Sometimes you stumble onto a great film when you least expect it. This was the case for me recently with the Australian war drama Danger Close. Concerning the exploits of Australian soldiers in Vietnam, specifically in the Battle of Long Tan, it both entertained and impressed me.

In said battle, a small group of Aussie soldiers, numbering around 100, fought off Viet Cong forces numbering anywhere from 1,000-2,500, depending on whose estimate you take. The Aussies engaged the enemy following a nighttime bombing of their base. They get pinned down on a rubber plantation and are surrounded on all sides. With the help of each other, and eventually, air support and tanks who come to their rescue, they’re able to escape with far fewer casualties than their foes that outnumber them greatly.

The movie stars Vikings actor Travis Fimmel and Point Break remake star Luke Bracey. Joined by many a fellow Aussie actor, they portray real-life characters, some of whom survive and many who sadly do not. You care for these men, who are mostly unseasoned fighters, and want them to survive despite the odds being very much against them.

The film is action-packed from start to finish, and capably helmed by Kriv Stenders. He has made a name for himself in recent years as the director of Red Dog and Kill Me Three Times. He keeps the viewer’s pulse racing, as the film flits from firefight to firefight, as the smaller units of men are separated by battle and must reunite to stand any sort of chance against their more well-equipped enemies.

Danger Close was, for me, the best war film in recent memory. I’d have to go back a couple of years to Lone Survivor or American Sniper for a film as gripping or thrilling as this one. Not expected to make much noise at the U.S. box office, it is a film that is worth searching out and viewing if you are in the mood to see a well made, moving war flick that you and many others would surely otherwise miss.

Recommended if you liked: Platoon, We Were Soldiers, Missing in Action

Final Grade: A

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