Danger Close: The Battle For Long Tan

Official Australian release date: 8/8/19. Viewed: 4/8/19.

Director: Kriv Stenders

Actors: Travis Fimmel, Daniel Webber, Richard Roxburgh, Luke Bracey

Genre: War / Action

Rating: MA

  

‘Danger Close: The Battle For Long Tan’ is a Queensland-filmed Vietnam War film from the director of ‘Red Dog’. Queensland does a good job of standing in for the Vietnamese jungle, as about a third of the film is during rain – realistic. It’s 1966 and a bunch of mostly conscripted ANZAC soldiers – Delta Company – are sent into a rubber plantation to fight a potential Viet Cong attack on their base. Led by Major Smith (Fimmel), the film shows all aspects of the battle – headquarters, helicopters, artillery, and the chaos on the ground.   

While it’s hard to focus on all 100 or so ANZAC soldiers, we do get to know a few – along with Major, there’s Private Large (Webber), Sergeant Buick (Bracey) and Lieutenant Roberts (Peacocke), and back at base is Brigadier Jackson (Roxburgh) and Lieutenant Colonel Townsend (Hayes). Interesting to see some dissention in the ranks when there’s lives on the line and what the soldiers do for each other. The film does well to establish a bit of “normalcy” at the base, before the troops are thrown into battle.

The main feeling I’m left with after watching this film is gratefulness – the fact that these men (mostly 19–22) had to go to a place they knew almost nothing about to fight an essentially pointless war and see so much death. This film is an exceptional piece of filmmaking, with silence, score, lighting, overhead and slow-motion used expertly to raise tension, anticipation and action at all the tight times. The acting is good and the film flies by. Definitely rewatchable – up there with ‘Gallipoli’ and ‘Hacksaw Ridge’.

Overall: A modern Australian classic.

Gav's Rating:4 stars.