Truly the best Civil War Epic

Rating: 10/10 (2 September 2004)

(Spoilers...well actually history lesson but who cares) Gettysburg is a film that is just like most other long epics: It is great if you can make it through the time. Gettysburg is no exception. This 4+ hour long film chronicles all three extremely bloody days of the battle. From Buford holding Cemetery Ridge, to Chamberlain holding Little Round Top, and climaxing with Pickett's charge. This film has some truly great performances by Jeff Daniels as Chamberlain, Stephen Lang as the infamous Pickett, Sam Elliot as General Buford, and Tom Berenger as James Longstreet. What is keeping this from getting a 10 is Martin Sheen's performance as Robert E. Lee. He would have done well if he were playing a different character. But Lee at that time was still a popular outgoing man as opposed to the old feeble man played by Sheen. The battle sequences are great particularly Chamberlain's charge against the Confederacy. An overall the Greatest Civil War epic in my opinion. 9.5 out of 10 a must see for most audiences.