Review of The Siege of Firebase Gloria (1989) by John C — 29 Mar 2011

The Siege of Firebase Gloria is a well made, albeit ordinary war movie. R. Lee Emery is clearly the star of the show here as the Sergeant Major, though the somewhat stale performance of Wings Hauser leaves much to be desired.

Vietnam war movie are a subcategory all on their own and the film clearly shines when seen as such. The battle scenes are truly epic in scope but do so while seeming fairly realistic at the same time.

The characters don't feel to generic either, though you can pick out several stereotypes with ease. I enjoyed how the perspective momentarily shifted to that of the VietCong's and gave a chance to show the antagonists motivations without making him seem wildly nefarious.

"Gunny" gives a fine performance and unabashedly believable performance, and he damn sure makes you root for the leathernecks in the conflict. Some of the plot devices feel a bit tacked on for my tastes, such as the Vietnamese orphan named "Pee Wee" or the stalwart nurse captain, though the latter definitely fared better than the former.

The Siege of Firebase Gloria had me entranced and Emery's fiery dialogue made even me want to join the Corps and has all the makings of an excellent war movie that is predictable, but never truly bland.