Just perfect...

everything you have heard about this movie is true.

As Good As It Gets

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

I enjoyed the movie, it's good entertainment. I have to compare the movie to older westerns rather than newer movies that try to be super realistic. If you compare this with movies made up through the 1970's then it's good. Somewhere along the line people started demanding more accurate historical movies, and I do appreciate authenticity and accuracy. This movie at least gets me asking questions to find out the real story... isn't that what movies do well in the first place? Those reviewers who criticize the movie as "propaganda" are looking for realism. They are also looking for "propaganda" so they can get upset about "left-wing Hollywood", and forget that movies are first entertainment. This movie is dark and brooding at times and takes you along with it. The only complaint I have is definitely the ending where they have "Victoria" surrounded and he surrendered, his soldiers were kneeling with the rifles above their heads in surrender. All the buffalo soldiers had to do was disarm them and the climactic scene following at the end would never had happened. It made no sense, not because it was "propaganda", it just was a silly ending. But Hollywood is full of silly endings that have no political bent...sorry, I just don't get that twist. Sure the movie makes you think and tries to put you in the shoes and times of the Buffalo soldier and it can go over board, but so do most movies especially military movies where they try to make "heroes" and "villains" out of regular people...just to drive the story. That's what happens here.

This film may be a tribute to the African American soldiers but at times it is almost racist. All white men are portrayed as evil while all buffalo soldiers are noble. Even the scout is a black Seminole which is not historically accurate as most scouts at this time were recruited from reservation apaches. the movie also has African American soul music playing over some of the scenes. the movie itself is exciting and a good way to spend a Saturday afternoon but it gets bogged down in the trumpeting of the black soldiers as 'nobler' than their white counterparts.if you want a realistic portrayal of the Apache wars watch 'Ulzana's Raid' with Burt Lancaster or 'The Missing' with Tommy Lee JonesOverall i found this movie enjoyable but irritating at times. it is full of 1990's political correctness but could do with this being played down a bit.

The authors know nothing of the history of the Buffalo Soldiers nor how a dedicated soldier would behave. The authors completely rewrote the history of the particular character of Nana (who was a real person). It's pretty disappointing that the authors chose to give an explanation of the Apaches killing spree as a group who didn't want to live on a reservation. The Apaches historically had raided and murdered many other peaceful tribes as well as settlers; there is plenty of historical documentation. The authors chose to depict them as victims in this film. It's clear that the authors also know nothing about the military and show little regard for them in this film. The Buffalo Soldier would have done his duty with honor as any soldier would, they were not men of cowardice or considered themselves victims. I'm quite ashamed of writers like this who change stories to make a personal statement, they have an agenda. I thought there might be something more accurately portrayed when I rented this movie but it turned out to be quite disappointing.

Picking this movie up from the library shelf, I didn't read anything on the box about it being historically accurate or factual so I didn't expect to get a history lesson by watching it. For a one hundred minute made for TV movie I wasn't at all disappointed, and felt entertained for the time I invested in it. Besides being filmed on location, it appeared a good effort was made in the uniform and prop department and it did not have a Hollywood look or feel to it. I would recommend this movie to those who like westerns; and don't have an eye and ear for knowing it all, or watch movies for their political or social messages. I did notice that their 1873 Colt's had the wrong frame for the time period, and the cylinders weren't beveled as they should have been, but I guess we all have to find fault somewhere, even us simple mined folk. Watch it, and enjoy it for what it is.