On R List of Movie Reviews
(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)
Revolution (1985)
Rate:
8
Viewed:
7/08, 7/13
7/08:
Revolution is a bit like Barry Lyndon yet is so far from it.
It's also a bit like The Last of the Mohicans yet is so far from it. But the
film was most defnitely there first before The Patriot, an ultra cheesy movie with Mel
Gibson and Heath Ledger, showed up. The cinematography is particularly
wonderful, and the costumes are well-done. There are many lovely shots, and I like how the characters are placed.
Plus, the mix of motley elements helps the film achieve the necessary atmosphere.
So, what went wrong in Revolution? How can a film that stars Al Pacino at the hands of Hugh Hudson, the director of
Chariots of Fire, fail? Simply put, there's no "middle." There is the introduction and
there is the end, but there's
no middle. The movie is full of style but no substance. Every time a battle happens, little is shown which is
disappointing. As for the setting, there seems to be exactly two locations: the docks and the grass field. How about coming up
with more?
Al Pacino, I admit, is completely miscast; he may have had the potential to give a polished performance. However, the way he acts
is like he showed up on the set just for one day, said his lines, and left. In other words, he's flat, boring, and emotionless.
It doesn't surprise me one bit this film nearly ruined his career.
Meanwhile, the love story between Tom Dobb and Daisy McConnahay isn't convincing because she looks old enough to be his
son's lover. She just comes and goes with the promise of coming back in the future on some battleground through some
odd chance. Also, her presence confuses the aim of Revolution, leaving me unsure if Hugh Hudson wanted a love story or a
retelling of the events during the American Revolution. As a result, his mind was never made up, thus wasting a valuable
opportunity to turn it into a three-hour epic that should've rivaled the best of the bunch:
The Birth of a Nation, Gone with the Wind,
Ben-Hur, and Schindler's List.
Donald Sutherland is among the greatest actors in history, and he gets to have the ugliest mole on his face? How ridiculous.
Every time the focus is on his character, I'm not sure how he connects to the overall story. The relationship between him and
his son is also pointless. By the way, when the closing credits came, I spotted a name that's the most interesting of them all:
General George Washington. I must beseech thee to spot him for me in the film because I'm quite sure that I never missed him.
Once again, Revolution should've been a three-hour epic, going from the Crispus Attucks incident to the Boston
Tea Party, from Lexington to Washington's crossing of Delaware River, from Yorktown to the Treaty of Paris, and from the
British's rule to the Declaration of Independence. There should be a display of sweeping changes and emotions amid the
divided groups of King's George loyalists and patriots as well as neutrals. It'll be a fascinating movie this way.
All in all, Revolution had the premise, but what a bad mess it has been with no clear message.
7/13:
I've changed my tune for Revolution and think of it as a fine picture.
It does well by creating ambivalence within the central character, Tom Dobbs (Al Pacino), in terms of fighting for
the cause. In the long run, changes come for him and his son as they go through harsh experiences. From time to time,
Daisy (Nastassja Kinski) pops in to check on how these two are doing. It can be emotional sometimes. Overall, I
won't say Revolution is a grand spectacle because it's a muddy and wet one, but that's what I like about the movie.
As time passes, there's a shift in the climate of how well the troops are faring although it's not always clear.
The plot is mostly told in a gist to speed up the timeline without referencing to any important event during the American Revolution.
In the end, it turns out that Tom had been cheated out of 150 acres and some money. What does this mean after all? And to
answer the question, I'm not sure.
All in all, Revolution isn't bad, and I've actually gotten into it very well.