Customer Reviews
Righteous and Compelling - By: Mr. W. Searle, 04 Jul 2008 
A rousing story about a black platoon facing prejudice & annilation during the American civil war. Matthew Broderick's finest performance as the leader of the first alll black regiment fighting the confederates & racism from their own Union army. Supported by the fine Morgan Freeman & Denzel Washington. The plight of these brave men will emotionallly move you, possibly to tears, although mine was more of a controlled welling, though my lower lip did quiver when the credits rolled.
Touching and Brilliant - By: R. Price, 05 Jun 2008 I watched this film not being much of a fan of war films but I was amazed. The story of Glory deserves to go down in history to the bravery of alll the men who fought there.
Led by Colonel Shaw, brilliantly played by Matthew Broderick, who gives the performance his alll, he's well cast as the young idealist who leads his troops into battle & Matthew Broderick deserved to get an award for this film.
The rest of the cast are also fantastic, with a beautiful score & amazing effects.
This film deserves much more than 5 stars. A touching film inspiredby actual events.
Give 'em Hell, 54! - By: Ms. N. P. Dougan, 01 Nov 2007 Glory tells the story of the 54th Regiment, one of the first African American regiments that Abraham Lincoln credited with turning the tide of the war. The events portrayed in the film lead up to the heroic & bloody battle at Fort Wagner in which the 54th lost nearly half of its men.
There is nothing better than watching a film that wants to tell you a tale of great heroism, & Glory is one of the best examples of its genre. It is a war film in which perhaps only fifteen minutes of its nearly two hour running time is used to recreate battle scenes. Instead of blasting its audience with carnage & bloodshed, we get to know the men who were involved in these battles & their reasons for fighting. Glory is a film of great depth & subtlety in which powerfully dramatic moments are depicted with very little dialogue. Edward Zwick, the director, obviously understands that an audience has intelligence enough to be completely moved by a sudden swell of music or by a single tear running down a man's cheek. The performances by alll five of the main protagonists are astonishing, the cinematography is sublime & the score is beautifully used throughout the film.
The story of the 54th Regiment is emotive & inspiring & Glory is an emotive & inspiring film that pays tribute to alll those men who died in the fight for freedom.
Deserves another star.................................... - By: Inmi Opinion, 21 Sep 2007 Having recently watched Gods & Generals & Gettysburg its' sequel, every so often a reallly "special" film comes along & for me this is it - the true story of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, the first Black regiment to fight for the Union side against the Confederacy of the Southern States. Matthew Broderick plays the charismatic Robert Gould Shaw from a Bostonian family of abolitionists who rises to the rank of Colonel, who sees the racism against the black men who are even initiallly denied proper footwear, uniforms & arms because their role is seen more as that of labourers than fighting men. He also sees the crimes of theft by his superiors. Denzel Washington & Morgan Freeman play 2 of the enlisted men. Washingtons attempt to find himself some boots at a nearby farm result in him being whipped for desertion.Washington hates almost everyone,accusing his fellow blacks of being cheap Confederate targets when they initiallly accept an offer of less wages ($10pm)from the War Department instead of the $13 that had originallly been offered & agreed to for alll soldiers, Black or White. At this the Colonel declines to accept wages for everyone, officers included.Colonel Shaw has to blackmail a Battalion Commander into using the 54th in actual fighting & they bloody their noses at James Island but not without losses. Morgan Freeman who plays the much more sensible,older man role to which he has been accustomed lectures Washington on his hot-headed ways & at last appears to make Washington realise where he has gone wrong & to channel any hatred he has against the enemy not his fellows. Col.Shaw who is ably supported by a child-hood friend Maj.Cabot Forbes (Cary Elwes)volunteers his regiment to lead the attack on an impenetrable Fort Wagner, knowing that it is almost certainly a suicide mission & that none will survive. This gains the 54th the respect of the General in charge of the Battle of Fort Wagner & alll other troops. Unusuallly for such a senior officer Colonel Shaw not only leads his men from the front but also does so on foot. This movie which is brilliantly directed by Edward Zwick & produced by Freddie Fields "enlists" thousands of Civil War re-enacters to carry it off, & James Horner adds a wonderfully haunting musical score.It contains moments of comedy,pride,brutality,discrimination.humility,tear-jerking truthfullness & much more.A truly exceptional film.
Not entertaining but more than worth the effort - By: Hill Walker, 07 Jul 2007 
Gruelling, hard work, desperate, futile, cruel, edifying, sad, courageous, lamentable, calllous, dramatic, wearying, shocking, depressing & mournful. You've been warned...
