One Man's Hero

Plot synopsis:
The story centers around Sgt. John Riley and 16 men of his U.S. Army battalion who (against military law) are whipped for "desertion" only because they had traveled—without an explicit permission—to the Mexican side of the border to fulfill their religious obligation to attend Mass, and because they are thought to be "Papists" whose loyalty is ipso facto suspect in the eyes of their Protestant commanders. Sgt. Riley, with regard for the safety and well-being of his men, releases them at gun-point from the lash. He escorts them across the border to Mexico to hopefully find at Vera Cruz a ship back to Ireland, only to be violently captured by the revolutionary Juan Cortina as enemies of Mexico. Riley, wounded in his thigh, is nursed by Cortina's woman Marta. As Cortina considers what to eventually do with Riley and his men, news arrives that the U.S. and Mexico are now at war, and if they are captured they could be hanged. Because of this, the Irish deserters are presented with the choice of joining and fighting on the side of the Mexican revolutionaries under Cortina, or be executed by him as enemies of his country.
Cortina and his forces are soon taken by Col. Maximo Nexor, commander of the Republican Army of the Mexican Government, and given the choice of fighting for Santa Anna against the aggressor U.S. Army, or be executed as traitors and bandits. Cortina reluctantly surrenders himself and his revolutionaries under Nexor's command. Riley is made a captain, in charge of all the Irish-immigrant U.S. soldiers who have come over to the Mexican side in increasingly large numbers, (as General Zachary Taylor puts it, "because of sex, saints and sadism"). For encouragement they are given their own green flag as the Saint Patrick's Battalion.
Several key battle engagements are highlighted, with dates, and a cease-fire is reached. Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate is threatening to impeach President Polk as world opinion turns against U.S. aggression and the invasion of the Republic of Mexico. The cease-fire is soon violated and hostilities resume. Gen. Zachary Taylor, unlike Gen. Winfield Scott, deplores the war, but he obeys his commander-in-chief.
As it becomes increasingly evident that the war is being lost by Mexico, Riley's men debate what to do. There is a difference between desertion and treason. Those who deserted before the war and are taken back to the U.S. will be lashed and branded; those who deserted after the declaration of war will be hanged as traitors. They decide to die as men fighting for freedom. When they finally lose, Cortina has escaped with many of his forces, and the Irish are taken prisoner. Many of them are still officially British citizens, having never yet been granted the U.S. citizenship they had first been promised for enlisting in the U.S. Army. General Winfield Scott utterly rejects the appeal of the Mexican Government, presented by Col. Nexor, to recognize Riley's men as Mexican citizens and prisoners of war; protests have come in from all the nations of the world denouncing their punishment as barbaric and an utter contradiction of the principles of the American Revolution. Scott is adamant: the deserters will be lashed and branded, and forced to watch those condemned as traitors hanged, whose heads will be forcibly faced in the direction of Chapultepec to watch the taking of that stronghold and the sight of the lowering of the Mexican flag and the raising of the Stars and Stripes, so that this will be their last sight—they will be hanged at that instant.
On the day of their execution, in sight of the men on the scaffold, Riley is lashed with a cat-o-nine-tails: 50 strokes. He is then branded on his right cheek with a large letter D "just below the eye, so not to impair his vision." The soldier ordered to wield the red-hot brand is told to do it quickly, as "Riley must be conscious when it is done!". Visibly shaken, the soldier sears the brand into Riley's face upside down (backward). He is harshly reprimanded, then told to "do it right!", but he vomits and faints, and Riley is branded on his left cheek by the officer in charge of punishment. Riley is then forced to watch the executions ordered by Scott. He loudly cries out encouragement to them, who shout back as they are hanged.
Some time afterward, while working in a stone quarry for military prisoners, Riley is told by his former U.S. commander that he has been freed, to which he responds, "I have always been free". Riley returns to Mexico, locates Cortina, and finds Marta still alive. She still has the green flag of the St. Patrick's Battalion. Cortina recognizes her love for Riley and departs. Riley and Marta disappear into the wilderness. The epilogue explains that Gen. Winfield Scott, who had hoped to become President of the U.S., was defeated, and Gen. Zachary Taylor, who only wanted peace, was elected. To this day the St. Patrick's Battalion has been honored annually by Mexico and Ireland.

Tags: historical

Review:
A labor of love for Berenger, it features the acclaimed actor in possibly his greatest performance as an Irish sergeant who fights with his men on the side of the Mexicans during the Mexican war.
Tom is incredible here, especially in the closing scenes, but everything is superb here, the music, photography, direction by Lance Hool, supporting performances, everything you could ask for in a spectacle like this.See this film..
