Aussie director Brian Trenchard-Smith's Vietnam War epic "The Siege at Firebase Gloria" presents a harrowing picture of combat in Southeast Asia with the Viet Cong overrunning the eponymous base but losing the battle. Wings Hauser co-stars with real-life Marine R. Lee Emery for this 'war is Hell' battlefield opus. When Sergeant Bill Hafner (R. Lee Emery of "Full Metal Jacket") and Cpl. Joseph L. DiNardo (Wings Hauser of "Vice Squad" reach Gloria several days before the Viet Cong launched their surprise attack on U. S. and South Vietnamese bases in the country that comprised the Tet Offensive. In roughly 100-minutes, Trenchard-Smith and scenarists William L. Nagle of "The Odd Angry Shot" & Tony Johnston provide a measure of objectivity by showing the Viet Cong side of the battle. Unforgettable from start to finish, "The Siege at Firebase Gloria" doesn't pull any punches. Simply brilliant!!!

R. Lee Ermey excels in a rare above-the-title billing, playing a tough sergeant-major named Bill Hafner, fighting the war in Vietnam. The always lively Wings Hauser also shines as his sidekick, Corporal Joseph DiNardo. They and others must defend the title location from attacks by the Viet Cong, despite being vastly outnumbered and outgunned.

Despite having a respected cult filmmaker (Brian Trenchard-Smith, "Turkey Shoot") at the helm, "The Siege of Firebase Gloria" is a rather overlooked and under-valued Vietnam War epic, but hopefully being released on DVD and Blu-ray will gain it more exposure. Trenchard-Smith directs things in a very efficient, cut-to-the-chase fashion; there's no visual poetry or unnecessary stylistics on display. In fact, the director and his cast deserve credit for pulling absolutely no punches in showing the very worst aspects of war. Squeamish viewers may be dismayed by the level of graphic violence, but others will appreciate seeing a degree of realism here. Nothing is sugar-coated. We see decapitated heads on stakes, for one thing.

And yet, in the end, the story (Ermey and Trenchard-Smith are also credited with additional dialogue) makes a case for learning to respect ones' enemy. The main figure among the enemy is an officer named Cao Van (Robert Arevalo),yet he is not portrayed in a strictly one-dimensional manner. Not all the people our heroes are fighting are faceless bogeymen.

Excellent location shooting in the Philippines greatly helps matters, as well as a decent supporting cast. Other than, say, black character actor Albert Popwell, whom you may recognize from his many roles in Clint Eastwood pictures, there are very few real "known" actors here. John Calvin is memorable as a C.O. who's gone off the deep end. And try to spot martial artist Don "The Dragon" Wilson as one of the patrol members!

The picture offers opportunities to Ermey and Wings to really *act*; they're more than just cardboard tough guys, and they have some great scenes towards the end. Ermey also gets to narrate the proceedings.

Based on true events, "The Siege of Firebase Gloria" is a Vietnam war movie that does deserve to be better known.

Eight out of 10.

THE SIEGE OF FIREBASE GLORIA is a little-known Vietnam War flick, Australian-made and shot in the Philippines by cult director Brian Trenchard-Smith, a man best known for making low rent action spectacle including THE MAN FROM HONG KONG and TURKEY SHOOT. This one tells the story of the Tet Offensive, in which the Vietcong rose up to attack many American bases, and focuses on the small-scale siege of a poorly-defended base occupied by the excellent R. Lee Ermey and his men. Ermey really acts his socks off here and brings to life the heart and soul of the picture. The film offers an explosion of endless violence and edge-of-the-seat action scenes in which the realism is key and the bloodshed extraordinarily grisly at times. Trenchard-Smith is at home both shooting the vibrant fire fights as well as eliciting strong tough guy performances from his key cast members, not least Wings Hauser who has also never been better than he is here. Watch out for DIRTY HARRY regular Albert Popwell as a tough-guy sergeant fleshing out the testosterone-packed cast.