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Customer Reviews of One Man's Hero

A great story told badly
The story of the San Patricio battalion and the Mexican-American war is a compelling one - a group of American soldiers (primarily Irish) end up joining the Mexican army, largely due to the anti-catholic sentiment in the US at the time. The movie One man's Hero does a reasonably good job of getting the basics right, although many layers and details of the story are altered or left out.

Unfortunately, the movie fails as a movie and the story isn't enough to save it. There are some good performances by some of the supporting cast, who outshine the primary actors. Tom Berenger sleepwalks through the picture, mumbling in an affected Irish brogue. Daniela Romo, a female lead thrown in because somebody felt a love interest was necessary, manages two facial expressions - a worried smile and a worried non-smile. Some of the other primaries may have talent, but it's difficult to say as they are drawn as caricatures and not allowed to show any depth (General Taylor's character being a notable exception).

The battle and fight scenes are boring, seeming out-of-place and disconnected from the rest of the movie. The movie as a whole is ridden with cliches; you can see the plot "twists" coming well in advance. The personal relationships pop up with little or no explanation, I guess Riley (Berenger) must fall in love with Marta (Romo) at first sight because there's darn little leading up to it (yes, she nurses him back to health but he was unconscious at the time).

I am interested in this aspect of the Mexican-American War and had done some reading and research on the topic prior to seeing One Man's Hero. I sat down to watch the film ready to enjoy a great story; the story is a good one and would probably make a great movie, unfortunately One Man's Hero isn't it. Anyone interested in the San Patricio battalion is probably better off skipping this movie and reading one of the several books on it (including one by Michael Hogan, who was a consultant for One Man's Hero).

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Captivating film about a tragic story
One Man's Hero is a beautiful film. Beneath any flaws in style and editing, discussions of touchy subject matter, etc. etc., it presents the incredible true story of a group of Irish immigrants who deserted the US army to fight with Mexico during the Mexican War to become the San Patricios. For an $ million film and fairly unknown director, it stands the test well and emerges an educational and compelling piece of moviemaking.

Truth be told, there's nothing spectacular about the battle scenes or any groundbreaking aspects, but the collective strength of the cast and the solid script pay homage to these men. The film boasts several brilliant "moments", a sub-plot romance, wonderful performances from supporting cast, a thought provoking subject from the archives of history, and the drama and charismatic profundity of a lost cause and ultimate tragedy. Kudos to great score and utilizing the terrain to the benefit of the film.

Though it's not a blazing Oscar candidate, this is a wonderful, sad, and highly personal film about human beings trying to make the best of an unusual and dangerous situation. It has a layered cultural atmosphere that is refreshing and enlightening, and no doubt you'll end the film with a new appreciation of history and belief in film.

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Ouch
This boring movie tells the story of a group of Irish Immigrants who joined the United States Army only for the sake of getting the citizenship. Once they did, they betray this very army because "they're" discriminated on religious and ethnic views.

A smart man once said "Believe nothing what you hear, and only half of what you see". Apart from historical dates, I don't think any of what we've seen in this movie actually happened. It possibly couldn't.

If Oscars were given for the bad movies - this one surely would get at least 10.

Don't waste your time on this movie.