Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

 13th Century, O-S  2 Responses »
Jun 202019
 
Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Robin of Locksley, a crusader, returns to England with a Muslim companion and finds himself leading a band of outlaws against a villainous sheriff who is scheming to take the throne. I think that the screenwriters did the least amount of historical research among all of the Robin Hood movies I have seen so far, which is saying a lot. Despite my many complaints, the film is mostly pleasant, if occasionally stupid, but too long. Regardless, Alan Rickman’s performance as the Sheriff of Nottingham is a must-see. Read More…

Robin Hood (1991)

 13th Century, O-S  No Responses »
May 162019
 
Robin Hood (1991)

Rating: ★★★☆☆
Sir Robert, earl of Huntington, a Saxon noble, offends a more powerful Norman noble and loses his lands, so he finds refuge in Sherwood Forest with a band of outlaws, adopting the name Robin. To his surprise, he finds himself leading a revolt against the Norman occupiers. A moderately accurate look at the period, it is an entertaining film with a number of strange but beautiful scenes. Read More…

Robin and Marian

 13th Century, O-S  No Responses »
Apr 252019
 
Robin and Marian

Rating: ★★★½☆
Unlike the majority of movies about Robin Hood, Robin and Marian is basically a romance. With a lot of action. Director Richard Lester was comfortable with swashbucklers, having made The Three Musketeers (1973), The Four Musketeers (1974) and Royal Flash (1975), but while he kept the action and humor, he added more mature scenes, providing an honest portrayal of men who try to relive their glory days, unwilling to admit that their best days are behind them. Read More…

Robin Hood (1922)

 13th Century, O-S  No Responses »
Oct 112018
 
Robin Hood (1922)

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Prince John seizes control of England while King Richard is absent on crusade. Aware that the king would abandon the crusade if he knew, the earl of Huntington returns to England and becomes the robber chief Robin Hood to oppose John’s harsh rule. Although the movie was a grueling experience, the stunts are wicked, and worthy of Jackie Chan. To be fair, there is some history, but this is for silent film buffs only. Read More…

Robin Hood (2010)

 13th Century, O-S  2 Responses »
Sep 202018
 
Robin Hood (2010)

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Even though it is called Robin Hood, I honestly have the impression that director Ridley Scott wanted to make a movie about England during WWII, since all of the men are away fighting in France, and everyone fears invasion. The story of an archer who convinces King John to sign a charter granting equal rights to all Englishmen, but becomes too popular and is declared an outlaw, the film is filled with an astonishing number of historical inaccuracies. In particular, the decision to transform a nasty squabble between two rival families over territory in Europe into a conflict between the English and the French produces a movie that has little to do with history. Read More…

Prisoner 13

 Mexican Revolution (1910-1920), O-S  No Responses »
May 102018
 
Prisoner 13

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
A film about a corrupt military officer, who accepts a bribe to release a revolutionary, but unknowingly arranges for his long-lost son to to take the prisoner’s place, Prisoner 13 is essentially a morality play due to the twist ending. While the film does not say much about the Mexican Revolution, it is interesting and must have been quite daring for the time. Given the grim atmosphere, it is recommended for fans of Pre-code film and film buffs but not the average viewer. Read More…

Pancho Villa

 Mexican Revolution (1910-1920), O-S  No Responses »
Nov 022017
 
Pancho Villa

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
Pancho Villa’s raid on Columbus, New Mexico, which led to the American Intervention in Mexico, is presented as a comedy. To be honest, the screenwriter seems to have done little research, focusing instead on the comedic elements of the script with uneven success. Every scene with Telly Savalas is fun to watch, but it is unlikely that viewers will learn anything about the Mexican Revolution. The action sequences are imaginative if low-budget. In fact, the director seems fascinated with trains, since most of the action involves various scenarios of train collisions. Read More…

Paths of Glory

 O-S, WWI (1914-1918)  No Responses »
Nov 032016
 
Paths of Glory

Rating: ★★★★☆
Following a failed attack on a German position, three French soldiers are chosen by lot to be executed for cowardice and are defended by their commanding officer in a court-martial. Although the film is famous for the court trial, the chilling attack on the German trenches is one of the best I have seen in a WWI film. Director Stanley Kubrick was a photographer, so he carefully researched photos from WWI to ensure that the battlefield and trenches appeared realistic. In fact, many scenes look like an old photo coming to life. A harsh portrayal of the cost of scheming among the high command on ordinary soldiers, Paths of Glory is one of the best movies on WWI. Read More…

