Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan (2019) is a historical drama detailing the titular battle in The Vietnam War, where 108 Australian and New Zealand troops held off 2000 NVA forces.
In 1966, 1st Australian Task Force is stationed at Nui Dat in South Vietnam. Following a VC mortar attack on the base, Major Harry Smith (Travis Fimmel of Vikings fame) volunteers to lead his Delta Company, a mixed bag of volunteer professionals and conscripts, on a routine patrol to catch the enemy, hoping to see some action.
He found them. The North Vietnamese Army's 275th Regiment and the Viet Cong's D445 Regiment. All two thousand of them. And Delta Company gets all the action they hoped for in the fight of their lives.
Though the movie does exaggerate some character dynamics for narrative effect, it has been praised by critics and veterans of the battle for its accuracy to the actual events.
The movie contains examples of:
- Awesome Personnel Carrier: The tropical climate means the relief column's M113s are actually rusty as hell, but the Gunship Rescue they and their fifty-calibre machine-guns deliver is first-rate.
- Battle in the Rain: Downplayed: it was raining heavily for most of the actual battle, but it only starts later on in the film, likely because it was easier to shoot scenes in decent weather.
- Bash Brothers: Corporal Buddy Lea and Sergeant Paddy Todd already have this relationship, and go out of their way to save and provide covering fire for each other.
- Death from Above: The New Zealand artillery decided the battle, and there's plenty of slow-mo shots of the shells coming down, as well as the absolute devastation the artillery wreaked on the attacking North Vietnamese.
- There's also a scene where the U.S. Air Force shows up to drop napalm on the Viet Cong, a staple of Vietnam War movies. Almost averted as the Aussies are pinned down so badly that they are unable to throw smoke, and the smoke grenade they do throw is a dud, so the Americans have to change course and head for their next assignment. Smith has to give them a rough estimate of the enemy's location for the Americans to drop the napalm.
- I Just Shot Marvin in the Face: Before the main battle starts, Private Large learns that beer and firearms aren't a good mix by accidentally firing his loaded M16 in the air, which wasn't kept on safe. Thankfully, he doesn't actually hit anything, but that doesn't stop Major Smith reading him the riot act and confiscating his M16 when he tries to bluff his way out of trouble.
- Impeded Communication / The Radio Dies First: Both Eleven and Twelve Platoons have their radios knocked-out by enemy fire at various points; Private Akell has to run a spare up to Twelve Platoon. Back at base, the gunners find their switchboard temporarily disabled by a lightning strike! (Historical note: the movie doesn't reference another strike that blew up the base latrines.)
- Jungle Warfare: Naturally, with the Australians fighting in the jungles of South Vietnam against a numerically superior North Vietnamese force.
- Majorly Awesome: Harry Smith, Delta Company's commander. A Consummate Professional who initially asks for a transfer to the SAS because he feels he's being wasted shepherding conscripts, but soon gets all the action he could ask for.
- Mildly Military: During the mortar attack on Nui Dat, conscript Private Large has a beer while on perimeter watch and accidentally discharges his M16, and Lieutenant Sharp has to be forcibly convinced to abandon his poker game. Both are firmly rebuked for their casual attitudes in short order.
- Discussed by Smith and Brigadier Jackson after a fed-up Smith asks to be transferred back to his old unit, wanting to be among 'professionals' like the soldiers his father served with, and not conscripts - Smith is hoping to join the SAS. Jackson then reminds him that they both used to be conscripts, that he's in the regular Army now, and he has to get used to conscripts' screwups like everyone else.
- Made of Iron: 12 Platoon's Sergeant Paddy Todd, despite having both his legs broken, he still gets up and attempts to run whilst being pursued by the enemy, and even after inevitably falling still manages to crawl away from danger and escape with the help of Buddy Lea.
- The Needs of the Many: The brigadier in charge of the base won't send his reserves out in the APCs to rescue the troops under attack, because this would leave the base defenceless against the many other Viet Cong forces which are known to be in the area.
- Pretty Little Headshots : Private Large is killed by a burst from an AK47. His only visible wound is a neat, bloodless little hole in the centre of his forehead.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Australian soldiers are notorious for 'excessive initiative' in contrast to the Commonwealth tradition of 'obey most orders to the letter', and these lads are no exception. It's almost a Running Gag that multiple characters disregard their superiors' dithering - or outright orders to stay put - to go out and do what they can to help their comrades. The ultimate example is Smith telling Colonel Townsend 'you can go and fuck your orders' when Delta Company is ordered to withdraw and return to base - when Delta Company's all that's standing between the base and two thousand Viet Cong.
- Screw the War, We're Partying: Pointedly inverted at the concert. The Diggers in the audience are visibly loving every second of the performance - but when Little Patty's song ends, and the raging gunfire becomes audible, everyone drops what they're doing and hauls ass to their battle stations.
- Sergeant Rock: Several, most notably Eleven Platoon's Bob Buick who takes charge and fights until the end - Eleven Platoon was overrun, but they took a good amount of the enemy with them.
- Southern-Fried Private: Private Paul Large was essentially the Australian equivalent to this, having grown up shooting rabbits in a rural NSW town. In the film he's depicted as laid back and a bit clumsy, demonstrated when he was drunk whilst on sentry duty and accidentally fired his M-16, which he tried to cover up by shooting a few more rounds into the distance to make out that he was shooting at a possible enemy.
- Trial by Friendly Fire: The whole battle basically consists of this as in real life, but at two points things get really desperate:
- With Eleven Platoon about to be overrun, Sergeant Bob Buick calls the guns in on his own position. Major Smith has to (reluctantly) endorse this request, and it visibly costs him to do it.
- Later on, the rest of the company find themselves just as deep in trouble, and Morrie Stanley orders the shellfire in "danger close". When the gunners demur, a stressed-out Stanley shouts into the radio "Fire the fucking guns where we want, or you're gonna lose the lot of us!"
- Unfriendly Fire: Major Smith threatens Private Large with this if he doesn't get his act together.
