Rating of
2/4
No Gods but Too Many Generals
Indyfreak - wrote on 09/08/14
The followup to 1993's sleeper hit Gettysburg is not as bad as people say it is but it's definitely flawed. Most of the acting is fantastic with inspired casting such as Robert Duvall as Robert E. Lee, Stephen Lang as Stonewall Jackson, and Jeff Daniels as Joshua Chamberlain. The battle sequences are staged as they should be-as an actual battle might have been fought with no fancy camera angles or fast-paced editing or that bloody shaky-cam.
The first of two issues that I can raise as genuine complaints which can bring the movie down is its length. I understand that Gettysburg is the same length but Gods and Generals simply does not pack the same dramatic punch as its predecessor and the four hour running time reveals this to the audience. It has no sense of momentum and there are many scenes which simply drag on for no reason.
The second reason is the disturbingly pro-Confederacy angle that the film seems to be aiming for. Whether this is purely incidental because the primary characters happen to be Confederate officers or by design, I cannot be certain but it does distract the audience from the otherwise fine acting and makes viewers uncomfortable. There are even scenes with African-American characters serving an Uncle Tom role to the Confederate characters. It's just disturbing to watch moments like this happen in a movie made in the 21st century.