A powerful film on a little-known episode in American history..
This film is precisely what I appreciate so much about Tom Berenger:  it seems that Tom Berenger can take a small episode of history and make it memorable--so memorable, in fact, that I've seen this movie only twice, but scenes from it keep playing in my mind..
Not only is it incredibly interesting, but it has fine production values, good acting, and is alternately stirring and touching, yet ultimately tragic.Apparently the film received little or no press and release because of it's subject matter: The San Patricios or St. Patrick's Brigade for the Mexican Army whodeserted the American  Army because they were being discriminated againstduring the Mexican American War. It's a captivating story which I'm surprised I'd never heard before, though I don't understand why some people took so poorlyto it, it's just history.
This is one of the performances of Tom Berenger's life.There is no denying the magnitude to which he portrays John Riley's great strength and character.
You'll gasp out loud when witnessing the consequences the San Patricios and John Riley face for desertion.Berenger brings to this movie his heart and soul (along with an excellent Irish brogue)and it shows in the first frame to the last.Artistically shot under Director, Lance Hool, and enhanced by the beautiful score from composer Ernest Troost, this is a film that will stay with you long after you leave the theater.Tom is supported by an equally impressive and strong cast.
Character actor James Gammon, who played coach Lou Brown in Major League and Major League II, brought to the movie his homey, down-to-earth talent as the likable Zachary Taylor.This movie tells a little known chapter in American and Mexican history--a chapter that deserves to be told.Tell everyone you know to go out and support this film to ensure a wider release throughout the United States.THIS IS A MOVIE WORTH FIGHTING FOR..
etc., it presents the incredible true story of a group of Irish immigrants who deserted the US army to fight with Mexico during the Mexican War to become the San Patricios.
The film boasts several brilliant "moments", a sub-plot romance, wonderful performances from supporting cast, a thought provoking subject from the archives of history, and the drama and charismatic profundity of a lost cause and ultimate tragedy.
I had the extreme fortune of seeing "One Man's Hero" at a test screening in Los Angeles, and frankly, it blew me away.Once in every long while Hollywood lives up to its responsibility to portray subject matters of substance and import to society and humankind at large.
"One Man's Hero" is one such example.The US-Mexican War is the pivotal chapter in the history of North America.
For Mexico, the War sent the emerging nation into a tailspin that it is still reckoning with today, one hundred fifty years later.In the United States the US-Mexican War is virtually forgotten, and for good reason, as it is the clearest example of our historical hypocrisy.
The remarkable part of the story is that at the time of this unjust invasion of our peaceful Catholic neighbor, Irish immigrants fresh off the coffin-ships from the Famine identified with Mexico's plight.Over a hundred years before the conscientious objectors of Vietnam, the 'San Patricios' were true heroes who fought and died for their religion, their convictions, their brethren, and their adopted homeland Mexico.
While Henry David Thoreau invented civil disobedience in Massachusetts, refusing to pay his taxes to support this unjust invasion of Catholic Mexico, and while Abraham Lincoln stood in opposition to President Polk's scheme in Congress, the 'San Patricios' fought to the death in the front lines against the invading Yankees.Through the eyes of these Irish immigrants, we come to see the underbelly of North American history, and come to understand how we have arrived to such debates as anti-bilingual education in California, our collective guilt manifest in NAFTA, and anti-immigration xenophobia.Rarely does one film illicit such critically profound self reflection, and "One Man's Hero" makes us consider who we are and how we have arrived at the United States' Empire here at the turn of the millennium.
One Man's Hero details a little known chapter of the very unpopular Mexican American War. The acting is superb, Tom Berenger aches with conflicted loyalty to his church, to his "boys" and to his adopted country.
Well, I am not a movie critic...it was passable, not great, not horrible--most of the acting did seem flat and non-dimentional, however, you are getting just a glimpse of a few (a very few) of the major characters.
What I do like overall, is, the fact that someone attempted to make a movie about this era of American History, especially, due to its pivotal role that the Mexican-American War would play in the years following the conclusion.On the historical facts of the movie, well, it has errors: for example, the Americans seem to "out-number" the Mexican forces--and as we all know the average ratio was between 3:2 and 3:1, in favor of the Mexican Army, in all the battles--which could have made the movie more spectacular--for the "bad" Americans--if they can be called that--something that was latent but not overt.
I don't have anything against this group of Irish soldiers but my sincere admiration goes to the seventeen totally Irish companies who participated in the US-Mexican war (on the US side) and were highly recognized for their courage and dignity.
I can understand that the Saint Patrick Batallion is respected and admired in Mexico; however, this group of soldiers can only be seen as traitors in the U.S. As I said in the beginning, I admire Tom Berenger and he is an excellent actor.
