Danger Close

11/04/2025

New Patreon episode!!
FIRST MAN (2018)

True stories about America’s space program are not unique in cinema. But while films like The Right Stuff and Apollo 13 focus their attention on major events and the bigger picture of NASA and the Space Race as a whole, Damien Chazelle’s critically acclaimed third film takes a different approach.

It is an intimate portrait of Neil Armstrong, viewing his hard work and achievements through the lens of a husband and father who accomplished the impossible in the face of personal hardship and tragedy.

With a screenplay by Josh Singer adapted from the biography by James Hansen, Chazelle’s film looks beyond the well-known history to give us the most complete picture of one of the most famous men to ever walk the Earth… or the Moon.

Join our Patreon for only $4 a month for access to this and many other episodes!

www.dangerclosepod.com/support

08/01/2025

DANGER CLOSE EPISODE 58:
Paths of Glory (1957)
https://www.dangerclosepod.com/58

Half stoic war epic and half frustrating courtroom melodrama, this early Kubrick film proved unassumingly controversial upon its release in comparison with the auteur’s later works.

Banned at one time or another in France, Switzerland, Fascist Spain, and US Military bases, and mostly overshadowed by The Bridge on the River Kwai from the same year, Paths of Glory was not a big hit with audiences and was completely ignored by the Academy.

Over the subsequent decades, its critical reception and some recognition from international awards kept it in the cultural consciousness enough to earn glowing reappraisals, and to make it a frequent fixture on a lot of GOAT lists today.

Next Episode:
The Manchurian Candidate (1962)

12/11/2024

New Patreon episode!!

AMERICAN GANGSTER (2007)

This time around on Danger Close...Enough, we are going to the gangster era of the 70s and its drug war, when he**in was taking over the streets of New York and Frank Lucas was the king of Harlem.

American Gangster opens with the statement that it is “based on a true story”, but like most films to make that claim it is only marginally similar to the actual events that occurred.

Denzel Washington stars as notorious drug kingpin Frank Lucas who managed to edge out the Italian mafia with the help of his brand of high-purity he**in, Blue Magic. Russel Crow is Detective Richie Roberts, who eventually managed to put Frank behind bars while also studying to become a lawyer and fight for custody of his son.

This episode puts the screws to the idea that a film can be based on a true story in general, and asks just how much of the film needs to be plausible for audiences to connect with the narrative.

So join us on our kinda, sorta war film podcast! Listen to our entire library of DCE episodes for only $4 a month, with titles like Predator, The Terminator, North by Northwest, and more!
www.dangerclosepod.com/support

15/10/2024

Research for Lawrence of Arabia!

This is a thorough one, for those of you interested in a deep dive on the historical period: links to youtube videos explaining the background history, a link to Seven Pillars of Wisdom on Audible, and much more.

A huge thanks for all of the work Mike Andrews and Alistair Pitts put in, it's well worth the read into this fascinating period in history.

Surplus Ordnance! Research and notes on E57: Lawrence of Arabia

14/10/2024

Coming soon on our Patreon!

AMERICAN GANGSTER (2007)

This time around on Danger Close...Enough, we are going to the gangster era of the 70s and its drug war, when he**in was taking over the streets of New York and Frank Lucas was the king of Harlem.

American Gangster opens with the statement that it is “based on a true story”, but like most films to make that claim it is only marginally similar to the actual events that occurred.

Denzel Washington stars as notorious drug kingpin Frank Lucas who managed to edge out the Italian mafia with the help of his brand of high-purity he**in, Blue Magic. Russel Crow is Detective Richie Roberts, who eventually managed to put Frank behind bars while also studying to become a lawyer and fight for custody of his son.

This episode puts the screws to the idea that a film can be based on a true story in general, and asks just how much of the film needs to be plausible for audiences to connect with the narrative.

So join us on our kinda, sorta war film podcast! Listen to our entire library of DCE episodes for only $4 a month, with titles like Predator, The Terminator, North by Northwest, and more!
www.dangerclosepod.com/support

05/10/2024

DANGER CLOSE EPISODE 57:
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
www.dangerclosepod.com/57

Well, this one hardly needs an introduction and is as epic and sweeping as it gets. This is a film we have been wanting to cover for over two years, and finally the stars aligned. It is on just about every cinephile and film industry professional’s top ten greatest films of all time, often filling the number one spot.

If you haven’t seen it, it is well worth watching in the highest quality and biggest screen you can. The 4K restoration is fantastic, and Dune or The English Patient would not be the same without director David Lean’s masterpiece to influence them.

Alec Guinness, Peter O’Toole, Anthony Quinn, Omar Sharif, and myriad great actors of their time star in this telling of the myth and some of the true history behind T.E. Lawrence, famous British archaeologist and military officer who played a hand during World War I in shaping what the Middle East looks like today, and arguably influenced the fates of many Arab peoples during their fight for independence from the Ottoman Empire.

