The best with the TOD series is actually not the level of realism...it is the acting one should appreciate. Small and grand scenes, both those with a high degree of realism ( like most combat scenes ) or those being grossly unrealistic ( like the knife killings of sentries, on both sides ) are excellently acted. The characters are highly credible, even in the most incredible scenes. Language, behaviour and mimics are simply top class. I would imagine that the acting could be enjoyed even if you are not interested in military history or war movies.
The one completely unrealistic feature of TOR is the actual numbers of "contacts" and the wide variety of events that the group gets into. Capturing high ranking NVA officers and female soldiers of the NVA, clearing out tunnel complexes and recapturing POWS, civic actions in Montagnard villages may all have happened during the war, but all those events with a single regular army unit? No way... As to the saving of Baker by his brother, apparently there was not one single POW with the Viet Cong or NVA saved by American forces in the entire war. The Baker saving was thus a fairy tale by all standards.
Again though, the performance of the actors, and with few exceptions, also the "makeup" and clothing/equipment in the scenes, is close to superb. The characters are dirty, torn and bloody when they should, clean, shaved and reasonably well patched when they reasonably should. The jungle can obviously not be mimicked perfectly, unless filming on the actual location, but is realistic enough.
The acting and realism in details by far outweighs some of the larger less logical or unrealistic scenes.
The one completely unrealistic feature of TOR is the actual numbers of "contacts" and the wide variety of events that the group gets into. Capturing high ranking NVA officers and female soldiers of the NVA, clearing out tunnel complexes and recapturing POWS, civic actions in Montagnard villages may all have happened during the war, but all those events with a single regular army unit? No way... As to the saving of Baker by his brother, apparently there was not one single POW with the Viet Cong or NVA saved by American forces in the entire war. The Baker saving was thus a fairy tale by all standards.
Again though, the performance of the actors, and with few exceptions, also the "makeup" and clothing/equipment in the scenes, is close to superb. The characters are dirty, torn and bloody when they should, clean, shaved and reasonably well patched when they reasonably should. The jungle can obviously not be mimicked perfectly, unless filming on the actual location, but is realistic enough.
The acting and realism in details by far outweighs some of the larger less logical or unrealistic scenes.