They meant well

Rating: 2/10 (29 July 2018)

By they, I mean the producers. Many things have been said about the flaws and the triumphs of this film.
Like many contemporary films the actors are unable to convincingly portray the period they are set in. Films like Fury, Ain't Them Bodies Saints, and this film has acting which fails to account for the times in which they are set.
The manner of speaking, the worldview, their reason, and their nature is still in the 21st century and it's very distracting to a viewer who knows better.
Tom Hardy's character is terrible. (And I like Tom Hardy) He sounds and acts like a man you would meet in rural Missouri today. The English isn't archaic enough across the board. That goes for all the actors.
Also, the little speech by the Indian discussing with the French how they've stolen so much land... This is South Dakota in the 1820s! Ok? There were barely any Indians much less European settlements out there. (Especially by the French!). It was large wide open territory with few people per sq acre. You could walk for days without seeing another living person! To this day barely anyone lives there! And the Indian nations that did exist we're still autonomous! In another scene, Tom Hardy talks about Texas Rangers! In the 1820s! Texas wasn't even independent yet!
Please, if they're going to make these kind of films they need to drop the pretense of the modern mind and not only take the time to learn about the setting, but the actors need to do some research into the speech, worldview, and culture of the times. This isn't camp. If they're going to try hard to make a serious film, hit all the marks.