Review of Gettysburg (1993) by Doug M — 11 Feb 2011

It would be unfair to rate "Gods and Generals" without also rating the film to which it is a prequel. "Gettysburg" is a wonderful war film that fills up an entire four hours (which is even longer than G&G), but does so very well. It's beautifully filmed, and every phase of the battle is documented in great detail so that you know exactly what each side is doing at every stage, and why. But despite the focus on detail, the movie is never boring because of the excellent performances turned in by the actors. Jeff Daniels and C. Thomas Howell really make you care about Col. Joshua ("Don't call me Lawrence!") Chamberlain and his brother Tom, who led the 20th Maine in its pivotal struggle to hold Little Round Top against overwhelming odds. Stephen Lang also does a very good job as Gen. Pickett, which is why it's so weird that he did such a terrible job as Stonewall Jackson in G&G. But the biggest surprise is Martin Sheen, who is the last man you'd ever expect to see playing Robert E. Lee. He does a great job with the role. At one point I mentioned to Steve that it seemed Sheen had portrayed Lee as a crazed Genius, and Steve said yes, that's how Michaell Schaara wrote Lee in "The Killer Angels" (the novel "Gettysburg" was based upon). So, he nailed it!

This film will wow any history buff, and despite its epic length it should hold the interest of anyone interested in good human drama. Four stars.