[3] The film is a mock documentary of a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (LRRP) mission during the Vietnam War.

The point of view is from a cameraman following a LRRP team on a five-day patrol deep in "Indian Country" (territory controlled by the North Vietnamese).

The cameraman is nicknamed "MoPic" by the team, because of his alphanumeric military occupational specialty, 84C20, Motion Picture Specialist.

[5][6] The film is one of the earlier examples of found footage, a style famously implemented by The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity.

It is a brave and original attempt to record nothing more or less than the actual daily experience of a unit on patrol, drawn out of the memories of men who were there.

I’ve never seen a combat movie that seemed this close to actual experience, to the kinds of hard lessons that soldiers are taught by their enemies.