Sandy Kenyon's review of Rory Kennedy's 'The Last Days of Vietnam'

NEW YORK (WABC) -- What can I say to get you to go see a documentary about events a generation ago?

How about if I tell you "Last Days of Vietnam" is one of the best movies of any kind I've seen this year?

Our last days in Vietnam" came almost 40 years ago - but they continue to haunt us because this was the first war the United States ever lost.

"My fascination with Vietnam stems in part from my family's involvement in Vietnam," said director Rory Kennedy.

Her father, the late Robert F. Kennedy, ran on an anti-war platform in 1968. "That is why he decided to run for president," Kennedy said.

But the power of her documentary stems from the way it focuses not on the policies of the U.S. government, but on the actions of a handful of heroes determined to break the rules and save lives as Vietnam fell.

"The north went into South Vietnam and it fell like a house of cards," she said.

In the confusion, those in South Vietnam who had helped the United States were at great risk until a makeshift - and illegal - evacuation was organized that saved tens of thousands of lives.

In these tales of ordinary men in extraordinary circumstances, Kennedy has given us one of the best films I've seen this year -- better in fact than most of what passes for drama in Hollywood.

"I think documentaries have evolved a lot in the last 20 years, particularly in the last 10 years, and I frankly think that they're a lot more entertaining than they used to be," said Kennedy.

The film is so good it deserves an Oscar nomination for best documentary.