Ma Barker’s Killer Brood

 O-S, Public Enemy Era (1932-1935)  No Responses »
Oct 272016
 
Ma Barker's Killer Brood

Rating: ★★½☆☆
Although the script states that Ma Barker was so cunning that she was never arrested in two decades of crime, the real J. Edgar Hoover, director of the FBI, had labeled Ma the brains of the Barker-Kasrpis Gang in order to avoid the blame for killing an unarmed grandmother. While the script transforms Ma Barker into a criminal mastermind who makes Walter White look like an indecisive bumbler, the overall story is relatively accurate. Emphasis on relatively. Despite the complete disconnect from historical reality, it is a fun movie. Read More…

Run Silent, Run Deep

 O-S, WWII (1939-1945)  5 Responses »
Feb 202014
 
Run Silent, Run Deep

Rating: ★★★☆☆
The story of the captain of an American submarine who disobeys orders to take revenge against the Japanese destroyer that sunk his previous submarine, it is a good movie with a remarkably tight script and very tense action scenes. Written by an ex-submariner, Run Silent, Run Deep’s greatest strength is its amazing technical detail and cramped interiors which were actually filmed on a sub loaned by the Navy. Read More…

The Scarlet Coat

 American Revolution (1776-1783), O-S  2 Responses »
Jan 162014
 
The Scarlet Coat

Rating: ★★½☆☆
In 1780, the war between the British and the American rebels is five-years-old, and has reached a stalemate. The chief intelligence officer for George Washington and the head of the Culper Spy Ring, searches for the agent who is sending the British vital military information, but learns too late that it is the famous hero, Major General Benedict Arnold. While the balanced treatment of both sides is praiseworthy, and the examination of the early intelligence service is worthwhile, it is not director John Sturges’ best film. In fact, everyone is too stiff, aside from Michael Wilding, who plays Major John Andre, a British army officer and Arnold’s contact, who was hung as a spy. Although the movie is worth watching for Wilding’s performance, it is regrettable that the script focuses on the tragic death of Andre, not the vanity and character flaws that drove Benedict Arnold to betray his country. Read More…

Retreat, Hell!

 Korean War (1950-1953), O-S  2 Responses »
Jul 252013
 
Retreat, Hell!

Rating: ★★★½☆
Retreat, Hell! tells the story of the First Marine Division, including its participation in the amphibious landing at Inchon, the bloody fight for Seoul, and the retreat from the Chosin Reservoir following the Chinese intervention in the Korean War. Made on a Marine base with the full cooperation of the Marine Corps and when MacArthur was still worshipped as an iconic general, the script avoids any criticism of the controversial general. This is not a movie for people who value richly developed characters; while the characters are made from cardboard, it is sturdy cardboard. It is not a great movie, and there are a couple more stirring speeches than are required but Retreat, Hell! is a no-nonsense look at the successful breakout from a carefully planned Chinese trap. Read More…

One Minute to Zero

 Korean War (1950-1953), O-S  No Responses »
May 232013
 
One Minute to Zero

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
One Minute To Zero is a jingoistic film on the Korean War that shows powerful America nobly defending little South Korea, which is incapable of fighting for itself. Aside from the obligatory and entertaining romance, it attracted much attention during its initial release for the inclusion of graphic combat footage instead of regular special effects. When North Korea suddenly invades South Korea, an American military adviser must first help evacuate all American civilians, and then block the enemy’s supply route to relieve pressure on the defenders at Pusan. The film transforms the South Koreans into helpless victims, papers over Syngman Rhee’s dictatorial excesses, skips over the thousands of friendly fire deaths caused by aerial bombing, and ignores both the embarrassing routs of American units and the general chaos. Read More…

Old Gringo

 Mexican Revolution (1910-1920), O-S  No Responses »
May 052012
 
Old Gringo

Rating: ★★½☆☆
A vanity project for Jane Fonda, who starred and produced, Old Gringo (1989), set in the Mexican Revolution, is a jarring mix of epic and intimate stories that never comes together as a whole. Parts of the film are superb, but the script does not live up to the stunning images. Read More…

Santa Fe Trail

 O-S, Pre-American Civil War (1850-1860)  No Responses »
Sep 012010
 
Santa Fe Trail

Rating: ★½☆☆☆
Santa Fe Trail (1940) covers Bleeding Kansas and John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry, which helped start the American Civil War, but not even Errol Flynn’s limitless charm can redeem a movie that shows black people preferring the peace and security of slavery to freedom. Read More…