Great glorious movie

Rating: 9/10 (29 October 2013)

Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broderick) is the son of a wealthy Boston abolitionist family. He signs up for war at 23, and suffers through a harrowing battle at Antietam. After the "victory" at Antietam, the Union organizes the first company of black soldiers. Shaw would lead them into battle and history.
The scale of the battles is impressive. It's a big production from director Edward Zwick. It is expertly put together. The acting is top rate from great actors. Broderick imparts a blend of hopefulness and pragmatism. He's a boy trying to live up to being a man with historic responsibilities. Morgan Freeman gives this movie weight, and Denzel Washington gives the big money shot.
It's easy to nitpick this movie to death. By quoting directly from Shaw's letters, it lends itself to criticism of its factual reliability. But that would miss the point of the movie. It's not a documentary.