Diagonaldi
Very well executed
Evengyny
Thanks for the memories!
Bessie Smyth
Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
Don M
A noble cause in wanting to make this film by the family of John Adams, but uh boy, there are serious script flaws, lack of believability in some of the characters due to sub-par acting (by Julian Adams, mainly), continuity problems, and a wardrobe that at times looks like it came out of a cracker-jacks box. This film is billed as being filled with passion and being "explosive", according to one IMDb reviewer. I think dead people are more passionate and explosive! I don't know why this film is getting so many positive reviews, it's really not good at all. I'm only giving it 3 stars myself out of consideration for the family's desire to tell the story of their heritage (assuming it is all true, but I've found nothing on the history of Robert Adams anywhere else but in this film, so who knows how much of the movie is historically accurate).Even if you're a civil war history buff, this film will likely barely hold your interest (if at all).Sorry, Adams family. Nothing personal, I'm just calling it like I see it.
CrackinFoxy
For a movie made on a low budget, the cinematography is pretty good and has some very good looking scenery. Unfortunately, this one good thing is not enough to overcome the atrocious acting and bad storytelling. The story itself might have been better if told chronologically, rather than using a flashback of a flashback. It seemed like an unnecessary device to use. The lack of any emotion from the actors, especially the lead, led to the story falling flat and pointless. The lead actor just read his lines in a monotone voice like he was reading off of a cue card. It's virtually impossible to have a good drama without either an excellent script or excellent acting. This had neither. I have no doubt that the main problem with the movie is that it was produced, directed, acted, and written by the family. With the same amount of money, someone else could have made a better movie because they were emotionally detached from the content and could have seen the obvious shortcomings.
mgrisim
I saw a few good comments on this and thought I'd give it a try. What a mistake. The movie started with a flashback within a flashback within a flashback, and just got worse from there. The outfits were unauthentic and looked like inexpensive costumes, the speech too modern sounding, the acting awkward, and the transition from scene to scene choppy. A crucial rule for me is that to enjoy a movie, I have to be able to get lost in the movie. When I can't get through two scenes without being shocked by mismatched outfits, speech, or photography, the movie won't get a good rating from me. Call me picky, or maybe it's just that I've seen enough movies to know what's expected in a historic movie.
TheCasperOne
I thought it was a well scripted, well shot, well acted movie. This movie is an independent and low budget movie, but you won't notice. It takes place during the Civil War, but it's more than just that. It's the story of a guy fighting for what he believes in and who he loves. The story starts out before the Civil War and progresses through out the war, to the end of the war when he comes home. It is more than just a story of the Civil War but what happened to people during the war. This story is taken from the letters and diaries of the people portrayed in the movie. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie. This movie was a labor of love for the producers and the whole crew and it shows through on the film.