A strong, emotional historical drama...

Rating: 8/10 (9 June 2019)

"Glory" from 1989 is definitely a classic within the American civil war genre, right up alongside with "Gettysburg".
I just finished watching "Glory" for the third time since it was initially released, and the movie still manages to captivate and entertain me as much as it did the first time I sat down to watch it on VHS. For me, while I am not American, then there is just something fascinating and interesting about the American civil war and that whole era.
This is by no means an all-out-action movie set in the American civil war. No sir. This is more of a drama with elements of action thrown into it. And of course it is also heavy on the historical and documentary aspects. And director Edward Zwick really was making one amazing movie here, based on the writings of Kevin Jarre (doing the screenplay), Lincoln Kirstein and Peter Burchard (writing the book) and of course Robert Gould Shaw (whom wrote the original letters).
The build up of the movie is very riveting and captivating, and director Edward Zwick manages to put something on the screen that makes the audience feel like they are right there alongside with the Union soldiers of the 54th. There is a nice progression to the story, right up to the fatal assault on Fort Wagner.
Not only does "Glory" have a very entertaining storyline to tell, but the movie also have a lot of great actors on the cast list. First and foremost, you have a young Matthew Broderick in the lead. Now, I remember thinking that Broderick would never be up for such a task, given his comedy movies and such, back when I first saw "Glory". But wow, this movie definitely proves that Matthew Broderick is a skilled actor, and it is a wonder why "Glory" is not the movie his name is associated with in comparison to "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". Then there are also the likes of Denzel Washington, Cary Elwes, Morgan Freeman and Andre Braugher, whom all stood out prominently in the movie with ther individual performances.
"Glory" is a must watch movie if you have an interest in the American civil war and the historical events that took place during that era. Not only is it an entertaining movie, but it is also educational as well. This is definitely a classic movie. And if you haven't already seen this movie, then you need to do yourself a favor and jump at the chance if you get the chance to do so.