Robert Gould Shaw, a quiet hero

Rating: 10/10 (7 April 2006)

What makes this Civil War film work so well is that it is a superb ensemble piece. No one actor hogs the limelight and we get to know, if only briefly, a little of what makes each character in this film tick to where they will come together at the end and fight a doomed battle that will cost so many of them their lives. Each of them has an obstacle to overcome in order to make it to the final scenes. For Trip (Denzel Washington, who won an Academy Award for this role), it is an overriding rebelliousness born of the stain of slavery. For Thomas Searles (Andre Braugher), it is the life of comfort, ease and education that makes the hard life of a soldier painful and difficult. For Jupiter Sharts (Jihmi Kennedy), it is literacy and self confidence. John Rawlins, the character portrayed so superbly by Morgan Freeman, brings a forceful dignity that helps meld these men together into real soldiers.
We also watch as their white commanding officer, Col. Robert Gould Shaw, played with idealism, shyness, tenacity and quiet pathos by Matthew Broderick in what is sure to be remembered as his finest screen work, struggles to overcome his own fears, doubts and mistakes to become the brave young commanding officer who struggles to prove to higher ups in the chain of command that blacks are as worthy to be soldiers as anyone else. There was some controversy over the casting of Mr. Broderick for this role by some critics who complained about his boyish looks and reputation for rebellious teen roles but he more than overcame any doubts about his ability to play such a mature role as this one in this fine historical film. Surely one of the finest movies ever made and one that has already become a classic of the genre, having been nominated for one of the top 100 best films list of the American Film Institute. A highly recommended film to watch that rescues an important historical incident from certain obscurity.