Pour la gloire

The choice of Reuben James as the name of Denzel Washington's character is surely not a coincidence.

In 1804, during the Barbary Wars, US Sailor Reuben James, positioned himself between his captain, Stephen Decatur, and a pirate; taking the sword blows directed at Decatur.

In October, 1941, before the US entered WW2, the first USS Reuben James, a destroyer on convoy duty in the North Atlantic, positioned herself between an ammunition ship and the known location of a German U-Boat. Struck by a torpedo which ignited her magazine, the Reuben James sank in five minutes. Two thirds of her crew perished. Woody Guthrie wrote a song "The Sinking of the Reuben James".

Denzel Washington's character, Reuben James, likewise, positions himself in harm's way to protect others. ,

I never intended to see the movie - in fact I'd never heard of it - but accidentally I turned on the TV just as it was beginning, I saw Denzel Washington (come on, guys, he IS gorgeous) and decided to see what it's going to be about. And jeez, I was stunned. It was Britain showed from a totally different angle that I used to know (as a tourist and an exchange student). At moments, I must admit, the picture that emerged was that negative that I started suspecting it must be very much one-sided.

But coming back to the story: a veteran (Northern Ireland and the Falklands) comes back to the part of London where he used to live only to find the world from which he tried to escape unchanged - probably even worse. His former buddies, with whom he used to get into troubles, continue to do so, only with much graver consequences. He tries to keep away from them, find a decent job, find a girlfriend, but it turns out that no one in this country needs a black war veteran. The only thing he has is his "honour and pride" from having served "his" country.

What is amazing for me in this movie was probably the inevitability of his fate. Returning home means for him returning to people who got stuck in this ghetto, since it is a kind of a ghetto, deprived of any future, of any hope for better future. Drug dealers, thieves, war veterans, their women and children - they are all thrown into the same category of common criminals, the so-called social margin, from whom it's best to keep away. The funny thing - sending the police to fight them does not really solve the problem, quite the contrary, leads to an open war. Yet this is how the problem is being dealt with in most countries.

All in all, a very good movie, one worth seeing not only because of Denzel Washington :))), but also because of the social problems mentioned... And really, is Britain such a racist country?

Just one final remark - I wonder what makes D. Washington such a good pick for roles of soldiers (and ex-soldiers). Huh?

I have to disagree with the previous commentator's opinion. Washington's accent was about as spot on for a "Yank" as was we'll say Pitt's was in "Snatch" to an Irish tinker's. The movie while obviously low-budget (no different than we'll say "My Beautiful Laundrette" or "Mona Lisa" at this particular time in UK productions), yet its concentration on the inherent drama of a confused and conflicted ex-Para in a non-empathetic society totally over-rode its budgetary limitations.

This was an above-average movie (and a rare one) of its genre and adequately displays Washington's versatility as an actor.

The first time I saw this film was back in the early Nineties, and I hadn't really heard of Denzel Washington either, therefore I presumed I was watching a low budget film about a Falklands Veteran returning to life in Civvy Street.

What I actually got was an eye opener about Life within Her Majesty's Armed Forces versus Life on the outside. Reuben, having been discharged from 2 Para, returns to London after a tour of duty in Northern Ireland and the Falklands, where he was decorated as a war Hero. However, given his vocation to his country, he finds interviews for jobs surprisingly difficult to arrange, even though they were sorted out by his careers officers in the army. Within time, he realises his illustrious army record holds no sway in everyday life.

This film makes you realise how easy it is to fall into the criminal side of life as Reuben becomes a body guard to a drug dealer. The ending is as grim as his life has become, therefore don't expect a smart, streetwise, cocky character to race through the film avoiding trouble. This is a Gritty urban Drama. I felt that as you watch Reuben's hopes for the future fade away, there truly is no justice for the little man.

Washington's British accent is impeccable, you would believe he was born, and lived his life in Milwall or Bermondsey. I read an interview that he learnt the native accent by getting drunk for a fortnight in London.

Denzel Washington's early career was a test of his accent range. He played a South African in "Cry Freedom," a Jamaican in "The Mighty Quinn," and a Brit in "For Queen & Country." As a Brit he wasn't half bad.

Denzel played Reuben, a recently retired paratrooper getting on with the next part of his life. He lived in a shabby flat and didn't have much going for him. He still had ties to his old life before the army which was the wrong side of the law. He couldn't quite shake that part of his life though his opportunities for doing better for himself legally were infinitesimal.

For all that was going on with Reuben it all boiled down to being marginalized and castaway as a veteran the government has no more use for. Here are your shiny medals, now figure out the rest. It is a movie with universal appeal, or at least U.S.A. appeal because the same treatment happens here. Reuben's situation was relatable for any ex-soldier on the margins of society, and doubly relatable for any Black ex-soldier.

"For Queen & Country" could've used a little touch up to be better. One of the trouble spots was the relationship between Reuben and Stacey (Amanda Redman). It started strangely and ended strangely as well. The character development was somewhat lacking. It may seem like nitpicking, but these are all the things that need to be tight to be considered a topflight movie.