George_Chabot's Full Review: Siege of Firebase Gloria
This film is in a class by itself!
The Siege of Firebase Gloria depicts the bloody Tet Offensive of 1968, when the United States finally began to realize that the Vietnamese Communists were not going to "roll over and play dead."
It is without doubt, the finest Vietnam War movie I have ever viewed. Starring R. Lee Ermy as the hard nosed Sergeant Major Haffner, and Wings Hauser as his protege, Corporal DiNardo, it is the story of a Marine Recon Squad who take command over delapidated U.S. Army Firebase "Gloria", just before Chinese New Year, 1968, "Tet", to the Vietnamese. Coincidentally, "Tet" is when the Vietcong decide to mount an all out attack against the U.S forces across Vietnam.
In an Oscar caliber performance R. Lee Ermy brings the Sgt. Major to life. Any "old GI" will have no trouble remembering their Army or Marine days listening to Haffner's salty dialog. For example, "We don't have a Chaplain here, but I don't see that as any major problem. You can rest assured, you will not go in that bag before I have said a few appropriate words over you."
The Siege itself unwinds in the same harrowing manner as "Custer's Last Stand," with the Marines and Army personnel standing off wave after wave of the Communists at five to one odds. The bravery, heroism, and desperation of the men on both sides of the wire have to be seen to be appreciated.
I liked the fact that the Vietcong Regulars were portrayed as men, with faces and personality and something to lose.
Whoever likes war, politics, weaponry, or history will like The Siege of Firebase Gloria. Other Vietnam movies you may wish to see include:
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