The story of the first black regiment to fight for the North in the Civil War.

Rating: Null/10 (23 December 2003)

What I don't understand, watching 'Glory', is how military leaders can expect to win the war, or even battles, without forming a strategy for fighting. We see them marching, coming upon enemy troops, then firing until one retreats. Perhaps they really did have planning meetings before each actual conflict, like the one which ended this movie, however the director chose not to give us any glimpse of that and I think it was a mistake to film it that way.
However, that little picking of nits aside, 'Glory' is a fine film, and the main characters are very well portrayed by Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman, Cary Elwes, and Denzel Washington, who received the Oscar for his supporting role. It had to be set in the Civil War (1862 and 1863) and based on actual events, but it is not so much a story about the war as it is about a group of men feeling their worth, and a barely competent leader (Broderick) learning how to lead.
SPOILERS follow, please read no further.
The government wanted only a 'token' black regiment, one to work but not fight. They had difficulty even getting guns, shoes, and uniforms. Much of the story is their realizing they were fighting for themselves, not for the 'white man.' In the final scene, their leader volunteered them for the difficult task of leading a charge on a Union fort, hopefully paving the way for other troops to come in and clean up. The fort was never taken, their leader died as did most of the men. However their bravery resulted in 180,000 additional black troops fighting for the North and influencing the outcome of this Civil War. Great movie, presented nicely on DVD wth Dolby 5.1 sound.