Battle of Long Tan (1 Viewer)

Much of this film was shot near the small township of Wooroolin,about 20kms north of Kingaroy where I farmed until my recent retirement.The trees are Paulownias,a kind of softwood grown for plantation timber.They are not an unrealistic image of a rubber plantation.
 
I`ll sure watch it! I hope it dosen`t take to long to become available in this part of the world!
 
Thanks for sharing. I'm looking forward to seeing this.

Brendan
 
Yes, it wasn't quite what I expected for a rubber plantation - not that I care! I'm really looking forward to this. Travis Flimmel was excellent in Vikings, I think he'll bring a lot to this. It was an epic battle and the date is Australia's Vietnam War remembrance day. I've always been in awe of the Vietnamese too - they just kept on coming!
 
The film is due to be released at movies in the Land of OZ on 8th August, 2019. Ten days before Long Tan Day, 18th August.

Cheers Howard
 
Danger Close - Battle of Long Tan starts this Thursday.

I know a couple of Vietnam vets who went to one of the special preview screenings. They said the producers emphasised that word of mouth would be important to the success of the movie. They advised that those planning to see the movie do so in the first weekend as this is critical to box office success. So if you are planning to see it go early. I know this movie has been a labour of love by the Producer and been in the pipeline for at least 13 years.

Below are the current reviews showing on Wikipedia. Seems the critics quoted are more concerned about the politics of the war than the actual bravery of those involved on the ground.

"The current Rotten Tomatoes rating for the film is 17%. [8]

Flicks Australia wrote the film was a "patriotic but problematic" Australian war film turning down the context of the war, that being an intervention by two superpowers that was veiled in imperialistic action and ignored the deeply existential crisis that existed during the conflict. [9] The film presenting a 2019 story of "sprawling and swarming hordes of Asiatic enemies" against a morally certain ANZAC force was deeply problematic, comparing it to the propaganda-like 1968 film The Green Berets that infamously ignored the muddy ideology behind the war. [9]

Writing for 'The Curb', film critic Travis Johnson noted that "Danger Close’s boots-on-the-ground approach is intentional, and its focus is deliberate thhough the film itself does not reflect the cultural introspection and skepticism Australians tend to give towards media depictions of war films. Reflecting on the usage of the song I Was Only 19 (A Walk in the Light Green), the musical choice underlies "an attempt not to fall to blind patriotism" in an "unjust war". Travis Johnson comments juggling historical, dramatic, and political demands with considerable dexterity, and the result is a film whose place in the Australian pantheon is assured.".[10]

The Hollywood Reporter described the film as "both familiar and diffuse, with thinly sketched variations on a bronzed theme rather than characters" and presenting the story with "tone-deaf triumphalism" though noted that "digital effects are kept to a refreshing minimum".[11] Further, that the film's production notes tried to liken the film to 300, though the Spartans were not in that instance the invaders. [11] ScreenDaily also comments that the film's "blinkered nature" in presenting a narrow tone of the film in a controversial and unpopular war was a far less welcomed feature.
 
Those critics sound like a load of crap. The film should do well then. Greg.
 
Wonder what the critics where doing during the war hiding, dodging and burning their panties if born at all.
Will ignore them and make my own opinion as myself and a couple of vets are planning a movie night to go see it,but I'm betting we don't make it out of our RSL lol.
 
Saw the movie yesterday. Drove 40 Kms to nearest Cinema showing it. Gave it an 8.5 out of 10. Went with two mates from NAM. Was a little disappointed. However got some good laughs with a little bit of Aussie humour.

Cheers Howard
 
Northgate Woods said:
Saw the movie yesterday. Drove 40 Kms to nearest Cinema showing it. Gave it an 8.5 out of 10. Went with two mates from NAM. Was a little disappointed. However got some good laughs with a little bit of Aussie humour.

Cheers Howard
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I intend to see it this Sunday, working 6 days this week, so looking forward to a change.
 
Intend to see it soon, but not easy finding the time now that I am retired.{eek3}, Robin.
 
Saw it yesterday - loved it! It's the best Australian combat film I've seen. Yep, the Aussie humour/profanity early on had me chuckle out loud. The tone changes of course when the battle starts and it is covered very well. No BS either. Also quite accurate. Full review next week.
 
