Danger Close

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If you're looking for an authentic look into the lives of our troops, Danger Close is the documentary for you. After watching the trailer, I knew it was a documentary that I wanted to see, but also one that I had to see. Danger Close follows freelance reporter Alex Quade as she travels through Afghanistan & Iraqi war zones to tell the story of fallen Green Beret soldier Rob Pirelli. Because there are not many firsthand documentaries out about our troops, Danger Close is important for us as citizens to experience. And while it is important, it is also just a really good documentary. Two scenes that really affected me were the scene with Rob's sister and the scene with the helicopter. Rob's sister accounts her fathers' reunions with Rob at his grave. He would buy two coffees, sit with Rob and drink coffee with him. It was heartbreaking to see what Gold Star families go through after losing a loved one. Another scene that hit me was when Quade watched the helicopter she had almost flown in be shot down. It was shocking to watch and I really got to see how Quade started her journey to tell Rob's story. I recommend this documentary because it had me on the edge of my seat, it's honest, and reminds us of the bravery of our troops.

Danger Close is the exciting, new addition to directors David Salzberg and Christian Tureaud's Heroes of Valor Collection. In the documentary, they join forces with award-winning, military journalist Alex Quade to present an uncensored look at her journey across Iraq to return to Combat Outpost Pirelli. Quade shows amazing perseverance and bravery, jumping from unit to unit to reach her destination and uphold her promise to fallen soldier Rob Pirelli's family to make sure his legacy is preserved. Edited from hours of Quade's own point-and-shoot footage, Danger Close shows real special forces units on combat missions in Iraq. The raw footage combined with interviews with Pirelli's family, former team members and Quade herself paints a more humane image of military life than is common in film. Standout editing allows the filmmakers to pull this off. The mission footage, which even includes cell phone footage taken by the Taliban, can be heart-pounding and nerve-racking at times while the interviews offer more empathetic and sentimental moments. Taken together, Danger Close becomes an honest and moving picture of what honor, legacy and sacrifice really looks like. Quade's footage is impressive, the story is touching and it all works to make a unique experience. I recommend Danger Close to fans of the directors' previous documentaries, The Hornet's Nest and Citizen Soldier, or military documentaries in general as well as anyone interested in a film that digs deep into the human experience.

So glad the Heroes of Valor Collection has become a trilogy! Danger Close has become one of my favorite documentaries. Alex Quade is a freelance war reporter that has dedicated her life to getting up in the action of war. Not only is Quade capturing raw footage with her personal point and shoot camera, she is also on a mission to give back to fallen Staff Sargent Robert Pirelli and his family. Robert Pirelli hand built a combat outpost in the most dangerous part of Iraq and was killed in a firefight with the Al Qaeda. The outpost was eventually named Combat Outpost Pirelli in honor of Robert Pirelli. After Alex Quade was injured in the field she was sent home to get better, while in the states Quade met up with the Pirelli family and they expressed their desire for Quade to make it back to the outpost to see what had become of it. Quade accepted the task and instantly became determined to keep her promise. My favorite part of the movie was seeing the perseverance that Quade exhibits when traveling from different special forces units just to go back to the outpost. The film is an overall touching, feel-good movie. I recommend this to people that want to see a behind the scenes look at what happens overseas, and also people who love giving back to their troops.

Danger Close is a documentary film that is successfully shown from the perspective of award winning war journalist Alex Quade. This film shows her journey and experiences in a war zone working along side highly trained US soldiers. This film cuts from footage of Quade working with different units from all around Iraq and Afghanistan, starting with Quade's close call while on a tactical mission that made her reflect and redirect her journalistic path. Now with the outlook to not just tell the story of the war but of the soldiers as well, little did she know from this Danger Close would be born. When she arrives at Combat Outpost Pirelli, where she had worked in the past, she discovered that a member of a past unit she has worked with, Staff Sergeant Robert Pirelli, had given the ultimate sacrifice. Staff Sergeant Robert Pirelli was a great member of his unit and built most of Combat Outpost Pirelli himself. After being sent home from an injury, Quade went to visit Robert Pirelli's family and saw their longing to see the legacy Rob left behind, Combat Outpost Pirelli. The array of footage of the family and their story pulls at the heartstrings and has a sobering effect on its audience. Because of government restrictions the family wasn't allowed to go to the outpost, moving journalist Alex Quade made a promise to the family to get back overseas to ensure Rob's legacy still stands. The journey to keep this promise is a large part of the film. The film also includes the struggles of both Quade and the soldiers she meets along the way. Having the opportunity to see the perspective of the soldiers on the ground and the trying journey of both them and Alex Quade is a humbling experience. I highly recommend this documentary to anyone looking for a movie with a great journey flowered with key themes of bravery, unity, and courage

