If I wasn’t a Revolutionary War reenactor, this movie would have seemed merely a hackneyed bit of American filmmaking. As a reenactor, I am truly saddened by its disservice to a fascinating military confrontation. Okay, let me be frank. I despised this movie. I mean really, really loathed it. The only reason I’m giving it two points is because it is so damn well-photographed. The cinematographer deserves an Academy Award. The director and particularly the screenwriter deserve a shift kick.
This film is so wrong-headed I don’t even know where to begin. Let’s see.... there are atrocities like the burning of the church with the town’s people inside that never ever occurred at any time in the war, famous battles portrayed incorrectly, a very bad understanding of how inaccurate 18th century muzzleloading weapons were, and a disturbing pre-occupation with themes of revengance and the depths of human depravity.
But wait, there’s more! There’s also the teaching of young children to kill human beings in cold blood, a comic book approach to storytelling, flat one-dimensional characters... the list goes on and on. What do you say about a film where the protagonist is more of a savage than the antagonist? How’s that, you say? Well, the Tarley some character kills to achieve an objective. He’s cold, ruthless and a real sicko but for him killing merely serves an end. Then, there’s Mel’s character who achieves some kind of sick thrill out of hacking to bits a redcoat who’s already dead AND doing it in front of his children... these are the actions of a savage, not a hero.
But, hey, it’s all beautifully lit and photographed! And when that guy’s head is blown off with a cannon ball - cool!
Let me hit on a few points that really bugged me.........
British regulars shooting American wounded!?. . . . Ridiculous!! This is a lie - an inexcusable, obnoxious distortion of history. In the real war, British troops acted like British troops, adhering largely to an ethic of war long, long abandoned. You can tell the screenwriter of this film also wrote Saving Private Ryan by the simple fact that all the redcoats act just like Nazis. ’’The Green Dragons’’ wore green jackets and guys didn’t go around sporting sideburns like Mel does in this movie.
Hand-to-hand combat between regulars in the American Revolution? Sorry, hardly ever happened. Read history text books in your schooling days.
I have to tell you that I felt relieved when this interminable, mean-spirited film finally ended. My intelligence had been insulted for over two and half hours and it was wearing me down. But, man, that Continental soldier’s head blown off by the computer-generated image of the cannon ball... loved it{ I loved the way the image was shot not the blood though}...So much of bollywood from hollywood is seen but uff...this sudden change in winds seems to be hard taken from bollywood to hollywood . Cinematography anywayz deserves five stars!