glory film review

Jack Chicalo

"Glory" Film Review

Glory 

               I recently viewed the American Civil War movie "Glory", and I would like to write a review on the film. The movie focuses on Col. Robert Shaw (Mathew Broderick). After getting injured in battle, he is promoted to this position and leads the first black regiment in U.S. History. Shaw deals with many obstacles but still creates a special bond with his men.
              The Battle of Antienem is one of the bloodiest in American history. This where the movie begins, and Robert Shaw somehow survives the carnage. He recuperates at a hospital with minor injuries compared to everyone else. Once healthy again, the governor promotes him and he is toclead the Massaschusetts 54th volunteer regiment, made up of all black troops. There are many problems that they encounter along the way to their ultimate goal of fighting in battle. The troops need to be trained on how to march, shoot, stab, reload, and much more. They need to learn the very basics of war. After this ordeal, the men are only used for manual labor and not in actual bsttle. They are used to gat her resources for the fighting men which is very disheartening. Among the men are Pvt. Trip (Denzel Washington) and John Rawlins (Morgan Freeman). Trip is a runaway slave who is a troublemaker among the rest of the men. By the end off he movie he shoes the utmost resoect to his peers. The men are able to fight when the lead the charge on Ft. Wagner in South Carolina.
               Mathew Brodderick did an excellent job playing Shaw. He shows respect for every single one of his men like a proper leader should. He even embraces himself with his men when they take part in a protest against their pay. This even put actually happened. Black soldiers were promised normal pay when they joined but they received a reduced pay, 3 dollars less. Much of the Massachsetts were depicted as regular free men and some were even runaway slaves such as Trip. This iflase. The men of the Massascusetts 54th were hand picked and well educated men. Denzel Washinton still did an excellent job. The transformation he goes through during the film is astonishing.
               The ending of the movie is extremely sad. It shows the rebels burying many of the fallen men of the Massachusetts 54th during the battle of aft. Wagner. The men are burred in pits and not in individual graves. One of the last scenes we see is Shaw and Trip being thrown in the pit. In actuality, Shaw was thrown at the bottom of the pit. His body was disrespected when he died at aft. Wagner. I also enjoyed the pep talk that Rawlins gave Pvt. Trip. It was a huge proponent in helping Trip go through his transformation.
              I enjoyed this movie when watching jt. I would give 6 stars out of 10, the movie taught the lesson lf loyalty. Shaw was extremely loyal to his men just as they were loyal to him. Despite the differences in skin color, these men were a family. In order to succeed they had to be.

Jack Chicalo
The Patriot Movie Review

"The Patriot": An Inaccurate Account of the Revolutionary War

               After viewing the movie "The Patriot" I'd like to write a review. The movie is notorious for its historical inaccuracies regarding the Revolutionary War. This movie was filled with drama, suspense, and action from start to finish. It mainly covered the adventures of a South Carolina militia and the leader's family. By the end of this movie, the viewer will have a newfound sense of patriotism. 
               The Patriot is a Revolutionary War movie. It takes place in 1776 South Carolina during the days of the British colonies. Tensions were high between the colonials and the British. Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) was the father of 2 boys ready to join the Continental Army. Although reluctant to do so, he allowed his eldest son to join. Martin was not a fan of the war himself. Soon enough, Martin acquires an animosity for the British and their cruel tactics, especially William Tavington(Jason Issacs). Benjamin Martin begins to fight the British because of the harsh acts committed against his family. He gathers a militia and begins his campaign against the British.
               The protagonist in this movie is Benjamin Martin, played by Mel Gibson. He is a father and a plantation owner ran by his family and a few slaves. This is one of the first mistakes we see in the movie. In South Carolina, slaves accounted for a huge percentage of the entire population. There would not be a handful of slaves on plantation is South Carolina, there would be a myriad of them. Mel Gibson does an excellent job in this movie. He shows what the true meaning of loyalty and patriotism truly are. One of the best moments of this movie is when Martin decides to fight in the Battle of Cowpens. As the front line marches to their presumable death, Martin emerges on horseback carrying an American flag. the militia rally around him before the extremely important battle. Mel Gibson shows a wide range of emotions from extreme sadness when tragedy strikes his family or pride when they beat the redcoats in the battle of Cowpens. Meanwhile, the antagonist is William Tavington played by Jason Isaccs. Tavington is a British officer notorious for brutal tactics against the Continental Army and even the citizens. This never happened during the Revolutionary War. If a British officer ever committed an act such as burning down a village full of civilians, his family name would be shamed for eternity. Tavington is very cutthroat, bold, and ambitious. He is based off the British officer Banastre Tarleton. Tavington often disregards orders and plays by his own rules. Actor Jason Issacs does a good job of portraying this mindset.
               After viewing the movie, I had a sense of patriotism that I usually do not feel, and I enjoyed this very much. This may be attributed how Benjamin Martin triumphed over the evil William Tavington. The character that Tavington is based off of was not evil, and this is where my problems with this movie begin. The movie is incredibly inaccurate. The reason we feel so good at the end of the movie is because the evil British lost, but the British were not evil. An officer would never kill anyone innocent. Tavington is quoted as saying those helping the colonials are enemies of the British, and that is false.
               There are plenty of lessons or themes that "The Patriot" expresses. One of them is loyalty. Benjamin Martin is a war hero from the French and Indian War. After that, he is not an advocate of fighting. He is actually against the Revolutionary War, and thinks it can be solved in a different matter. This all changes after his family is threatened. Benjamin Martin brings together a militia to fight the British. The guerilla tactics the militia used in the movie were the same as the ones used by certain militias during the actual war. Benjamin Martin joins the fight to protect his family. He has pride for his country too. He knows that colonials are being treated poorly, and during the war, they're being treated even worse during the war. Benjamin knows that his countrymen deserve better and that is why he joins the fight.
               I think anyone with a sense of patriotism would enjoy this movie. Anyone who likes action movies or movies where the good guys win would also like this film. Historians on the other hand will not like this film. The historical inaccuracies are plentiful in "The Patriot".
              Overall, I enjoyed this movie. It was action packed and filled with patriotism. I'd give the movie 7 stars out of 10.