Zulu is based on a legendary siege that took place at Rorkes Drift in 1879. Earlier the same morning , an entire British division had been wiped out by overwhelming odds at Isandlhwana (the subject of the sequel, Zulu Dawn). News quickly spreads to the men stationed at the small mission of Rorkes Drift that 4000 Zulu impies are headed their way with bad intentions.
Not only does Lt. John Chard have to deal with the fact that he is hopelessly outgunned with only 100 soldiers at his disposal, but he has to deal with the pompous Lt. Bromhead, who is vying for control. The tension remains razor sharp as hordes of Zulus approach, in an action packed re-telling of oneof the most remarkable battles of all time.
Zulu hasn't dated a bit in almost forty years. Some of you may be wondering what a review of this film is doing here at Fulci Metal Jacket, but Zulu served as an inspiration to a number of cult films. Zulu is almost a forerunner to Night of the Living Dead thematically, and plotwise. This movie has too many good things to mention, but I'll endeavor to try.
Firstly, there's the rousing John Barry score. This is easily one of the best film scores ever. It really sets the mood, and builds tension. For a movie that runs over 2 hours, Zulu is remarkably well paced,with never a dull moment. It also has a great ensemble of memorable characters, who help drive the story along nicely.
They include the pompous Lt. Bromhead, Lt. Chard (the working class Welshman come good), an alcoholic priest, and the shifty Private Hook, who finds redemption from a baptism of fire. And we can't forget the Zulus.
Thousands of warriors charging over the mountains makes for unforgettable
cinema.
I'm usually a born cynic when it comes to praising films, but this is one that deserves the accolades. It's nice and gritty, and has a lot of heart. A great deal of care was obviously taken with this film, and you can almost guarantee that this much heart will never be put into a blockbuster again. If you're a fan of Night of the Living Dead, Rio Bravo, or Assault on Precinct 13, you have to check this out. It's an epic on a grand scale that still has a lot of heart. It's also all the more incredible when you consider that the defenders of Rorkes Drift were all engineers sent to build a bridge, and that none had ever fought before. |