Stogie-chomping career soldier Maj. Asa Barker (Burt Lancaster) is assigned to defend an insignificant outpost with a handful of raw recruits and South Vietnamese militia. Barker follows orders despite serious misgivings -- only to see his worst fears realized. Director Ted Post's moving war drama based on Daniel Ford's novel Incident at Muc Wa realistically conveys the uncertainty, corruption and valor of the Vietnam War.