a bit of history, a dash of gibson, and a lack of depth

Rating: 5/10 (8 December 2001)

*vague for the sake of not having spoilers*
Mel gibson, known for his comedic and dramatic works alike (lethal weapon/braveheart), takes a turn for the stupidly simple with this movie. Yes, it is a very well filmed movie, with fine constuming, but that seems to be but another method of lulling the viewing into believing what they're showing us could really happen. Sure, some of the stuff happened, but not enough to make it a historical drama. And in this guise of a historical drama does this movie attempt to tells the story of a man seeking vengeance.
My main complaint about this movie is its shear and unflinching attempt to manipulate the audience. All the actors do a good job of settling into their roles, but in the end it's the roles themselves that betray the movie. It is all too cut and dry. Good guy does this, bad guy does this, accept and move on.
I'm as patriotic as the next guy (american), but I will not enjoy a movie based soley on patriotism. This is commercially viable american cinema devoid of true inspiration. Why did they make this film?

Go watch Glory, or Braveheart even. Not the same time period, but still more worthy uses of your emotions.