R. Lee Ermey excels in a rare above-the-title billing, playing a tough sergeant-major named Bill Hafner, fighting the war in Vietnam. The always lively Wings Hauser also shines as his sidekick, Corporal Joseph DiNardo. They and others must defend the title location from attacks by the Viet Cong, despite being vastly outnumbered and outgunned.
Despite having a respected cult filmmaker (Brian Trenchard-Smith, "Turkey Shoot") at the helm, "The Siege of Firebase Gloria" is a rather overlooked and under-valued Vietnam War epic, but hopefully being released on DVD and Blu-ray will gain it more exposure. Trenchard-Smith directs things in a very efficient, cut-to-the-chase fashion; there's no visual poetry or unnecessary stylistics on display. In fact, the director and his cast deserve credit for pulling absolutely no punches in showing the very worst aspects of war. Squeamish viewers may be dismayed by the level of graphic violence, but others will appreciate seeing a degree of realism here. Nothing is sugar-coated. We see decapitated heads on stakes, for one thing.
And yet, in the end, the story (Ermey and Trenchard-Smith are also credited with additional dialogue) makes a case for learning to respect ones' enemy. The main figure among the enemy is an officer named Cao Van (Robert Arevalo), yet he is not portrayed in a strictly one-dimensional manner. Not all the people our heroes are fighting are faceless bogeymen.
Excellent location shooting in the Philippines greatly helps matters, as well as a decent supporting cast. Other than, say, black character actor Albert Popwell, whom you may recognize from his many roles in Clint Eastwood pictures, there are very few real "known" actors here. John Calvin is memorable as a C.O. who's gone off the deep end. And try to spot martial artist Don "The Dragon" Wilson as one of the patrol members!
The picture offers opportunities to Ermey and Wings to really *act*; they're more than just cardboard tough guys, and they have some great scenes towards the end. Ermey also gets to narrate the proceedings.
Based on true events, "The Siege of Firebase Gloria" is a Vietnam war movie that does deserve to be better known.
Eight out of 10.
Despite having a respected cult filmmaker (Brian Trenchard-Smith, "Turkey Shoot") at the helm, "The Siege of Firebase Gloria" is a rather overlooked and under-valued Vietnam War epic, but hopefully being released on DVD and Blu-ray will gain it more exposure. Trenchard-Smith directs things in a very efficient, cut-to-the-chase fashion; there's no visual poetry or unnecessary stylistics on display. In fact, the director and his cast deserve credit for pulling absolutely no punches in showing the very worst aspects of war. Squeamish viewers may be dismayed by the level of graphic violence, but others will appreciate seeing a degree of realism here. Nothing is sugar-coated. We see decapitated heads on stakes, for one thing.
And yet, in the end, the story (Ermey and Trenchard-Smith are also credited with additional dialogue) makes a case for learning to respect ones' enemy. The main figure among the enemy is an officer named Cao Van (Robert Arevalo), yet he is not portrayed in a strictly one-dimensional manner. Not all the people our heroes are fighting are faceless bogeymen.
Excellent location shooting in the Philippines greatly helps matters, as well as a decent supporting cast. Other than, say, black character actor Albert Popwell, whom you may recognize from his many roles in Clint Eastwood pictures, there are very few real "known" actors here. John Calvin is memorable as a C.O. who's gone off the deep end. And try to spot martial artist Don "The Dragon" Wilson as one of the patrol members!
The picture offers opportunities to Ermey and Wings to really *act*; they're more than just cardboard tough guys, and they have some great scenes towards the end. Ermey also gets to narrate the proceedings.
Based on true events, "The Siege of Firebase Gloria" is a Vietnam war movie that does deserve to be better known.
Eight out of 10.