Will only appeal to history buffs, but will bore average viewers.

Rating: 1/10 (3 November 2007)

I tried, I really did try to enjoy this historical war film and I wasn't expecting a continuously violent/brutal saga like a lot of other films in the genre have fallen into, but me and my dad were just glad we had watched it on TNT cable as opposed to the theater motive.
I was just expecting a re-enactment of the historical legends w/ a couple of battle scenes and historical license, but the entire film just dragged on and on to where you didn't really care when the actual battle took place. Plus, all the characters aren't really given much equal screen time so it's also disappointing because the viewer then can't connect at all with any of them. And despite enjoying all the actors, whenever they gave a speech, it never really had any effect on me at all which is what these films are supposed to do which is wrap you into their conflict or at least "see the light." But again. . . . Noooooo!
And while I don't hate the director ( who also directed Dennis Quaid in "The Rookie" ), I kinda wished he could've found a better project to film instead of this. I once heard Ron Howard planned on directing, but he was going to make it a brutal, dark R-rated film and while I enjoyed his recent "The Missing," I wish he could take a somewhat lighter/tame tone as opposed to making it another violent tear-fest. I know these films are tender subjects, but the filmmakers can chose whether they want another depressing film on their hands so there.
Watch it on T.V. when it's on, but you'll most likely get bored with it due to the enormous commercials we've been having lately.