Sweeping saga, gorgeous cinematography its 'Braveheart' in 'America'

Rating: 9/10 (24 September 2014)

I hadn't seen this for several years and I remembered why I avoided it when it was on TV (other than the length) Jason Isaacs is just such a bad, bad man, he's like Hitler bad in his portrayal of Col. William Tavington. Cold, calculated, brutal as he rides in and destroys lives, spouting off orders to kill the prisoners, hang your son, burn the barn, burn the house, and shoot the "silly boy." Just an epic bad guy on a level that's hard to watch.
I found the movie itself pretty much without faults, sure its a bit too long in it's sweeping saga and is essentially 'Braveheart' in 'America' but Mel gives a great performance as peaceful farmer Benjamin Martin, who is driven to take up arms takes up arms and lead the Colonial Militia during the American revolution after a sadistic British officer murders his son.
The entire cast is great (sigh Heath Ledger) and the cinematography is gorgeous, I mean like every single frame in this is beautiful. The attention to period detail is also flawless, the costumes, set design and battles. -which BTW drove me crazy, what a ridicules way to fight a war; walking in formation to the beat of a drum and just standing there while the other side shoots at you "ready, aim, fire" and then you shoot back at them while the generals look on. The battles do get bloody here too. 7/14/14