American war of independence

Rating: 10/10 (5 February 2007)

A very enjoyable film but inaccurate in places. Portrays the English as rather fascist especially with regard to burning people in a church, something the Nazis did in France! I think with a little more research on behalf of the film makers this could have been an accurate historical drama. The portrayal of slaves fighting alongside continentals does make one think that they were forced into doing this as historically the English offered freedom to any slave of a rebel colonist. Also George Washington at this time still owned 250 or more slaves as did most of the signatories of the declaration of independence. The main character played by Mel Gibson was also a slave owner. On the causes of the war, taxation, the average American paid one shilling in taxes to the crown of england, where the average Englishman paid 25 shillings a year.