Yes, I want to add to Brett's point about word of mouth. See it, then you can tell others. There's been proper money spent on this. The production values are excellent. A lot of actual events from the battle are portrayed. I thought it had a similar feel to Mel Gibson's excellent 'We were soldiers...' but on a different scale of course. It is commendably blunt on some of the grimmer realities of battle. I could quibble about some of the stuff between the commanders - but then, I wasn't there. It appears to be based heavily on the recollections of the participants. Just the right length too. One last point - the Vietnamese were very determined and brave guys - they really went in hard and close.
 
I have been following the production of this movie since they started trying to raise funds for it over 10 years ago. Have spoken to several who were in the battle plus many others with connections to it via family or other veterans etc. The first Long Tan veteran I ever met was actually the first whose name was read out in the roll call in the movie (Peter Ainslie of the platoon hit first). Unique for me as first time ever watched a movie featuring real people I actually know something about.

Agree with Larso about the production values. I had thought the relatively low budget for this kind of movie would show up in the movie but was quite impressed with how they used what they had available. I thought the hardware such as the artillery battery (NZ), helicopters and M113's were done well. Some good aerial / Huey scenes including the ammo drop. Even the rain looked good !

Having never been to Vietnam myself I thought they conveyed the Vietnam scenery pretty well considering it was filmed in Queensland with no rubber plantation available. You could see they had dressed up some trees with the cups to collect the sap and the scars you normally associate with rubber trees. Talking of trees I thought they did the artillery landing amongst them pretty well.

I got the same "We were soldiers" vibe that Larso got. The music and the way the Vietnamese were coming through the jungle was very similar in style. Had not thought about it before but the main storyline is quite similar. One group chases some VC and then gets cut off etc , plus the ending of the battle.

Having said that there were a couple of minor points that should not have been in and they related to rank. The Battalion Commander should be a Lt Col but they had him as a full Colonel and both he and the Brigadier were wearing metal badges of rank. Another was referring to the RAAF Group Captain as Captain. Whilst minor I know they have irritated military people who pick up on such things and was easily avoidable. On the other hand someone I know who has served who pointed out two things I would not pick up on. One was the scene where Harry Smith is talking to the Brigadier and they discuss Duntroon (ie. the Brigadier) and Portsea (Smith) officer graduates. My source is ex Portsea and he enjoyed that reference. He also said he thought one of the guys who was using the machine gun knew how to fire it the correct way as often shown wrong. Many of the soldiers were actually portrayed by real ex Afghanistan soldiers.

There were a few scenes which "grated" a little. It is hard to know not being there but the NZ Artillery Captain (Stanley) with them and calling in the artillery shots I felt was portrayed slightly negatively. It may have been done to make Smith a stronger leader but if he has / had watched it he might not like the portrayal. I have read four books about the battle but all over 10 years ago. The scene with the card playing I thought seemed unlikely but found after watching it that it is based on fact.

Over the years of anticipating this movie there was one particular incident I had wondered about how it would be portrayed. For many who were there it is a very significant moment and there are different versions of how it happened. I could not see how it could be shown as both sides strongly disagree and those involved are still alive. Simple, it was not in the movie.

At the end of the movie they had the images of the actors and the real soldiers plus some factual information (ie. list of those killed and a brief mention of the long wait for some awards). Would have liked to see the list of awards as it has been a feature of the battle that there was not enough recognition given.

I went to a 6:30 PM show on Saturday night but audience probably no more than 40 in a large cinema. I enjoyed it and thought well done apart from some minor gripes. It deserves to do well and I hope it is successful for the producer.
 
The Military Workshop said:
I have been following the production of this movie since they started trying to raise funds for it over 10 years ago. Have spoken to several who were in the battle plus many others with connections to it via family or other veterans etc. The first Long Tan veteran I ever met was actually the first whose name was read out in the roll call in the movie (Peter Ainslie of the platoon hit first). Unique for me as first time ever watched a movie featuring real people I actually know something about.

Agree with Larso about the production values. I had thought the relatively low budget for this kind of movie would show up in the movie but was quite impressed with how they used what they had available. I thought the hardware such as the artillery battery (NZ), helicopters and M113's were done well. Some good aerial / Huey scenes including the ammo drop. Even the rain looked good !

Having never been to Vietnam myself I thought they conveyed the Vietnam scenery pretty well considering it was filmed in Queensland with no rubber plantation available. You could see they had dressed up some trees with the cups to collect the sap and the scars you normally associate with rubber trees. Talking of trees I thought they did the artillery landing amongst them pretty well.

