Long but very watchable film

Rating: 8/10 (18 April 2004)

I was expecting a little more from this film, but it really didn't start to take off until more than hour into the picture. Most historical films take some liberties with thought-provoking statements and/or comic relief. This film, however, simply delivered factual rhetoric for the first hour. It wasn't until the second hour that the actors seemed to get into character and the story really picked up.
I will probably research some of the scenes that I saw to see how "accurate" they may or may not have been. It was the end sequence that I was really waiting for. I know from history that the final battle ended in a matter of minutes. Supposedly the reason for this was that Santa Anna took a nap every day around 4pm. Houston became of aware of this and launched his attack right after 4pm, catching the Mexican leader literally asleep at the switch. I didn't really see anything to prove or disprove this fact in the film. It would have been nice to see, however.
Overall, a watchable film. I will give it an 8/10 mostly for the excellent sets and costumes. The acting was good, but more could have been done to enhace the script.