Long, and at times overly winded, but needfully so

Rating: 8/10 (6 February 2003)

Gettysburg, the first time I saw it, was too long for me. The action was too widely spaced, and being a small kid, I wanted the action. However, as I watched it several times later in the future, it needed to be long, dealing with probably the second most important battle of the entire history of the United States (behind Trenton in the Revolutionary War). The drama and personalities are spot on. Martin Sheen played a convincing Lee, although I didn't care for the slightly negative spin the writers put on him. The battle scenes, I think, are probably some of the best ever shot. The supporting cast--Longstreet, Pickett, Armistead, Chamberlain, Hancock, etc.--play their roles perfectly and add to the sense of the conflict and drama in this epic. Personally, this is the best Civil War films ever made, and one of the top 5 best war films ever made.