Zulus Thousands of Them

Rating: 9/10 (16 February 2012)

Zulu tells the tale of a battle that takes place at Rorke's Drift during the Anglo/Zulu war of 1879. A small British garrison is informed that the larger part of their regiment of 1,500 hundred men have been killed by a Zulu army of 40,000 warriors. Word quickly spreads that a large force of Zulus is heading toward the small hospital/trading post/garrison.
The two officers at the outpost Lt. Col Bromhead (Caine) a fancy lad from a family of officers and Lt. Col Chard (Baker) an engineer squabble over the best course of action for the garrison. With a brief amount of seniority in his favor Chard is in command and decides the best course of action is to defend the outpost. Retreat is viewed as impossible due to the wounded at the hospital and wide open area that would be the escape route. The personality clash and eventual mutual admiration between the two officers is some of Caine and Baker's best work.
Preparations are quickly made to prepare for the inevitable assault. Bags of grain, boxes of biscuits and boxes of tinned meat are stacked up as barricades. Every available man including many of the wounded from the hospital are placed at the defenses. When the attack begins it is clear the small force is vastly outnumbered. 160 British soldiers and local militia defend the outpost against 4000 Zulu warriors.
The 11 hour assault comes in wave after wave at the heavily outnumbered troops. The film has some great scenes of courage and bravery on both sides of the action. The scenes of battle are epic in scale despite the fact that the battle does not begin till about half way into the film and take place in a small area. The viewer will really feel the sense of being hopelessly out numbered and fear of being overrun and killed in a foreign land
The defense of hospital and the sub plot of the drunkard Pvt. Hook (Booth) soldiering when it matters most provide some of the best action scenes in the film. If you enjoy action packed war films this is a can't miss. At the conclusion of the film narrator Richard Burton describes how 11 Victoria's Crosses out of 1,344 all time were earned during this battle
Some critics bash this film a bit due to its lack of historical context and how the film takes some liberties with historical accuracy. Similarly, some will view this film through racist glasses. While the film does change some of the characters a bit, especially the character of Pvt. Hook who was actually a bit of teetotaler and not a drunk as portrayed in the film, overall it is a fairly accurate portrayal. It's important to remember that this is a film and not a documentary about the battle. While the Zulu's are the eventual losers in this battle the film portrays them fighting valiantly and they are presented as a fearsome and brave force to be reckoned with. Moreover, the film does question the rationale behind British colonialism and just what these soldiers were dying for.
In summation if you like war films this is a classic that should not be missed. Strong acting performances by many of the cast admirably demonstrate the heroism and loyalty of the soldiers to each other in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. This film is currently available for streaming on Netflix.