Riley's last battle
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Riley's last battle |
| Original title | One Man's Hero |
| Country of production | USA , Spain , Mexico |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1998 |
| length | 123 minutes |
| Rod | |
| Director | Lance Hool |
| script | Milton S. Gelman |
| production |
Conrad Hool Lance Hool William J. McDonald |
| music | Ernest Troost |
| camera | João Fernandes |
| cut | Mark Conte |
| occupation | |
| |
Riley's Last Battle (Original Title: One Man's Hero ) is a 1998 western about a little-known episode of the war between Mexico and the United States. Tom Berenger plays the lead role, directed by Lance Hool; in the German-speaking area it was first shown on pay TV in May 2001.
action
The story of John Riley of Saint Patrick's Battalion, a group of Irish Catholic immigrants in the United States who deserted from the Protestant US Army to the mostly Catholic Mexican side during the American-Mexican War .
Riley and some of the men in his battalion, who fled the famine caused by the poor potato harvest in their homeland , are flogged for desertion after attending a Catholic mass on Mexican property. Since the Irish, who were promised citizenship in return for their army service, feel that they are treated as second-class soldiers anyway, they flee to Mexico to board a ship back to their Irish homeland, but then have to leave because of the war that has broken out Evade arrest as enemies of the war in the form of suspicious pursuits by the guerrilla leader Cortina. When captured, Riley is wounded; on getting to know each other better, he and Cortina realize that they have a lot in common politically.
Riley falls in love with the patriot and Cortina's friend Marta. Riley's and his men made up their minds: As the Saint Patrick's Battalion , they fight alongside the Mexicans to show their loyalty.
criticism
The lexicon of international films wrote that the western was "an opulently staged historical film that picks up on a dark chapter of American history and holds up a mirror from a Mexican point of view to US patriotic productions (such as" Alamo "by John Ford)."
TVGuide remarks that the director may lack the visual feel for the implementation of such an epic, but he can produce a rock solid work. Overall, the uninspired direction and script is a shame; it remains a worthwhile film due to the inherent provocations.
Remarks
It was filmed in Durango , Mexico. The film was only released in limited editions in American cinemas.
Web links
- One Man's Hero in the Internet Movie Database (English)