The Siege of Firebase Gloria Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.0

The Siege of Firebase Gloria Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf December 20, 2015

After 1986’s “Platoon” cleaned up at the box office and claimed Oscar gold, the global film industry looked for ways to replicate the success with additional tales from the Vietnam War. Perhaps the most obscure of the bunch is 1989’s “The Siege of Firebase Gloria,” a particularly irritable offering of combat shock from director Brian Trenchard-Smith, the prolific author of numerous B-movies. Perhaps a more refined helming touch was in order, but Trenchard-Smith grasps the essentials of wartime behavior and duality with obvious passion.

“The Siege of Firebase Gloria” isn’t a rah-rah American effort, but a more meditative take on the price of war. Although it follows a U.S. perspective, tracking events surrounding the Tet Offensive in 1968, the movie also explores the Viet Cong, with the film’s central battle taking stock of losses on both sides as the futility of fighting begins to take shape during this last stand scenario. It’s R. Lee Ermey who gives the feature its authenticity and most potent display of broken spirit, delivering strong work as the man in command, trying to juggle the basic needs of his men while managing the encroaching inevitability of defeat. Truly searing dramatics aren’t provided in “The Siege of Firebase Gloria,” but the few moments that come across profoundly are captured by Ermey, who funnels his real-life military experiences into one of his best performances.

The Siege of Firebase Gloria Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.83:1 aspect ratio) presentation comes from a slightly problematic source, with the right side of the frame slightly brighter, exposing harsher grain elements while generally throwing off the balance of evening sequences. Colors are intact, handling ample greenery and costuming satisfactorily, and skintones look natural. Detail is also hearty during pained close-ups, isolating age and fatigue, while more expansive shots of chaos are open for study. Delineation isn't profound, but evening sequences aren't solidified. Scratches and speckling are easily detected, a bluish point of damage periodically emerges in the center of the frame.

The Siege of Firebase Gloria Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix carries on the thin, slightly shrill side, with deeper dramatic exchanges lacking, while poor ADR efforts periodically mangle sync. Intelligibility isn't threatened, but fullness is missing. Scoring is unforgivably cheap and synth-y, barely making its presence felt during the listening experience. Sound effects are more interesting, capturing exchanges of gunfire and explosives, while atmospherics capably bring the viewer into the sweatbox location.

The Siege of Firebase Gloria Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:01, SD) is included.

The Siege of Firebase Gloria Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Trenchard-Smith tends to the essentials of a war film, including extended combat sequences filled with gunfire, explosions, and unthinkable loss, though he does create a schizophrenic viewing experience at times as his action instincts collide with the story's unavoidable gravity. "The Siege of Firebase Gloria" is better than the average "Platoon" knockoff, trying to inspect other areas and temperaments of Vietnam, accomplishing quite a bit with a limited budget.