Predictability and hokeyness triumph over good acting

Rating: 6/10 (2 July 2000)

Good acting, strong characters, and an attention to historic detail (details, not events or characters) could not completely make up for a predictable plot and general hokeyness.
Gibson was excellent as the tortured main character, as was Ledger and in fact every one of his children. The little girl who played the youngest even managed to make me feel like crying in one of the most manipulative scenes in the movie. The attention to detail, particularly the courtship rituals and war scenes (cannonballs, "surgery", etc.), was excellent. That, of course is offset by the trampling of any historical fact that might have marred the blah plot, but more on that later. The humor was good too, especially one particular sight gag that did not lose laughability even though they showed it about four times.
The patriotism angle was extremely mishandled, making me laugh at their trite phrases when I was supposed to be moved by their ardor. The real patriotism of that time would have been much more moving. But, this is Hollywood and this is a Summer Blockbuster. The uninspired plot and predictability were the last straws. By the end of the movie, I was successfully predicting every movement -- the last soldier/bullet, etc. It really took me away from any engagement in the storyline. I hope all those actors go on to better projects. They all deserve it.