Denzel Washington’s Greatest Historical Epic Is On Streaming Now
Glory, starring Denzel Washington, is streaming on Amazon and Hulu.
Denzel Washington may be most well-known for films like Training Day and American Gangster, but it’s worth noting that some of his earlier supporting roles are definitely worth a look. Considering that we don’t necessarily have to track down physical copies of movies or television series these days, we currently have access to 1989’s Glory, which can be streamed on Amazon an Hulu. This epic historical fiction went on to win three Academy Awards, one of which went to Denzel Washington himself for Best Supporting Actor, and we’re going to get into why this film was so well-received on both a critical and commercial front.
Glory begins in 1863, in the middle of the Civil War, and Matthew Broderick’s Colonel Robert Gould Shaw is tasked with leading the Union Army’s earliest African-American regiment against the Confederate army. A young Denzel Washington takes on the supporting role of Private Silas Trip, a member of Shaw’s 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment. Glory is based on the books Lay This Laurel by Lincoln Kirstein and One Gallant Rush by Peter Burchard, as well as personal letters written by Colonel Robert Gould Shaw himself, and uses this source material to highlight the bravery of the men who fought at the Second Battle of Fort Wagner.
Right out the gate, we learn what’s at stake when Shaw’s men learn that captured black men will be returned to slavery by the Confederate army and that black men caught wearing Union uniforms will be executed along with their commanding officers. But when the men are offered honorable discharges so they don’t have to meet such a gruesome fate, none of the men take Shaw up on his offer, showing a willingness to fight for the Union Army, no matter the cost.
Denzel Washington’s Trip faces disciplinary action early on in Glory for deserting the regiment, but when Shaw finds out he only left his post to find proper footwear, we are clued into the injustices that soldiers in the 54th regimen are facing.
Not only are the soldiers ill-equipped to face combat, but there is also a glaring pay discrepancy between white soldiers and black soldiers; the former receiving pay vouchers for $13 per month, and the latter only receiving $10. By now, we know that Denzel Washington’s characters typically take charge in the face of adversity, and his Trip character’s willingness to tear up his payment voucher in protest while encouraging everybody else to do the same is no different in Glory. In the iconic “tear it up!” scene, his men’s fight for equality humbles Shaw, and he tears up his own pay voucher, asserting that white commanders will also forego payment until such an injustice is rectified.
Glory does an excellent job of portraying the injustices that African-American soldiers faced during the Civil War, and was a critical and commercial success at the time of its release. Not only does Matthew Broderick highlight the struggles of a commanding officer who needs to win over his regiment, Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman, and Andre Braugher deliver powerhouse performances that still resonate with viewers to this day with their character’s willingness to fight against racial injustice despite the obvious obstacles they knew they’d face while serving for the Union Army.
Glory went on to pull in $27 million at the box office against a budget of $18 million, and is regarded as one of the best Civil War movies ever made. As it currently stands, Glory has an intimidating 95 percent critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, and is considered by many to be one of Denzel Washington’s best-supporting roles. Even Roger Ebert, who is known to sometimes deliver particularly scathing reviews, gave Glory three-and-a-half stars out of four, with his biggest criticism being that a white actor received top billing rather than a black actor in this historical war drama.
If you’re a history buff, then Glory is definitely worth a look. From start to finish, we see a young Denzel Washington at his absolute best, and it’s evident that even this early in his career, he would continue to take on iconic roles that not only challenge casual viewers, but also the status quo for all the right reasons. Glory is currently streaming on Amazon and Hulu, and for all of the above reasons, it should be next on your viewing queue.
