HOLLYWOOD - In or out of uniform, Mel Gibson seems comfortable in the thick of battle.Such war-themed epics as Gallipoli, The Year of Living Dangerously, Braveheart and The Patriot either earned Gibson sterling reviews or consolidated his status as one of Hollywood's reigning box office champions.
For his latest tour of duty, Gibson leads 400 baby-faced U.S. troops into Vietnam's so-called Valley of Death for a gory account of the first major clash between American and North Vietnamese forces. As with Black Hawk Down, the fact-based We Were Soldiers focuses on U.S. troops pinned down by the enemy. What differentiates the two is that We Were Soldiers devotes substantial time to the troops' family life--in a terribly clichéd manner, regrettably--while attempting to humanize the enemy.
Chris Klein, Greg Kinnear and a wonderfully laconic Sam Elliott serve under Gibson's command.
Director Randall Wallace also knows the horrors of war. He wrote Braveheart, which earned Gibson an Oscar for his direction, and last year's Pearl Harbor.
Gibson flopped with his previous excursion into Vietnam, but 1990's comedic Air America crash landed with $30.5 million simply because it never the reached the scathingly satirical heights of M*A*S*H.
His recent track record--eight $100 million hits in 10 years--should ensure that We Were Soldiers will overcome a combat-weary audience already subjected in recent months to Black Hawk Down, Behind Enemy Lines, Hart's War and No Man's Land. Given this glut of war films, We Were Soldiers should open and close somewhere between Braveheart ($12.9 million debut; $75.4 million total) and The Patriot ($22.4 million debut; $113.3 million).
We Were Soldiers should not face much of a direct threat from the Oscar-nominated Black Hawk Down and Hart's War. The Somalia-set Black Hawk Down has $102.1 million through Wednesday after six weeks in wide release, marking director Ridley Scott's third consecutive $100 million hit following Gladiator and Hannibal.
The verdict on Bruce Willis' Hart's War is one of disappointment. The gripping courtroom drama, set in a POW camp toward then end of World War Two, has managed to make a mere $16 million through Wednesday since opening Feb. 15.
Just in time for Lent comes 40 Days and 40 Nights, a sex comedy starring another Pearl Harbor veteran, Josh Hartnett. Actually, this is a comedy about abstinence. Distraught after being dumped by his girlfriend, Hartnett decides to refrain from sex for the aforementioned period of time. His vow results in a battle between the sexes, with Hartnett naturally falling love with Shannyn Sossamon before his 40 days are over.
Delayed by Miramax from its original Aug. 24 release, 40 Days and 40 Nights asks Hartnett to carry a film on his shoulders for the first time. He's enjoyed mixed success as an ensemble player. Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down and Halloween: H20 were hits, O, Here On Earth, Blow Dry and Town & Country were not.
40 Days and 40 Nights' R rating prohibits Hartnett from enjoying a possible hit on the scale of the tamer but similarly teen-targeted Shallow Hal and Never Been Kissed. With only the declining Super Troopers to compete against, 40 Days and 40 Nights looks set to open with $10 million on the strength of Hartnett's name, then splutter its way to $30 million.