"Danger Close - Trailer" Topic

"Major Harry Smith (Travis Fimmel) and his company of 108 young and inexperienced Australian and New Zealand soldiers are fighting for their lives in the Battle of Long tan. With 2,500 battle-hardened Viet Cong soldiers closing in, their ammunition running out and casualties mounting, each man searches for the strength to triumph over an uncertain future with honor, decency and courage."

YouTube link

Amicalement
Armand

Bad…? (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

'Bout time there was a movie that reminded folks that the Aussies stood by us during Nam!

I think this is a second trailer. I'll watch it when it comes out.

Happy for that my friend!.

Amicalement
Armand

FWIW, there are a couple of very well done YouTube documentaries on the ANZACs' defense of Fire Support Base Coral during Tet. The FSB Coral fight is apparently not so well remembered as Long Tan, but appears to have been an action every bit as severe.

Worth checking out.

B

I just watched Danger Close, and rather enjoyed it. Being a Yank, I would not know how historically accurate it might have been, but the actor playing Harry Smith seemed to at times bring his Ragnar character to the fore with his moodiness and crazy looks. But overall, I rather liked the film.

I thought this was a terrific film.

Edge of your seat stuff as they face oncoming NVA and VC and the ammo is running low. I do wonder how accurate was the portrayal of the totally dysfunctional and unprofessional Colonel and General. Real characters, so I do hope there was some justification for that.

Those NZ artillery were impressively accurate. Drop 50. it dropped 50 no more no less.

I really though this was far better than We Were Warriors, for a very similar story and great research gone into the weaponry and kit. On Netflix now and, with no decent football (soccer) for two weeks to come, this is well worth watching. Took me ages to work out why Major Smith looked so familiar.

Should have been a series.

When Australians die it has no more impact than when one of their enemies dies – because the characters are not developed. Often the first time you notice a character he is about to get killed.

They did a lot of things right in this film, and it's an important story. I just think they were rushing over important aspects due to the limits of a 2 hour feature film.

I'd have started much earlier and covered the background of some of the main characters. More detail about the tension between conscripts and regulars which they did touch on would also have been interesting.

So – overall – a little disappointed. It's not even close to the frankly ridiculous 'We were Soldiers' but could have been so much more.

What a marvelous film review. Like watching football with my three sons. They can tell me all about a deep midfield, a 442 a 424 a 451, ball-watching defenders and I can only see it on the replays later that night.

Never even dawned on me about the film, but so true.

I did get confused as each character took a bullet between the eyes, as to who they actually were (with that one obvious exception of course). Even in Pacific I had that problem, but not with Band of Bs. Here, I was so wrapped up in the waves of NVA or VC coming at them and the ammo running low, I simply did not care who they were. It was like watching Zulu in the late 60s. Just keep firing….

There was a series about ANZACS in VN I do know. My wife watched every episode. I missed it. Was it Tour of Duty?

Tour of Duty was about Americans. I have seen snippets and was not inspired to watch more.

Some people seem to enjoy action in movies just for the sake of it. If so, ok.

For me, action without meaning is a boring as inaction.

The Pacific is also unwatchable for me.

There is talk of a TV series about the 8th USAAF – the Mighty Eighth – but it seems to be stalled.

Another stalled film is 'No Better Spot to Die' about La Fiere Causeway. They've shot the footage apparently but no sign of a release date.

Yes, I got that well wrong.

It was just called "Vietnam". An Australian mini series (5 episodes) which introduced us to Nicole Kidman on her debut

Seems to be on Youtube. May give it a watch later.

Some good sound effects& FX, and nice display of Australian weaponry, but I wasn't much more impressed than that by the movie.

This is a collection of stereotypes, starting with the officers (main character included) who all look somehow disfunctionnal. Like in any American war movie, any guy talking about his sweetheart waiting for him at home is sure to buy it before the movie's end.
The VM are just a bunch of zombies running straight forward without even firing their weapon most of the time, just good to be shot in (gorgeous) slow-mo shots. One wonder how the hell they managed to kick the French then the US (and Australians) out of their country …

As mentionned by others above, you don't get to know who's who until one's die, only a few solid senior NCOs emerge as recognizable characters.
Travis Fimmel seems to be playing the same charater in any movie/show I saw him into recently (Vikings, Raised by Wolves, Danger Close, …): he could have been wearing furs and waving a axe in this one, he wouldn't have been out of place from his "Vikings" character.

Also, the movie doesn't give enough credit, IMO, to Maurice Stanley, the artillery observer who brought artillery fire as close as possible to 11 Platoon.
I understand that it is an Australian movie about an Australien battle, and that giving the most credit to the sole Kiwi digger around might have been irritating, but he was nonetheless the guy who saved the say …
I'm not even sure it is made any reference in the movie that he is a New Zealander and not Australian, aside from the fact that he is directing fire of a Kiwi battery.

Regarding the narrative of the battle of Long Tan itself, I highly recommend watching the Battle of Long Tan documentary instead.
YouTube link
Well realized, with eyewitness interviews and some good infotainment to illustrate them.
Much, much better than this movie.