a meager story about revenge takes place in an epic scenery

Rating: 2/10 (31 August 2000)

Although I didn't expect much as the last few works done by Emmerich have disappointed me, it was even worse. Let's leave the historical correctness out of it. A movie can be based in a certain time, without the need of being accurate. After all the war is just a framework for the so often told story of simple revenge.
At certain points exaggerated violence as seen in Martin's first attack, when he suddenly becomes berserk, can be used to put the whole into question. If it would have been just left like that. Emmerich would have suddenly turned his films to a new direction -- the audience has to think about the protagonist's actions. But no! Right afterwards the actions are all justified. Either by some brutalities done by the truly evil English or simply by witty behaviour of Martin. So it all ends up in the black/white scheme again. What is evil and what is good is defined by the colour of their uniform: you can switch your brains off.
Unfortunately a movie is not simply made by nice photography and sophisticated battle scenes; it's the story and the characters it lives from. The characters are flat and act out of simple motives. Worse, most of them are spoken about, just to make sure, that every last person sitting in the cinema finally gets it...