It's the craziest thing: I am absolutely fascinated by the obscurities of the Civil War--river naval warfare, telegraph obfuscation, etc.--but had never even HEARD of this movie until I saw it on American Movie Classics. As I watched it, I was amazed at the simultaneous subtlety and depth of the film! The movie tells the story of the guerrilla warfare that took place between "Border Ruffians" in the frontier between Missouri and Kansas during the Civil War. Missouri was a border state that did not secede, but was politically dominated by pro-slavery forces. Kansas, on the other hand, was a hotbed of Unionist, anti-slavery forces. And if you think the politics of today are ugly, you should research the brutality of the bushwackers and jayhawkers. Imagine anti-abortion and pro-abortion people shooting, stabbing and scalping each other rather than just yelling at each other.
Anyway, this is an excellent film. And I am not being politically correct when I am forced to point out that Jeffrey Wright's spot-on performance as Daniel Holt, a slave caught somewhere between freedom, slavery and war was the best in the film. And, yes, that is exactly how some black men ended up fighting for the south.
Another surprise: Jewel Kilcher can ACT! What surprised me even more than this movie's existence (and Jewel's acting abilities) was its DIRECTOR. I HATED, HATED, HATED that "Crouching Tiger" movie that everybody went nuts for. HATED it. That this film was done by the same guy is absolutely amazing.
A highly recommended film. A-.
Things to watch for: William Quantrill and the absolutely historically accurate portrayal of the Sacking of Lawrence, Kansas; hiding out in a hillside "bombproof," guerrilla warfare, 19th-century style.
Anyway, this is an excellent film. And I am not being politically correct when I am forced to point out that Jeffrey Wright's spot-on performance as Daniel Holt, a slave caught somewhere between freedom, slavery and war was the best in the film. And, yes, that is exactly how some black men ended up fighting for the south.
Another surprise: Jewel Kilcher can ACT! What surprised me even more than this movie's existence (and Jewel's acting abilities) was its DIRECTOR. I HATED, HATED, HATED that "Crouching Tiger" movie that everybody went nuts for. HATED it. That this film was done by the same guy is absolutely amazing.
A highly recommended film. A-.
Things to watch for: William Quantrill and the absolutely historically accurate portrayal of the Sacking of Lawrence, Kansas; hiding out in a hillside "bombproof," guerrilla warfare, 19th-century style.