Welcome to KIWIreviews - product reviews
•  click here to return to the homepage  •
Welcome visitor.Join us or log in

Product reviews on kiwireviews.nz : Tuesday 19th March 2024 - 16:04:10

QuickSearch for:    What is QuickSearch?
QuickJump to:    What is QuickJump?
logon name: p/w:  

I want to:

You Are Here...

Home > Categories > Movies > Action > Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan review

« The People's Pasta - Pork & Fennel Meatballs reviewThe People's Pasta - Pork & Fennel MeatballsAngel Has Fallen reviewAngel Has Fallen »

Score: 9.3/10  [1 review]
4 out of 5
ProdID: 8401 - Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan
Directed by Kriv Stenders

Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan
Price:
TBC
Sample/s Supplied by:
Click to search for all products supplied by Transmission Films

Disclosure StatementFULL DISCLOSURE: A number of units of this product have, at some time, been provided to KIWIreviews by Transmission Films or their agents for the sole purposes of unbiased, independent reviews. No fee was requested, offered nor accepted by KIWIreviews or the reviewers themselves - these are genuine, unpaid consumer reviews.
Available:
in cinemas 5th September 2019

Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan product reviews

Late afternoon August 18, 1966 South Vietnam - for three and a half hours, in the pouring rain, amid the mud and shattered trees of a rubber plantation called Long Tan, Major Harry Smith and his dispersed company of 108 young and mostly inexperienced Australian and New Zealand soldiers are fighting for their lives, holding off an overwhelming force of 2,000 battle-hardened Viet Cong and North Vietnamese soldiers.

With their ammunition running out, their casualties mounting and the enemy massing for a final assault each man begins to search for his own answer - and the strength to triumph over an uncertain future with honour, decency and courage.

This is their untold story.

Check out Transmission Films onlineClick here to see all the listings for Transmission Films Visit their website Follow them on Twitter Check them out on Facebook Check them out on YouTube They do not have a Pinterest board Check them out on Instagram They do not have a TikTok channel



Tags:
alexander england   anthony hayes   artillery   danger close   daniel webber   luke bracey   matt doran   myles pollard   richard roxburgh   rubber plantation   the battle of long tan   travis fimmel   uli latukefu   viet cong   vietnam   war
Other listings you may be interested in:
S.W.A.T.S.W.A.T.
Rating: 3.8
You Got ServedYou Got Served
Rating: 9.5
The Day the Earth Stood Still - 1951The Day the Earth Stood Still - 1951
Rating: 9.3
Time Team - Codnor Castle and Other DigsTime Team - Codnor Castle and Other Digs
Rating: 9.3
The Blind SideThe Blind Side
Rating: 9.0
MegamindMegamind
Rating: 9.1
Liar LiarLiar Liar
Rating: 9.6
The Best Little Whorehouse in TexasThe Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
Rating: 9.3
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - The Rise of ElectroThe Amazing Spider-Man 2 - The Rise of Electro
Rating: 4.3
OrphanOrphan
Rating: 7.8
Oldboy (2013)Oldboy (2013)
Rating: 7.5
Poltergeist (2015)Poltergeist (2015)
Rating: 6.3
Dating AmberDating Amber
Rating: 9.0

Product reviews...

Everyone is welcome to post a review. You will need to Join up or log in to post yours.

Click here to read the profile of alexmoulton

Review by: alexmoulton (Alex)
Dated: 14th of August, 2019

Link to this review Report this review

 

This Review: 9.3/10
Pay to see it again:
Score 10 out of 10
Attention Span:
Score 9 out of 10
Believeability:
Score 8 out of 10
Special Effects:
Score 10 out of 10

A lot of schools tend to focus on Europe and the US when it comes to history. Apart from Gallipoli, there isn't much taught about New Zealand or Australian history in New Zealand schools. As a visual learner, a lot of my history and pop culture is learned through television and movies. Even in this medium, New Zealand and Australia are under-represented, so it's quite exciting to have a film that focuses solely on an ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps) story.

Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan is a retelling of the first major battle that ANZAC forces underwent against the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. Of course, while action films are great, war films are a double-edged sword these days; the audience like to honour those that gave their lives, but as a society, we are increasingly aware of how war leads to unnecessary deaths. To that end, as an audience, we can appreciate that Danger Close does not glorify war (the same cannot be said about Mel Gibson's 2002 Vietnam film, We Were Soldiers); we do not leave the theatre with a huge swell of patriotic pride that has us wanting to serve our country, but we do gain a greater understanding of what our veterans have gone through.

Admittedly, the film does not have the strongest of starts. They waste no time getting the plot going, and our introduction to our team of characters is awkward and feels out-of-place. It comes across far less disciplined than one would expect a military base to be, but that could be because the vast majority of the soldiers were conscripted young adults aged 20-21. There is a casual attitude that feels off, despite being under attack. It does allow for some dialogue to emphasise that these are ANZAC soldiers (specifically, cans of VB are drunk and the phrase "we're not here to f*** spiders" is uttered within the first few minutes).

The acting is a mixed bag. There is some great acting, alongside some average acting, and some pretty bad acting too, but the quality drastically improves once the action really gets started. There are some recognisable faces in the cast list, with Travis Fimmel in the lead role (you may remember him as Ragnar from the TV series Vikings), supported by Daniel Webber, who looks very much like a young Steve Irwin (Webber portrayed Mötley Crüe lead singer Vince Neil in the 2019 film, The Dirt).

Where the film excels is in its visual elements. Danger Close is filmed in Australia (which doesn't have any rubber plantations) so a lot of green screen and CGI is used to replicate a Vietnam-like environment--and if I hadn't seen a behind-the-scenes video explaining that--I wouldn't have had any clue that so much was computer-generated; the visual effects are seamless. From the yellow grasses to the lush green forestry, to the more barren plantation areas, the environments are immersive. The artillery effects and gunshots look real, and there is some absolutely exceptional cinematography on display.

The story actually has some similarities to Zack Snyder's 300, and while it has no "This is Sparta" moment, there are some amazing uses of slow-motion, which slows the chaotic battle scene into something easier to follow, allowing the audience a chance to breathe, while also toning down some of the more violent moments in the film; you may not be so horrified at seeing a Viet Cong soldier being hit by artillery explosions when he is moving so slowly and gracefully that it looks like a form of dance. As well as slow-motion, frequent pauses are used before the action restarts to create an incredibly immersive jump scare. That fading away of the audio combined with the intense close-ups of the soldiers fills you with suspense and tension thanks to that sense of foreboding.

The film has a few soldiers that they focus on, and the actors carry the name of the real soldiers that were in the battle but there is no big hero. Danger Close doesn't just follow this company, we get to see the communications officers in the base, the armoured personnel carriers (APCs), the senior officers, artillery personnel, and helicopter pilots, who all worked together in this battle. It focuses a lot on the procedural elements, and it really boosts the enjoyment and authenticity of the film.

Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan is a brilliant film. Once you get past those first few awkward scenes, you end up on the edge of your seat, as this company of ANZAC soldiers are pummelled by wave after wave of attacks. A visual spectacle. This does not glorify war, but it is nevertheless a fascinating watch.

Random listing from 'Movies'...

Score: 8.0
Product reviews for listing 7901: Better Watch Out
Directed by Chris Peckover

Product image for Better Watch OutAshley travels to the suburban home of the Lerners to baby-sit their 12-year-old son Luke at Christmastime. She must soon defend herself and the young boy when unwelcome intruders announce their arrival.

Go to the listing

General Disclaimer...

Protected by Copyscape Plagiarism Checker - Do not copy content from this page. Creative Commons Licence All trademarks, images and copyrights on this site are owned by their respective companies.
KIWIreviews is an independent entity, part of the Knock Out News Group. This is a free public forum presenting user opinions on selected products, and as such the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the opinion of kiwireviews.nz and are protected under New Zealand law by the "Honest Opinion" clause of the Defamation Act of 1992. KIWIreviews accepts no liability for statements made on this site, on the premise that they have been submitted as the true and honest opinions of the individual posters. In most cases, prices and dates stated are approximate and should be considered as only guidelines.

"Next to being shot at and missed, nothing is really quite as satisfying as an income tax refund."
F. J. Raymond