Join Dan, Kt, and Liam as we explore the nuances and pitfalls of this incredibly enduring piece of cinema history from 1962.

Poster by Zachariah Wheeler
http://zwheeler.bigcartel.com

Next episode: Paths of Glory (1957)

02/09/2024

NEW PATREON EPISODE!!
Danger Close…Enough
GODZILLA MINUS ONE (2023)

Happy Labor Day Danger Closers! A special treat for our Patrons as we tap into the most recent Toho Godzilla release, Godzilla Minus One!

Set in the aftermath of WWII, this iteration of the Godzilla story is a reboot of the franchise but believe us when we say don’t judge the film by that fact. The film focuses on Koichi, a failed kamikaze pilot who must contend with the public shame of his status as well as intense self-hatred while trying to craft a new life in post-war Japan. While clearing the ocean around the island of the remaining land mines he and his team come upon the dreaded king of the monsters, Godzilla!

Thank you all so much for your patience with this one and we hope you enjoy!

Get more from Danger Close Podcast on Patreon

11/08/2024

DANGER CLOSE EPISODE 56:
PLATOON (1986)
www.dangerclosepod.com/56

A lot can (and has) been said about this film. It's one of the very few that might actually achieve the status of "anti-war" film, or at least refrains from glamorizing it. It can't be accused of inaccuracy or overt messaging, because it is admittedly a picture of writer-director Oliver Stone's own experiences volunteering for the American War in Vietnam, fictionalized for the screen, but based on events he saw first hand.

While it's the only film Charlie Sheen has ever been good in (disclaimer: this is solely Dan's opinion, you can @ him directly), Willem Dafoe and Tom Berenger are the big stars leading a huge cast of mostly unknown actors who later became famous: Sheen the Younger himself, Johnny Depp, Keith David, John C McGinley, among many others. They portray infantrymen at war in all of its grime, sweat, bugs, confusion, and moral ambiguity. And none of the glory.

The cinematography is claustrophobic and purposefully confusing, the Oscar-winning sound design relentless, the performances indelible. Join us as we discuss the grueling production, emotional impact, and continued legacy of this important American film.

Widely available for streaming.

Next episode:
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

10/08/2024

Hey Danger Closers!

Platoon (1986) is all ready to go, unfortunately our hosting website is having a company-wide server issue and right now the upload is stuck in limbo. So this episode is coming very soon, hopefully today or tomorrow, as soon as they fix the site. Thanks for your patience, this is gonna be a good one!

30/07/2024

Coming Soon!

Godzilla Minus One (2023)

A special treat for our Patrons as we tap into the most recent Toho Godzilla release, Godzilla Minus One!

Set in the aftermath of WWII, this iteration of the Godzilla story is a reboot of the franchise but believe us when we say don’t judge the
film by that fact. The film focuses on Koichi, a failed kamikaze pilot who must contend with the public shame of his status as well as intense self-hatred while trying to craft a new life in post-war Japan. While clearing the ocean around the island of the remaining land mines he and his team come upon the dreaded king of the monsters, Godzilla!

Come join us on our kinda, sorta war film podcast as we dive into the meaning behind this Oscar winning kaiju film. Listen to our entire library of DCE episodes for only $4 a month, with titles like Predator, The Terminator, North by Northwest, and more!

www.dangerclosepod.com/support

21/07/2024

Research for Mulan!

https://www.dangerclosepod.com/articles/surplus-ordnance-episode-55

Ok friends, you HAVE to read these two pieces of EXCEPTIONAL research by our own brave Lieutenants Mike Andrews and Dave Feldmann.

The history of Fa Mulan as a character, goofs, rivet-counting, myridad factoids about China and the time period depicted, skinny horses, square horses, the Xiang-Nu and their genetics, and the mystery of these outsiders the Chinese Dynasties called “the illegitimate offspring of slaves.”

Mike's analysis of the cultural and historical elements in the film are spot on, and Dave's paper is titled:

So Hard They Never Sang: the Huns/ Xiongnu in "Mulan"

I don't know what else you could ask for. Enjoy, nerds!

Surplus Ordnance! Research and notes on E55: Mulan

19/07/2024

DANGER CLOSE EPISODE 55:
MULAN (1998)
www.dangerclosepod.com/55

Buckle up, Danger Close fans! We went way off the usual list this time and chose a Disney renaissance film that is also decidedly a war film. From the training scenes, to the battles, to a glorious last minute rescue of the emperor, Mulan fits most of the tropes for a war film.

It's also for kids and embraces that 90's Girl Power movement that was so prevalent at the time. You will get to hear us dish about our childhood Disney favorites, debate the quality of the songs and soundtrack, and dissect Disney's intentions with this story.

But don't worry, we also have our usual history section (with a hell of a forthcoming surplus ordnance thanks to Dave Feldmann and Mike Andrews), along with our usual nonsense.

Dan, Kt, and Liam discuss the Disney classic, and possibly Disney's only animated war film, Mulan.