For those who think of the San Patricios as "traitors," here's a clue: the title, "One Man's Hero" is completed by the other half of what I thought was a well known aphorism: "is another man's traitor." It's not just a film about Mexican and American history.
I was happy to see that most reviewers on this site actually got the point of the film, which, by the way really works on an entertainment level and is a great movie experience.
Now I am trying to find out when OMH will be released to the SF Bay Area so that I can tell my friends to be sure to see it.I am very familiar with writer Michael Hogan's work in both his The Irish Soldiers of Mexico and Molly Malone and the San Patricios.
The war was fought in orderly lines and columns, not like some 19th century "Braveheart" The acting in my opinion was poor overall, with poor accents by the actors doing the Irish deserters.
People should know that many of the deserters went over to the Mexican side due to the fact that Mexico was offering large land grants to American deserters.
Irish deserters join the Mexicans in the Mexican American war.
I, on the other hand, would rather take the film at its own merits, and, well, it isn't very good.On an aside, isn't it wonderful how evil all the American characters are?
Unfortunately, in order to make our deserters and traitors the "good guys" the filmmakers went out of their way to paint every single American soldier as less than human.
Anyone who has studied the history of the Mexican-U.S. conflict will have no doubts come across the story of the St. Patrick's Battalion.
Althrough One Man's Hero had some historical inaccuracies, it is symbolic of the period in American History that have few coverage.
The movie, One Man's Hero, should be shown on available time periods on CBS, NBC,PBS, and UPN or CW.In addition, more movies about the Mexican War 1846-1848 should be made in Hollywood, such as Shaara's book, Gone for Soldiers, for big screen and/or television..
This was a very emotional movie, which could not have been pulled off without the excellent acting by the main three characters, especially Tom Berenger.
John Riley did indeed lead Irish deserters for Mexico in the war.
This infuriated Scott's Nativist officers.Riley remained in the Mexican Army after the war for a year or so and almost certainly returned to Ireland thereafter.
However, it is one of the very few films that deals with the Mexican American War, and for that I commend it..
I saw a comment somewhere that this movie 'glossed over' some of the American nasties, but we watched with growing horror as it became clear to us that not only was treatment of the Irish immigrants terrible within the U.
S. Army, but the American attitude towards Mexico, Mexicans, and the Irish soldiers who went over to the Mexican side (with obvious good reason) was really terrible.
This is a wonderful, insightful historical drama that is a must see for all history buffs or anyone with an interest in "quality" films.
Tom Berenger is kind of an anti-hero like Clint Eastwood in UNFORGIVEN in this awesome, epic film about the disillusionment that Irish immigrants turned US Soldiers find during the Mexican American War.
It educated me on a period of American history that I knew little of but the film is so well done that it draws you into it.
This is one great film destined to become a classic.Very absorbing.The subject matter is one that will get you thinking about why this was never taught in school and what else don't we know because our government thought it better we didn't know.Will watch this movie again and again!.
Irishman John Riley leads his fellow countrymen who desert to Mexico just before the American-Mexican war after encountering religious and ethnic prejudice in the US cavalry.
The story shows how much in common these two sides shared in their viewpoint of freedom, which the Irish men saw when they lived and fought side by side with the Mexicans.
While I found the movie slow and boring,  I also had a hard time feeling sympathy for a group of U.S. Army deserters that decided to enter the war against their fellow U.S. soldiers.
I also had a hard time swallowing the hypocritical scene of a Mexican general arguing that the captured deserters should be considered as prisoners of war and therefore not be executed.
Even in Mexico is little known the San Patricio's aid in the Mexican-American war.
I've read some of the other user's reviews and I'm tired of listening that in the Mexican-American War the U.S. had better weapon and that Santa Anna was president.
a normal war epic like Braveheart was able to reform a very vague myth into an almost childishly simple tunnel-vision of freedom good, English bad mentality, and I think comes off much shallower than the true history presented in One Man's Hero.
The viewer gets invested in so many great characters, that your loyalties are pulled in different directions and are left wondering who to root for (or actually, who not to root for), just like the San Patricios themselves had to choose.
This is a GREAT film, and a must-see for anyone willing to face up to the dark realities of our history, and appreciate the courageousness of those who try to bring life.
Taking a deeper look, the type of historical film that gets this kind of focus is usually bio-pictures or war dramas.
Lance Hool, a producer to other various films like Missing in Action (1984), The Air Up There (1994), Flipper (1996) and Man on Fire (2004), takes a turn in the director's chair to cover the Mexican-American War in 1846.
