Danger Close

After a long time, an interesting, action-packed and atmospheric war whirlwind that from the very beginning draws out a decent and engaging story and doesn't let the viewer go until the end. The soldiers in Vietnam are under fire for 70% of the film and the action is not lacking at all, but what I found far more interesting about was the story and the group of about 30 people that you form a bond with over the course of the film, something that doesn't happen often. With this cast and dialogues I could imagine it for a longer series. By the end the director wrings out the emotions and I almost wanted to cry. If there was more bloody action, more gore and some close knife fights I would have given it a full score, but these things were lacking to complete the excellent whole. An unexpectedly good affair that should be watched by every fan of the genre. (2019-12-03)

Travis Fimmel (Ragnar from Vikings) is commanding 108 inexperienced Australian and New Zealand soldiers against an entire Vietnamese battalion, and it's a decent wartime carnage for the first time in a while. After a brief opening, the action hardly lets off the gas and, although it's not a big production, it looks very good, the characters are likeable and the emotions work too, especially at the end. The only that disappointed me a bit is that they didn't have the courage to add gore, there are none of those raw scenes from Hacksaw Ridge, but still it's an engaging and entertaining piece for war movie fans. 75% (2019-11-07)

The umpteenth take on the Vietnam War, this time from the perspective of the Australian military, with the involvement of Australian filmmakers and actors. The visuals are OK, but there is no groundbreaking style of filmmaking to speak of. Danger Close shines with the precision and directorial virtuosity of Mendes (1917), in contrast with a routine editing and limited budget. Fans of war films will watch it, and that’s about it. (2020-03-26)

It's a shame that the Australians didn't have a chat with the technical advisers of Band of Brothers, as they would surely explain to them what artillery fire or machine gun fire looks like. Especially the slow-motion shots of the flying members of the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese army were quite lame. Otherwise, I have nothing to complain about, the almost two hours just flew by, one action after another and, except for one farewell to Boromir, hardly any pathos. (2020-01-05)