A Bright Shining Lie

1h 58min

Drama

War

TV Movie

Something in his past keeps career Army man John Paul Vann from advancing past colonel. He views being sent to Vietnam as part of the US military advisory force a stepping stone to promotion. However, he disagrees vocally (and on the record) with the way the war is being run and is forced to leave the military. Returning to Vietnam as a civilian working with the Army, he comes to despise some South Vietnamese officers while he takes charge of some of the U.S. forces and continues his liaisons with Vietnamese women.

Production Companies

HBO

Labrador Films

Cast

Bill Paxton

Bill Paxton

John Paul Vann
Amy Madigan

Amy Madigan

Mary Jane Vann
Donal Logue

Donal Logue

Steven Burnett
Robert John Burke

Robert John Burke

Frank Drummond
Ed Lauter

Ed Lauter

General Weyand
Kurtwood Smith

Kurtwood Smith

General Westmoreland
Eric Bogosian

Eric Bogosian

Doug Elders
James Rebhorn

James Rebhorn

Ambassador
Les Mau

Les Mau

Colonel Dinh
Todd Sible

Todd Sible

Jesse Vann (19 years old)
Harve Presnell

Harve Presnell

MACV General

Release date

30th May 1998

Status

Released

Spoken languages

English, Tiếng Việt