Danger Close – Die Schlacht von Long Tan (2019)

Danger Close – Die Schlacht von Long Tan: Directed by Kriv Stenders. With Travis Fimmel, Toby Blome, Alexander England, Aaron Glenane. In August 1966, in a Vietnamese rubber plantation called Long Tan, 108 young and inexperienced Australian and New Zealand soldiers are fighting for their lives against 2500 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong soldiers.

“u0026#39;Danger Close: The Battle For Long Tanu0026#39; is a Queensland-filmed Vietnam War film from the director of u0026#39;Red Dogu0026#39;. Queensland does a good job of standing in for the Vietnamese jungle, as about a third of the film is during rain – realistic. Itu0026#39;s 1966 and a bunch of mostly conscripted ANZAC soldiers – Delta Company – are sent into a rubber plantation to fight a potential Viet Cong attack on their base. Led by Major Smith (Fimmel), the film shows all aspects of the battle – headquarters, helicopters, artillery, and the chaos on the ground.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhile itu0026#39;s hard to focus on all 100 or so ANZAC soldiers, we do get to know a few – along with Major, thereu0026#39;s Private Large (Webber), Sergeant Buick (Bracey) and Lieutenant Roberts (Peacocke), and back at base is Brigadier Jackson (Roxburgh) and Lieutenant Colonel Townsend (Hayes). Interesting to see some dissention in the ranks when thereu0026#39;s lives on the line and what the soldiers do for each other. The film does well to establish a bit of u0026quot;normalcyu0026quot; at the base, before the troops are thrown into battle.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe main feeling Iu0026#39;m left with after watching this film is gratefulness – the fact that these men (mostly 19-22) had to go to a place they knew almost nothing about to fight an essentially pointless war and see so much death. This film is an exceptional piece of filmmaking, with silence, score, lighting, overhead and slow-motion used expertly to raise tension, anticipation and action at all the tight times. The acting is good and the film flies by. Definitely rewatchable – up there with u0026#39;Gallipoliu0026#39; and u0026#39;Hacksaw Ridgeu0026#39;.”