The Colt (2005)

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

A Masterpiece!

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Blistering performances.

I am watching this movie right now and was about to delete it from my PVR to make space. I thought I would have a quick look to see what it was like and it hooked me from the start. The acting is good if not great and the story holds the attention well. It is not a sentimentalised view of war as the synopsis might indicate and it does not gloss over the brutality of war either. It has the qualities of good anti war movies like The Red Badge of Courage or All Quiet on the Western Front - no bad thing. Channel 5 doesn't always have dross movies on in the afternoon obviously-many I have tried have been awful cheap romances or unthrilling "thrillers"!!

This is what I usually want to see when I see any story about war. The men who fight in wars are human beings. They harbor their own dreams, apart from the dreams which the war they fight in tries to instill into them.It reminds me of the last scene in "All Quiet on the Western Front." Man's This is not another movie about the Civil War. It does not gloss over the ugly parts and it does not make the tender parts too pretty.What it does reveal is that men will always be weak and strong, and brave and scared and that to fight in a war is one of, is not the, most difficult thing a man can do in his life.If we can be grateful, in the face of these calamities, it can only be vainglorious in contrast to the very sacrifices which we can only imagine were made on our behalf and will be made on our behalf for much more time to come.While The Colt may only be a story, it had to be made. Mainly because as long as men fight wars, they must never forget that there is honor in many other things that war does not reveal about men.I recommend it very highly.

This movie is well acted, and the colt shows the humanity of people even during a war. If you haven't seen a civil war movie in some time this is an interesting look at this time in our history without taking away from the essential theme that all civil war movies try to show which is that it was a vicious war with lots of suffering from both the north and south and no one was exempt from the horrors of the war. The Colt takes you away from the brutality and makes the characters seem more humane. The character of Jim is well acted and I would be surprised if this Kid is not a big star someday. The ending works for the story, but I was hoping it would have ended differently.

The title is deceiving, this movie is much more than a tale about horses. Not being one for sappy animal movies, I was a bit skeptical at first. However, I was curious to see Merriman's performance after watching him years ago on the television series THE PRETENDER so I tuned in. With the Civil War as a backdrop, the story of the colt and men engaged in regiments was very moving. I laughed, cried, and even sat on the edge of my seat at times. It made me analyze history and human behavior. This story explored emotion and compassion that are often neglected in the history books. Suddenly, the Civil War becomes more complex and unnerving- leaving the viewer an opportunity to see humans at their best and worst. Merriman was superb and connected you to his plight as a young Union soldier far from home, trying hard to protect the innocent colt. If you enjoy historical drama, action, and social commentary you will enjoy this film.