i found it very relavent to compare the situation in vietnam to the current situation in iraq. i think oliver stone did a great job in portraying the psuedo-insanity (and sometimes outright insanity) that comes with being a soldier in a chaotic war. and the cinematography just blows my mind again and again. every shot is perfectly filmed...and i agree, the original is better than the "directors cut". but the original is always better, anyway.