Great Unit Tribute film

Rating: 9/10 (25 April 2006)

"Glory" is a fantastic movie, featuring devotion to a cause, your fellow man, one's self and ideals. Duty is foremost to men who will fight for not only their own freedom, but others. The cast is first rate, Matthew Broderick perfectly portrays the idealistic Colonel Shaw, Cary Elwes is excellent as Col. Shaw's friend and second in command, who knows when to rein in his friend, Morgan Freeman is, as usual, excellent as Sgt Major Rawlins and Denzel Washington brings fire to Tripp, a performance that won him a well deserved Oscar. Jhimy Kenedy is very good as sharp-shooting Pvt Shartes, and the excellent Andre Braugher is, of course, excellent as Shaw's friend, Thomas Searles, who grows as the film progresses. The action starts with the battle of Antietam, the bloodiest day of American history. Shaw is slightly wounded and stunned. After the battle, he meets John Rawlins who is a gravedigger. Shaw goes back to Massachusetts where he is offered the command of the 54th Mass regiment, a "Colored" unit. Overcoming his and Forbes's doubts they begin to form their command. They bring in Sgt Major Mulcahy (John Finn in a fine performance) to whip the recruits into a fighting unit. He also literally whips Tripp, after he's arrested for desertion. The troops learn that they won't get full pay and tear up their pay slips rather than accept the lower pay. They receive their rifles and uniforms and are assigned to a sadistic and crooked General in South Carolina, but they don't really fight, just terrorize defenseless civilians, while the general and his colonel double deal and loot the surrounding area. Shaw and Forbes confront the crooks and get the 54th transferred to a combat command. They go into the line and are bloodied but hold their ground, turning back two Confederate attacks. Their next assignment is to attack Fort Wagner, a coastal fort. The 54th charges across the beach, but are halted before the defenses and wait under fire for darkness to continue their assault. The fort is well set up for repelling attacks and they get to a moat, where they're again stopped. Shaw gets up and starts up the embankment only to be shot, Tripp picks up the flag and follows, but he's also killed. The rest of the 54th surges forward and gains ground, but comes upon Confederate cannon that blasts them into eternity. The epilogue tells us that all the attackers suffered huge losses, and the fort was never taken. "Glory" is a unit tribute, like "Go For Broke", "The Fighting 69th" or "Battleground". Except for Shaw, the major characters are fictional. There's the wise old sarge, eager beaver klutz, tough guy who comes around, young sharp shooter who's never killed a man and the tough drill sergeant. Themen pull together into a unit, putting aside their differences for the greater good. In all aspects, this is a great movie, with great acting, cinematography and a score that's often heard on commercials and sometimes to advertise other films. If you're a Civil War buff, you've probably already seen it, if not, what are you waiting for?