Plot summary

On January 22, 1879, the British Army suffered one of its worst defeats when Zulu forces massacred one thousand five hundred of its troops at Isandlhwana. A short time after the main battle, a Zulu force numbering nearly 4,000 warriors advanced on a British hospital and supply dump guarded by 150 Welsh infantrymen. This movie concentrates on this bloody 12-hour battle during which the British force, under their commander from the Royal Engineers, who happened to be in the area building a bridge, and happened to be senior to the infantry officer, received 11 Victoria Crosses. While taking some liberties with history, this movie followed reality fairly closely, including matching exactly the identities of the V.C. recipients.—Dave Jenkins