Gelman (who passed practically a decade before this film's release), the story is about real-life soldier Sergeant John Riley (Tom Berenger) and his men who abandoned the U.S. army after being persecuted because of their Catholic faith.
From what is known, John Riley is somewhat a mystery but only after the Mexican- American war ended.
The story provides a new history lesson to those unfamiliar of the Mexican-American war, the actors perform great, and the cinematography is befitting to the setting as well as the film score..
Nice people who rated this movie 10 stars don't have a clue about the Mexican War and if they were in my history class,I would flunk the lot.
The movie fas a storyline is well crafted and well cast and Tom Berenger does a great job as Sgt/Captaine Riley.
I thought that Riley's question, "Do you know the difference between deserters and traitors was a great line and a good question.
So as with many famous films, you get a distorted view of history while watching a nice story.
Its no wonder that we as Americans have a really weird view of the world when we watch films that distort the truth.
It's too bad, Hollywood movies are like Real Estate agents, some can be sold anything and think they have a great deal, its all in how you market your product or write the story line.
A portrayal of the mistreatment of Catholic Irish immigrants in the American army and their consequent desertion to the Mexican side to form the San Patricios battalion, about divided loyalties and difficult choices, this movie has no idea what it wants to say.
"One Man's Hero" tells of the Saint Patty's Battalion of dissident Irish soldiers who fought for Mexico during the American-Mexican war of 1846-1848 and their leader, John Reilly (Berenger).
United States Bad. Once again I sit here a watch a movie that is supposed to be history.
Great Story, Bad Movie..
Jimbo sounds as he's referring  to the Texas Independence War from Mexico in 1836 and the Mexican/American war of 1846-1848.This film deals with the latter.
For those who truly have done research on this particular war, we all know that it was a true bloodbath .As far as the movie goes it contains a great Story about the "San Patricio Battalion".
In the movie Tom Berringer's character of John Riley is the leader of a small group of these deserters although, historically, John Riley was already in the command structure of Mexico's San Patricios some good time prior to the battle of Monterrey which is shown in the film.The unfortunate fact of the war for Mexico, other than it lost half its territory at war's end, was that her generals were incapable of winning a battle against the Americans.
I say "surprisingly" because during the course of the battle one single Mexican artillery unit created so much havoc on the American lines: the San Patricios!
More sympathy for the Patricio characters could've been generated by concentrating on the relationships between the small unit's men ala "Saving Private Ryan", than diverting the story into Riley's quest to find Marta prior to the final battle of Churubusco.Modern Americans' response to the notion of the San Patricios is that they were unjustified traitors who deserved hanging.
Lastly, the overdubbed voice at the end of the movie seemed so ham-handed that the epilogue it provides could've been better served by an on screen written epilogue.Overall, the film is an OK though historically inaccurate retelling of the San Patricios' story.
No one ever mentions the Republic of the Rio Grande other than in local border history, but it DID exist.The costumes were convincing, the sets were less so: neither Churubusco, where the main battle for Mexico City was fought, nor Mixcoac, where the brigadistas were hung, is in any sort of flat desert as depicted.In the Mexican War, both sides used black powder, and the major amounts of flash and light used in the battle scenes seems accurate in showing this.I was surprised that this film got so very little publicity.
Americans are still not ready to accept a film in which their history is shown as anything other than glorious and filled with heroes.
Tom Berenger is a good actor, and the movie is generally well put together.
But this is the ultimate in Politically Correct liberal "history", and as some reviewers have already written, it will indeed appeal to the political far-Left.The San Patricios were deserters and traitors who deserved to be hanged as a group - and they were.
I don't care how badly they MAY have been treated by the U.S. Army; what they did was despicable and treason, and they killed many Americans while firing on the U.S. flag.But beyond that, this film depicts the United States as The Great Satan, to borrow the Ayatollah Khomeini's description, while such Mexican massacres as in the recent Texas war at Goliad and the Alamo where prisoners were bayonetted, is never mentioned.
The San Patricio Battalion were not heroes as this movie would have you believe, they were treasonous scum.
This movie makes idols out of men who deserted their army to fight for their enemy and slaughter their former comrades.One fact this movie overlooks (and believe me, there are many) is that the traitor Riley lured many of his San Patricios with promises of Mexican prostitutes.
Now, I'm going to stop now, before I began bashing the keyboard because I can't type as fast as I can think of reasons why the Mexican War was a wonderful thing.Other than it's treasonous nature, the movie is also just plain bad.
The plot is horribly melodramatic and in between the lousy combat scenes all there is is a second-rate romantic subplot.The only good part was at the end when you see all the traitors get hung like they deserved and then flail around a little bit before they die.Don't see this movie whatever you do!