A cathartic film with powerful performances and a spellbinding display of the devastation of war.

Rating: Null/10 (27 February 1999)

A stellar cast ignites one of Hollywood's most stunning motion picture epics ever created. GLORY is a masterpiece, a mesmerizing film that celebrates the triumph of the human spirit against all odds. This film also shows the meaningful integration of different racial backgrounds working together in unison. At the same time, GLORY displays the horrors of war seen through the eyes of a tough soldier. GLORY is a great Civil War epic film that is one of the finest achievements as a motion picture.
Colonel Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick) has been asked to take command of the 54th Boston Massachusetts Regiment. At age 23, Shaw is perhaps one of the youngest leaders around, but he has the heart and soul of an experienced General. In Shaw's mind though, he has remembered witnessing the senseless massacre of many of his fellow soldiers in a previous battle with the Confederates. Watching with his eyes, Shaw saw many of the Union troops fallen, either dead or dying.
Still planted in his mind about the burden he had to carry for a failed routine attack, Shaw must remember to train the new Regiment with high discipline and authority...for this is the first all African-American Union Squad.
Cary Elwes (THE PRINCESS BRIDE, ROBIN HOOD: MEN IN TIGHTS) is terrific as the Captain, assisting the young and determined men who will be troopers by the dawn of tomorrow. Denzel Washington (DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS, FALLEN) is a young, eager ex-slave who perhaps has a little bit too much alacrity. Morgan Freeman (DEEP IMPACT) is another new recruit who's very mature. He has also shown a lot of promise. However, as the men train with all their strength, they've sacrificed a lot...
Their test in willpower, performance, and skill will be put to the demanding high pressures of war as the 54th Regiment's main objective is to take into the Union side, the entire Fort Wagner located by Confederate territory. This war will be test whether these men can live up to the Union name in bravery...with their own lives and futures in jeopardy...
GLORY is a magnificent gem that for a change of pace, allows the viewer to experience the Civil War through the perspective of an African-American training and fighting on the Union side. GLORY focuses on the vigorous training these soldiers have to go through and how merciless many higher ranking Union officers can be themselves. As a film, GLORY teaches a lesson that racial boundaries continue to exist especially during the Civil War. However, many African-Americans refuse to give in to the racial discriminations which have been created in America. These people deserve plenty of credit for fighting for a cause to break down racial barriers in America. Their belief that "All men have been created equal" continues to hold true...
As well, GLORY emphasizes primarily on the Union side of the Civil War and how training for many of the soldiers can be as harsh as war itself. The fighting, the frustrations, and the terror these brave souls went through in pain have been well demonstrated. Unfortunately, many times, training intensely in war will bring out the best in these men's spirits.
This motion picture's other major attibute also concentrates on how Colonel Robert Gould Shaw debates among himself. He wonders whether he's doing a good job or not training the soldiers properly. He must also be secured with the fact that the Union soldiers will receive proper medical supplies, adequate food, clothing, and rest. Last, GLORY shows that many times, it is the most brutal of situations in war that brings out the valor hidden within the soldier. Here, in GLORY, the audience can also understand the last moments the soldiers have the chance to celebrate before going off to war tomorrow.
GLORY is a triumphant attainment. Solid performances, powerful images of violence and hope, and the imagery of bonding, the thrill of victory, as well as the agony of losing in defeat all add up to a captivating motion picture. It is both graphically violent (capturing the echoing screams of dying soldiers) but this film also conveys a message to fight only for what is morally right.
RATING: **** out of ****.