continuously denied the chance to teach the soldiers about his experiences, he settles for trying to help the son of an old army buddy.
There's a curious ambiguity in Coppola's feelings about the soldiers and their life.
– Hal Hinson,
Washington Post,
1 Jan 2000
fresh:
Francis Coppola's 1987 Vietnam meditation was his best film in a while, though it's still something less than satisfying.
– Pat Graham,
Chicago Reader,
1 Jan 2000
rotten:
A handsome but fragmentary film that can't decide which story to tell.
– Desson Thomson,
Washington Post,
1 Jan 2000
rotten:
The most important missing ingredient is Mr. Coppola.
– Vincent Canby,
New York Times,
20 May 2003
rotten:
Seems to take its name not so much from the Arlington Memorial Cemetery, where much of the action takes place, but from the stiffness of the characters it portrays.