It was wonderful. I thought it was a GREAT story. My husband and the in-laws were comparing notes on the historical accuracy and while they argued a lot about it, I gathered from the way the conversation was going that it was a pretty fair representation of events during the Revolution. (I’m afraid I’ve quite forgotton details, these guys are military buffs and have a detailed knowledge of various wars, battles, and tactics that sometimes leaves me feel like a kindergartner listening to actuaries).

Me, I just thought it was a great story. Had all the right elements. It got a little hokey in spots, but I was impressed with the portrayal of war. WHile I have never participated in war/battles, movies that glamorize war leave a bad taste in my mouth. This movie, however, did not do that at all. It addressed a lot of very MIXED emotions that seem to hit people who have been in wars, and that impressed me. It showed the valor and honor, but also the brutality and violence. I was particularly impressed with the fact that the main character (Marion), while a true “hero”, is NOT at ALL perfect, and has a violent brutal side that he has to fight to control. All good heroes should have fatal flaws, else they’re just not believable.

At the beginning of the movie, I was a little taken aback by the relationship between Marion and his children. I didn’t like they way the kids had a respect for him that bordered on fear. But looking back on it at the END of the movie, I don’t think any other relationship between these family members would have worked. The film would not have seemed real. (And I suspect my reaction had a lot to do with my own prejudices about authoritarianism).

All in all, well worth the $$. And I rarely say that about a film. I usually wait for $1.00 video rentals.

PS-Yes, I saw the “kids with guns” scene. Had I not been expecting it, it might have made me “gasp” as well, not because these kids were given guns, but the looks of pure fear and horror at what they were expected to do. That scene, and the ones that followed, showed the destruction of their childhood. I thought it was VERY appropriate in a movie about war, sacrifice, and freedom.