Glory Be (Actually, Less Than B)

Those of you expecting my weekly Glee recap will have to check back in a few days. I've taken a quick out of town trip and will have to catch up later. Still, the show must go on...

Every once in a while, I decide to take a shot on an old war movie. Though not old enough (or perhaps well regarded enough) to be considered a classic, my latest attempt was Glory, the civil war film starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, Cary Elwes, and Andre Braugher. Specifically, the movie chronicles one of the first African-American infantry units to fight in the war.

Though the film has a different jumping off point in its subject matter, it ultimately falls into the trap that turns me off of most films in the genre -- it doesn't feel like it's telling one story with a cohesive beginning, middle, and end. In less than two hours, the film covers a period of years, from the formation of the unit, through its basic training, growing pains, inner turmoil, struggle to achieve legitimacy, and deployment into the field. The result is, as with so many war movies, a scattershot narrative of mini episodes, a would-be mini-series where each installment is maybe 10 or 15 minutes long.

Also as is often the case with these movies, an exceptional performance by an actor means there's still something worthwhile to see. Denzel Washington won an Oscar for his performance here. He's fiery and passionate throughout, but also good in some scenes that show a more vulnerable and tender side to his defiant character. Morgan Freeman and Andre Braugher are also both strong in their respective roles.

Matthew Broderick, I'm sorry to say, is a bit of a weak link in the cast. In other movies, he has effortless played "in control" (see Ferris Bueller's Day Off), but I don't feel that here he can pull off "in command." He seems too young, too weak, too unbelievable as a commanding officer. I suppose you could argue this is actually good for the movie, in letting the soldiers take center stage and not throwing focus to "the white man" who led these soldiers. But I think that approach would have required the character to have a lesser role in the script.

Overall, I'd grade Glory a C+. It's not bad, but it's not really worth putting on your list either, if you haven't seen it already.