Gardens of Stone

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Gardens of Stone

R,

1987,

1h 52m,

Drama

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Watchlist

40%

15 Reviews

Tomatometer

55%

1,000+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

40%

Tomatometer

15 Reviews

55%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

Grizzled war veteran Sgt. Clell Hazard (James Caan) is disheartened when he is stationed as a guard in Arlington National Cemetery instead of an instructor of new recruits during the Vietnam War. When eager Pvt. Jackie Willow (D.B. Sweeney) is stationed under Hazard, the vet aims to educate the youth about war. Along with his old friend, Sgt. Maj. Goody Nelson (James Earl Jones), Hazard does his best to school Willow before he is deployed to Vietnam -- but both know that it may not be enough.

Henry Sheehan

Chicago Reader

May 10, 2022

2/4

Bereft of that core, Gardens of Stone drifts off into decoration that’s intricate and highly accomplished, but strictly ornamental...

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Variety Staff

Variety

Dec 11, 2007

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.

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Vincent Canby

New York Times

May 20, 2003

2/5

The most important missing ingredient is Mr. Coppola.

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Megan Fisher

Loud and Clear Reviews

Jan 11, 2025

Gardens of Stone lacks the narrative focus that it needs for its emotional punches to land, and so it ends up feeling stiff and heavy-handed.

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Cathy Burke

United Press International

Nov 8, 2016

For want of a timeless message on the horrors of war, Coppola does indeed tell a compelling story of one man's battle on the homefront. Caan gives a stunning performance after a five-year absence from the movie screen.

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Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

May 20, 2012

B

Subdued war drama on life on the home front during the Vietnam war.

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Nov 7, 2018

As a former service member, I am intrigued by the uniforms and how exact they were portrayed in this movie. Coppola is a real stickler for dress in his movies. I thought the movie was well done.

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Theodore P

Mar 19, 2017

This is a GREAT film! Not top 100 all time, but worthy of seeing, if only for it is possibly the ONLY film to deal with the Vietnam War specifically, as opposed to a film set during the Vietnam War. Both Angelica Houston is and James Caan play wonderfully real characters who sharply portray the deep emotional, ethical, and personal struggles over Vietnam as felt by the people alive and in those situations at the time. Both LOVE, their country, their institutions, and the people used and destroyed by the conflict. I must see for all who wish to understand the conflict. Best Scene - Promotion! Coppola gets the "old Army" regardless of his Vietnam experience. JE Jones is the SNCO we all wish we had met.

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Luke S

Feb 12, 2017

Slow, predictable, boring. All the big names in the world couldn't save this dog. This is your typical 1980s version of a Viet Nam police action movie. I have several relatives including my father and I never heard them tell any stories like this.

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Francis Ford Coppola

Director

James Caan

Sgt. Clell Hazard

Anjelica Huston

Samantha Davis

James Earl Jones

Sgt. Maj."Goody"Nelson

D.B. Sweeney

Jackie Willow

Dean Stockwell

Capt. Homer Thomas

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Synopsis

Grizzled war veteran Sgt. Clell Hazard (James Caan) is disheartened when he is stationed as a guard in Arlington National Cemetery instead of an instructor of new recruits during the Vietnam War. When eager Pvt. Jackie Willow (D.B. Sweeney) is stationed under Hazard, the vet aims to educate the youth about war. Along with his old friend, Sgt. Maj. Goody Nelson (James Earl Jones), Hazard does his best to school Willow before he is deployed to Vietnam -- but both know that it may not be enough.

Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Producer: Francis Ford Coppola, Michael I. Levy
Screenwriter: Ronald Bass
Production Co: TriStar Pictures, ML Delphi Premier Productions, Zoetrope Studios
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $4.4M
Runtime: 1h 52m
Sound Mix: Surround

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