Admirable for its refusal to adhere to the black-and-white ideas of basic high school history. Ang Lee deserves credit for his nuanced and perplexed depiction of the Civil War. The vast, somewhat odd cast is an ensemble mosaic of families and neighbors torn. It's unfortunate that this historic scope is lost in the last act, muddled in favor of misplaced sentiment that resembles romantic comedy. There's just no excuse for the awkward and unlikely romance, nor "stubborn man with a baby" cliches.

This is one of Ang Lee's weakest films but is unfairly overlooked because it still contains some excellent Civil War scenes. The story can be meandering at times and the cast is unusual but overall it's not bad. The acting seems very uninspired in this which is the primary flaw.

It's definitely Tobey Maguire that holds this one back. I just can't take that dude seriously. His performance feels like a parody of Tobey Maguire but no, he's completely serious. But this does have good photography and some nice direction, so it's not all worthless.

Rushed to the theatre to see this on opening night and was deeply disappointed. A big part of it has to be my deep distaste for Mr. Maguire. I just didn't find the plot or the action compelling.

Tobey Maguire is complete dog shit as an actor and if you want to watch dog shit talk all old timey, this is for you. The only interesting character in this thing is the black guy fighting for the south. Every time Jonathan Rhys Meyers character is on screen you want to fast forward because of how retarded he looks. Hey all you nerds out there who grow your hair long: you look retarded.

Really liked the beginning, Schamus really stretching his wings and feels correct, starts to lose me when the wartime melodramatic "dieing" starts, totally lost by the end.

A lukewarm performance by Tobey McGuire dampens this otherwise interesting and well-made film about Missouri "bushwackers" in the Civil War.

Some great war scenes, & lots of meandering story that i sometimes care about & other times, well, I'm waiting for blood. Jewel is somewhat lifeless, and a pretty girl, of which better use may have been made. Difficult to make much of an emotional investment in the characters.

A good film. This should have done far better than it did at the box office. The story flows well, with some nice twists. It's really refreshing to watch a character develop, and still end up flawed.

Similar to Cold Mountain maybe not as strong an ending, but possibly a better body to the film.