Overall, A Very Solid Film.

Rating: 9/10 (4 January 2016)

It seems to me that 1989 was the year of racial equality. Check out all the hit movies that came out that year: Glory, Driving Miss Daisy, and Do The Right Thing. Even Black Rain, Lethal Weapon 2, Henry V and Casualties of War dealt with racial issues in some form or another. But perhaps it was Glory that paved the way for more movies of its kind for years to come.
Glory stars Matthew Broderick in a 100% serious role as real life Robert Gould Shaw. I had my doubts with Broderick playing the protagonist in such a serious film and, well, I was satisfied. Usually when people break typecast roles, their anomaly usually automatically comes out great. With Matthew Broderick, this did not apply. I didn't think he was bad, just satisfactory. It wasn't that Ferris Bueller was stuck in my head or anything like that. For one thing, Broderick constantly switches from an Irish accent to a regular American accent. What the hell? But other than that, he wasn't captivating or dominant and there was a medium level conviction. If somebody else played the role of Shaw, I likely would have placed Glory higher on my Best of 1989 list.
So Matthew Broderick is not A-1 in this, but that's fine. There are many other redeeming qualities. Glory takes place during the Civil War and is about Shaw who quickly moves up the ranks as a soldier and is assigned to train a pure-black army of slaves in battle. Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman are part of his squad and they lead a cast of equally talented lesser-knowns. This was Denzel's first Oscar win and it still remains one of his best performances. He steals every shot where he appears on screen.
Probably the biggest flack given to this was that it is not from the point of view from one of the black people. This was the first all-black American army troop and a white man is the protagonist. Yes, Shaw does not know what it was like to be a slave in those times, but having Shaw as the main character is good because he is so unused to the cruelty inflicted on his men. Shaw is the character that changes the most, because he first thinks that the men are being mistreated for valid reasons, when it is really exploitation. The regular side of the coin really gets a chance to see how he and his people are and how he must change. He is scared about making the change, but knows it is the right thing to do.
Every good war movie needs to have great action, and that is exactly what Glory delivers, all the way through to its shocking ending. What I also liked was how much overall chemistry there was and how much the plot moved forward. The movie actually starts off a bit slow, but it keeps a constant pace of getting better and more rich. Maybe I will think more of this the next time I watch it.
3.5/4