I got the same "We were soldiers" vibe that Larso got. The music and the way the Vietnamese were coming through the jungle was very similar in style. Had not thought about it before but the main storyline is quite similar. One group chases some VC and then gets cut off etc , plus the ending of the battle.

Having said that there were a couple of minor points that should not have been in and they related to rank. The Battalion Commander should be a Lt Col but they had him as a full Colonel and both he and the Brigadier were wearing metal badges of rank. Another was referring to the RAAF Group Captain as Captain. Whilst minor I know they have irritated military people who pick up on such things and was easily avoidable. On the other hand someone I know who has served who pointed out two things I would not pick up on. One was the scene where Harry Smith is talking to the Brigadier and they discuss Duntroon (ie. the Brigadier) and Portsea (Smith) officer graduates. My source is ex Portsea and he enjoyed that reference. He also said he thought one of the guys who was using the machine gun knew how to fire it the correct way as often shown wrong. Many of the soldiers were actually portrayed by real ex Afghanistan soldiers.

There were a few scenes which "grated" a little. It is hard to know not being there but the NZ Artillery Captain (Stanley) with them and calling in the artillery shots I felt was portrayed slightly negatively. It may have been done to make Smith a stronger leader but if he has / had watched it he might not like the portrayal. I have read four books about the battle but all over 10 years ago. The scene with the card playing I thought seemed unlikely but found after watching it that it is based on fact.

Over the years of anticipating this movie there was one particular incident I had wondered about how it would be portrayed. For many who were there it is a very significant moment and there are different versions of how it happened. I could not see how it could be shown as both sides strongly disagree and those involved are still alive. Simple, it was not in the movie.

At the end of the movie they had the images of the actors and the real soldiers plus some factual information (ie. list of those killed and a brief mention of the long wait for some awards). Would have liked to see the list of awards as it has been a feature of the battle that there was not enough recognition given.

I went to a 6:30 PM show on Saturday night but audience probably no more than 40 in a large cinema. I enjoyed it and thought well done apart from some minor gripes. It deserves to do well and I hope it is successful for the producer.
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Great review and background story, Brett!

Here's my own little tale...Some months back Brett and myself were talking on the phone about 'Long Tan'? Brett had one of the movie's producers in his store who saw some of our K&C 'Vietnam Aussies' and talked about K&C possibly producing something suitable for the movie's opening premiere.

At that time, I told Brett that was probably not possible because of the short 'lead time'...and, to be honest, because of previous experience with film companies where projects get cancelled or suddenly run out of money or whatever...

Anyway, a couple of months later, I see the movie 'Danger Close, The Battle of Long Tan' trailer and was very impressed and excited by the action sequences and the quality of the production...

There and then, sittting watching my laptop screen, I said to myself,"This, we gotta do!"
That same day, I began sketching out the first four figure designs for 'Long Tan' and discussed them with Brett and our other two Aussie Dealers ...Everyone was very enthusiastic and supportive.

A few days on I handed over all the details and info to one of our sculptors and three weeks later saw and approved the 'master sculpts'...A couple of days after that we had the resin masters and had them 'master-painted', ready for me to take down to Australia to display to K&C Dealers and Collectors during my Annual 'OzTour' of Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

I am happy and proud to say the response from virtually everyone was everything and more than I could have hoped for! The figures are now at one of the factories we work with and are in full production mode.

Can't give you a delivery date just yet...but will keep you posted as things develop.

Also thought this little background story might interest you guys and, in addition, wish all success to the movie...Decent 'War' movies about real events and real people are a pretty rare commodity these days...
Why tell fictional stories about fantasy super heroes when there are so many real stories about actual guys in real situations performing amazing acts of courage and sacrifice..?

Go see the movie Guys!
All the best,
Andy.
 
"There and then, sittting watching my laptop screen, I said to myself,"This, we gotta do!"
That same day, I began sketching out the first four figure designs for 'Long Tan' and discussed them with Brett and our other two Aussie Dealers ...Everyone was very enthusiastic and supportive."

Great! More figures I now desperately want!

By the way, for the rivet counters out there - while the M113s used had the Vietnam era shield/pindle .50cal installed - they were on the 'new' stretched M113s which have six road wheels rather than the five of that time.
 
Excellent film, well balanced, plenty of action. Really liked the deployment of the M113's, inspiring stuff. The Aussie advancing lines are another feature. Hope this is a successful film as it deserves to be. Really brings the K&C line into focus. Can't wait for Andy to ramp up the series as he has indicated. Robin.
 
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