Engaging, not sure why

Rating: 7/10 (13 December 2004)

This movie is flawed, no doubt about it. Maybe it was just all the negative press I heard prior to viewing (low expectations might be the answer); but I found myself enjoying the movie. Billy Bob is engaging as ever; Patrick Wilson was strong as Travis; the music by Carter Burwell was moving; and the fighting was mercifully not drawn out - plus the movie really made no bad guys out of either side. While some of the dialog is stilted, a case could be made that talk of that kind wasn't that unusual at the time, and that flowery speech was the rule of the day (although maybe not around rough frontiersman).
It reminded me of other like movies that received similar negative to average reviews - e.g. The Patriot, Gods and Generals etc. It's probably just a history thing, but I probably will not mind watching it again if the chance arises.