Time: 122 Minutes
Age Rating: M – contains violence & offensive language
Cast:
Matthew Broderick as Colonel Robert Gould Shaw
Denzel Washington as Private Silas Trip
Cary Elwes as Major Cabot Forbes
Morgan Freeman as Sergeant Major John Rawlins
Director: Edward Zwick

All I really knew about Glory going in was that it was a Civil War movie which starred the likes of Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman. Having watched it, I think it’s good, but I’m not sure I would call it great. 

Glory is a movie about an African American regiment in the Civil War, from their beginnings, to their training and to their battles. Much of the runtime is dedicated to their struggles and gaining appreciation and respect from fellow soldiers. The film gives these characters plenty of time to be built up and to be developed, and leaves the big action scenes for later. Perhaps in 1989 it was viewed differently, but Glory’s approach to telling the story about all black soldiers personally came across as being very simplistic and safe, and it wouldn’t be incorrect to say that it had gotten ‘the Hollywood treatment’. This is seen in how melodramatic the story can feel at points, and especially the fact that the story is largely told from the perspective of Matthew Broderick’s white commanding officer. Outside of that, the pacing can be slow at times and the movie isn’t always interesting. 

The acting is one of the best parts of the movie. The standout performance is from Denzel Washington, who is excellent as expected and has a massive on-screen presence. There’s also some really good performances from Morgan Freeman, Andre Braugher and Cary Elwes. There is one weak link in the cast in the form of Matthew Broderick however. He is fine in his role, but does feel a little miscast and out of place here. 

Edward Zwick’s direction is pretty good. He does a lot to capture the setting of the Civil War with a lot of attention to detail, especially with the production design and costumes, and the cinematography is solid. The battle and combat sequences are also great, and the movie builds up to them very well. That said, the direction is mostly just okay and nothing special. While James Horner’s score is good, it is perhaps just a touch too sentimental and patriotic that it borders on parody at points.   

Glory is a flawed, but overall solid, well directed and greatly acted historical war epic. It’s worth a watch despite its issues.