I see two possibilities here:
1) Mark Steyn did not watch the same film that I watched.
2) Mark Steyn is an idiot.
Agreed. I thought it was a good film and is probably in my top 10.
We were Soldiers or Braveheart?
….Steyn has an unfair dissing of Braveheart
IMO, a variation of your second possibility, that Steyn is an idiot, seems most certain:
3) Steyn either left before the film was over, or doesn't understand warfare enough to offer a credible opinion of the historical event.
From the article: ...the 1st Batallion [sic] of the 7th Cavalry walked - or helicoptered - into an ambush and, despite being outnumbered five to one by the enemy, managed to extricate themselves.
As I recall, the 1st Battalion stood toe-to-toe against the larger enemy forces and fought until what was left of that enemy decided to save itself and disappeared.
"Managed to extricate themselves" my a$$. The 1st left the battlefield at its convenience and under no threat. (Much as we did after the Peace Accords.)
At least Steyn got it right in his final two sentences. "One of the reasons Colonel Moore wrote his book was to memorialize as individuals, as personalities, the men under his command. It's well worth reading."
What service, when, and where did he serve?
Sometimes a movie doesn’t connect. Or you have expectations that are not fulfilled. I’ve watched a movie & didn’t care for it much, & ended up seeing it a second time & appreciating it. Sometimes it’s just a mood.
But Mark Steyn definitely isn’t an idiot. :-)