Glory (1989) ***½

Glory is a historical drama about the first all-black volunteer company in the United States Army that was instituted during the Civil War. These were soldiers who were fighting people on both sides of the war to be accepted into society as free citizens and desperate for the chance to fight for their own freedom. They truly had everything to lose by signing up for the Union Army, as the South made a declaration that any blacks captured in uniform would be summarily executed. The least they could hope for was a return to a state of slavery. They risked their very lives to fight in a war not all of them believed in or understood. Some only signed up simply because they had nowhere else to go and once the war is over the same problem for them will remain.

The featured small group of soldiers serves as a microcosm for the black population as a whole that were now looking towards their new lives following the Civil War. Private Jupiter Sharts (Jihmi Kennedy) is the uneducated field hand who seeks the shelter and food the army provides that he would have found by no other means. Corporal Thomas Searles (Andre Braugher) is the free man who doesn't know the true extent of the suffering of his own people and unaware of the horrors of war he is about to experience. Sergeant Major John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman) is the wise gravedigger looking at the big picture after the war, the one the men follow because of his aura of leadership and comfort. Finally there's Private Trip (Denzel Washington, who won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor), so full of hate he is willing to fight anyone, whether it be the Confederate Army or his own people.

They are all lead by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick), who is fighting his own personal demons after a speedy promotion through the ranks and a previous failure to lead his men into battle. He cannot connect with the men until he understands that there is no uniform purpose driving them to fight, but a myriad of reasons each unique to a particular soldier. He also comes to realization that he is the only one concerned for the safety and welfare of the soldiers under his command. He pushes for them to prove themselves in battle because he's aware it will give the validation of self-worth they have been aching for after so many years of oppression and torment.

The film switches from violent battle scenes that never shy away from the more gruesome aspects of war as well as highlighting the seemingly foolish battle tactics of marching one army at the other, constantly firing as they inch closer together with major casualties on both ends. This formal approach also easily degenerates into a more chaotic, free-for-all style where it's hard to keep track of who is fighting who and which side is actually winning. These set pieces are juxtaposed with the quieter moments of character interaction where each man finds true purpose for going into battle, washing away whatever their original intentions were for signing up. The dedication and bravery of those soldiers is certainly proven by the end of the film and those that sacrificed their lives in the battle for freedom will not soon be forgotten and will always be honored for those that benefited from and followed in their footsteps.

Favorite moment: Having discovered that they will be paid less than white soldiers, despite being told they are now all equal, Trip succeeds in motivating the soldiers to accept no pay and rip up their stubs in protest to this unjust action. Moved by the spirit and unity of his men, Colonel Shaw follows suit and says no one will take pay until all is equal. This is the first visible step Shaw takes to bonding with his men and the trust that begins to be forged on this day will continue to grow up until that last battle charge into almost certain death.