After seeing Citizen Soldier, I expected nothing less from Danger Close than the utmost respect for our troops and raw footage of all they endure for our freedom. Directors, David Salzberg and Christian Tureaud once again deliver the epitome of courage, sacrifice, brotherhood, and family in their third film of the Heroes of Valor Collection. In Danger Close, the film follows the female journalist, Alex Quade, from Franklin, Massachusetts, where the fallen Staff Sgt. Rob Pirelli's family lives, to Afghanistan and Iraq in order to uphold his legacy. Having been the leading engineer for a safe haven in Iraq, Pirelli's family was determined to ensure it was still in good condition and being used after he was killed in action in 2007. After being denied, himself, from going overseas, Pirelli's father asked military journalist, Alex Quade, to make and film the trip. Dedicated to reaching the safe haven and fulfilling her promise to Pirelli's family, Quade teams up with Special Forces combat units to lead her safely to Combat Outpost Pirelli. After flying on a different helicopter than planned, Quade escapes death by a hair when the other is gunned down. The documentary alternates between raw footage overseas, to interviews with Pirelli's family, and interviews with Alex Quade, herself, in order to get an inside look into her determination to bring a Gold Star Family closure after losing their beloved son. Viewers travel beside Quade on her journey from post-to-post, spanning hundreds of miles, and sharing in her unwavering dedication along the way. Viewers will find themselves constantly transitioning from sitting on the edges of their seats to reaching for tissue boxes throughout the action of combat, the loss of a brother and son, and the determination of a journalist to fulfill her promise to a family who has endured it all. I highly recommend this film because not only does it give insight as to what our troops experience each day, but it also allows viewers to see what lies behind the freedom that is often taken for granted.

As a huge film buff, I was incredibly excited to watch Danger Close. I love documentaries of all types, and this one was no exception. The film follows war reporter Alex Quade as she fulfills her task of finding the Iraqi combat outpost that Sargent Rob Pirelli built, and sending footage of it back to his family. Although Pirelli is no longer with us, watching his fellow soldiers and loved ones relive their favorite parts of him made me feel as if I was Rob's friend too. The respect and pride that radiate from everyone when speaking of him show how important he was to both his squadron and the Armed Forces. Not only was the story beautiful and engaging, the footage was equally as stunning. Quade shoots all of her own footage with only a camcorder to her name, yet this lack of equipment makes the experience of watching the film more authentic and familiar. She shows us a soft moment as a soldier kisses a stray dog, and the audience is reminded of the humanity that exists in even the most dangerous of situations. Everything about this documentary is breath- taking, and I truly believe that everyone can find something to love about it.

Danger Close spends its eighty-six-minute run time analyzing perspective and scope. The raw- footage shot by Alex Quade – at times visceral and at others tender – speaks to the audience in a language that transcends hiccups or misunderstandings. The camera-work in this landmark documentary delivers on something all films attempt, but few master: pure communication, of tension, of situation and of these characters' humanity. The setting of the Iraq/Iran border strips away the luxury of tripods and meticulously planned angles, instead focusing on what every journalistic endeavor should do: putting the audience right next to the reporter through content. Danger Close's prominent subject, namely fallen Green Beret Robert Pirelli, also effervesces on- screen as an inspiration. Scenes surrounding Pirelli's family and the impact his life and passing have upon them serve to flesh out a story too often cut short by traditional media sources. Veterans, fallen or alive, have a continuous effect upon the lives they touch. These polarizing scenes cohere brilliantly, and flesh out both Gold Star families and their loved one(s) who paid their sacrifice in a way few documentaries about this subject matter do. I would highly recommend Danger Close to anyone looking for insight, an alternate perspective on this topic or fans of innovative film design.

It is ironic that in a movie peppered with the crackle of the gunfire, the whirring of helicopter blades and the guttural shouts of men, the overall impression once the film fades away, is silence. There is a stillness, after the fighting fades and the dust has settled; there is a void where noise has once been, and it is in this void that Danger Close capitalizes on the true depth of Alex Quade's story. With piquancy and sharpness, directors David Salzberg and Christian Tureaud weave together Quade's journey using raw uncensored footage from the field radically juxtaposed with meditative explorations into the repercussions of life and loss. This film not only manages to capture a soldier's experience but a human one, it explores the stubbornness and vitality of the human spirit in even the most bleak and derelict of places. Showcased in this film is a woman's resilience and dedication, and our inherent ability to survive and thrive in times of peril.

Exhilarating, moving, and authentic, Danger Close takes you on an array of emotions, but at the end leaves you silent and humble. As a viewer, you are given an inside look into the uncensored and raw footage of the most courageous men and women, our soldiers. Recording on the front line, Alex Quade brought me right in the middle of action of our troops' everyday lives. Quade is the only journalist, male or female, to be embedded with special ops forces long term, which makes this documentary unique and a one of a kind experience. Her journey through Iraq is to honor fallen Staff Sergeant Rob Pirelli and the family he left behind. Quade moves from units in Iraq determined to deliver evidence of the mural in his honor. Along with the footage of her quest with different units, I was transported back to his family remembering their loving brother and son that left me connected and empathetic to this gold star family and others who have gone through the same loss. I was given a dual look into the life of military and their families. I was reminded that as they fight for our freedom, there are families wishing for their safe return. Quade does what few reporters have accomplished, affecting me emotionally with her determination to give a honest story and bring closure to the Pirelli family. It is a honor to be able to see into the lives of our modern society's heroes. Even though I will never experience first hand the life of a soldier, Danger Close delivers an insight and truth into their lives that few films have. I believe this is a documentary for anyone seeking a better understanding of our valiant soldiers and a remembrance to fallen soldiers.