Danger Close

Greetings again from the darkness. This is the third in a series of unparalleled looks at war from the front line courtesy of co-directors Christian Tureaud and David Salzberg. Their 2014 documentary The Hornet's Nest followed war correspondent Mike Boettcher and his son as they covered the most violent era of the Afghanistan War, and 2015's Citizen Soldier went inner circle with the Army National Guard's 45th Infantry Combat team in Afghanistan. This time the focus is on the work of war correspondent Alex Quade, a female reporter (yes, her gender is worth noting) who documented missions carried out by Special Forces teams.

Ms. Quade's interviews with Wendy R Anderson provide structure to the film and a chance for viewers to catch their breath in between combat videos. The interviews allow us to get a better feel for Ms. Quade's personality and motivation. She states that after being around soldiers in such stressful and life-threatening times, she believes "I have to tell their stories". These are stories we aren't usually privy to on network news reports. These situations go beyond dangerous and require courage most of us can't imagine.

There is some incredible early footage, much shot with night vision, which chronicles a large scale air assault ending in tragedy. The helicopters are being fired upon from ground-based weapons, and one is shot down. We then see how fast the rescue and recovery mission is implemented and how there is no hesitation in going in.

Ms. Quade makes this the personal story for one soldier – Rob Pirelli. She interviews his fellow soldiers, and even visits with Rob's parents at their home. The film begins in 2007 and goes into 2008 where she tracks the progress of Combat Outpost Pirelli – a home for a Special Forces team.

This is outstanding and eye-opening journalism, and forces viewers to confront the atrocities and always present danger of war. There are times during the interviews where Alex Quade comes off a bit arrogant, but we are reminded of a quote that at times has been attributed to Muhammad Ali, Bear Bryant, and Dizzy Dean … "It ain't bragging if …" Ms. Quade deserves much respect for her tenacity and bravery for doing what's necessary to tell these stories.

Danger Close is a poignant military documentary from award-winning directors David Salzberg and Christian Tureaud. The duo is well-known for their previous military documentaries Citizen Soldier and The Hornet's Nest as part of the Heroes of Valor Collection. The experience of the directors is apparent in this film – the documentary is heartwarming, inspirational, and thrilling, all while telling the true story of a soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. After Green Beret Robert Pirelli is killed in action in a firefight in Iraq, his family asks female war reporter Alex Quade to visit the combat outpost that Pirelli built to see if his legacy still stands. Quade was the only journalist who had this kind of unprecedented access to the military in Iraq, and this unique position provided the filmmakers with loads of great footage from the field and allowed for an engaging, firsthand perspective of the trials and tribulations that our soldiers face every day. One moment from the movie in particular left a strong impression on me; Quade witnesses and captures on video when a helicopter flying next to her – a helicopter she was originally meant to be riding in – is shot down by Al Qaeda forces. There are many of these hair-raising moments, but moments of touching emotional sincerity are present as well. Quade interviews soldiers who knew Pirelli and hears the story of how he diligently built the base they called home. Even more moving are the scenes of the Pirelli family reminiscing about Rob. If you want a documentary that showcases the courage and sacrifices our troops and their families in an interesting, original way, Danger Close is the film to watch.

Documentary doesn't have a journalistic feel. More like a glitz and glamor piece, with a focus too much on the journalist. The part were she talked about dying was laughable in a dark manner. What did she expect? She is going into a combat zone taking part in a major offensive. That whole part of her being dressed up and being quasi interviewed was weird. The shots of the head stones were too choppy. Who were the people that died? What about person 6 and 7, a Brit and a Canadian? Were they coalition forces or reporters?

I also Had difficulty thematically tying the first and second sections together. Turned it off part way into the SF Group 7 story. Wanted to like it.

Truth is, I've seen better stuff on youtube, with better camera work - less headache when watching, including much better action and stories. This is just a tribute and should've been there and not made as a movie. What is really sad are the FAKE 9/10 and 10/10 reviews here on IMDB. I read all of them and they all are written by the same person as the style of writing is the same.That person also reviews 3-6 of the same movies on all of the accounts. That was a dead giveaway. Just sad creators of this youtube-style clips had to resort to this instead of actually making a great documentary that other people praised and not themselves.

Anyways, there were some good moments,but as I said, it's hard to review the stuff you can find openly on the video site in much better form.At times it almost feels like the journalist made this as a tribute to herself for going through all that...

4.6/10 is the most I can do for this documentary.

"'Danger Close' is a gripping story of courage, loss and love as we witness first-hand graphic portrayals of combat operations and a dedicated journalist's determination to bring closure to the family of a soldier killed in action. The courage of the troops in action -- and of the embedded journalist -- is evident, as is the deep sense of loss over an admired comrade. The story is a needed reminder of the many sacrifices of our men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the brave journalists who accompanied them into battle."

Robert M. Gates, U.S. Secretary of Defense (2006 - 2011)