The San Patricio Battalion were not heroes as this movie would have you believe, they were treasonous scum. This movie makes idols out of men who deserted their army to fight for their enemy and slaughter their former comrades.
One fact this movie overlooks (and believe me, there are many) is that the traitor Riley lured many of his San Patricios with promises of Mexican prostitutes. Riley also often speaks in the movie of "freedom" to be found in Mexico, yet at the time Mexico was under the rule of the dictatorial Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. One fact also ignored is that of all the abused (and yes there was abuse, I won't deny that) Irishmen, the San Patricios were only a small minority. Most Irish remained loyal to their adopted country.
On a larger sense, this movie is one piece of liberal, revisionist, America-hating trash. The Mexican War was not unjust, most of those who did not support the war were Whig party members (Polk was a Democrat) and Northerners who had an absurd paranoia that the war was a massive conspiracy by the "slavocracy". The Mexican war is entirely Mexico's fault for not being able to accept their loss of Texas and then pressing the boundary issue when they shouldn't have, they can argue over land with Texas when they can govern the land they already have in a semi-decent manner. The movie also goes out of it's way to show American's as evil, merciless conquerors, Winfield Scott especially. Now, I'm going to stop now, before I began bashing the keyboard because I can't type as fast as I can think of reasons why the Mexican War was a wonderful thing.
Other than it's treasonous nature, the movie is also just plain bad. The plot is horribly melodramatic and in between the lousy combat scenes all there is is a second-rate romantic subplot.
The only good part was at the end when you see all the traitors get hung like they deserved and then flail around a little bit before they die.
Don't see this movie whatever you do!
One fact this movie overlooks (and believe me, there are many) is that the traitor Riley lured many of his San Patricios with promises of Mexican prostitutes. Riley also often speaks in the movie of "freedom" to be found in Mexico, yet at the time Mexico was under the rule of the dictatorial Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. One fact also ignored is that of all the abused (and yes there was abuse, I won't deny that) Irishmen, the San Patricios were only a small minority. Most Irish remained loyal to their adopted country.
On a larger sense, this movie is one piece of liberal, revisionist, America-hating trash. The Mexican War was not unjust, most of those who did not support the war were Whig party members (Polk was a Democrat) and Northerners who had an absurd paranoia that the war was a massive conspiracy by the "slavocracy". The Mexican war is entirely Mexico's fault for not being able to accept their loss of Texas and then pressing the boundary issue when they shouldn't have, they can argue over land with Texas when they can govern the land they already have in a semi-decent manner. The movie also goes out of it's way to show American's as evil, merciless conquerors, Winfield Scott especially. Now, I'm going to stop now, before I began bashing the keyboard because I can't type as fast as I can think of reasons why the Mexican War was a wonderful thing.
Other than it's treasonous nature, the movie is also just plain bad. The plot is horribly melodramatic and in between the lousy combat scenes all there is is a second-rate romantic subplot.
The only good part was at the end when you see all the traitors get hung like they deserved and then flail around a little bit before they die.
Don't see this movie whatever you do!