Glory is a film that drives the audience forward on several levels - both as a war film and as a personal story. Deftly balancing the journeys of Matthew Broderick's officer and the entire black cast, Glory manages to show the endless racism during the Civil War as well as its overcoming. Broderick's nervous and understated performance actually fits his role well, as his young officer character is thrust well out of his depths and learning how he relates to his soldiers is inspiring itself. At the same time, the yearning for the soldiers to be heard and respected constitutes its own journey, leading to strife but resolving through endless efforts for justice. It all culminates in a bombastic finale that gives the soldiers what they worked hard for, although this scene was too muddy and impersonal to act as a real climax.
Review of Glory
