Weekend warriors

Not Christopher Pyne

Last night, my viewing companion and I started to watch Gods and Generals on Netflix. One hour in, and my impressions are not favourable. I also see that it has a rating of 8 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes. It is easy to see why.

The dialogue and performances are overwrought and melodramatic, and the battle scenes look like they were performed by historical reenactment groups.

In the heat of battle, being bombarded with artillery, and under attack by enemy foot soldiers charging you with bayonets, and reinforced by horse mounted troops, you wouldn't last too long if you casually sauntered across the battlefield. The director clearly wasn't aiming for authenticity in staging these scenes.

Stephen Lang plays Confederate General, Stonewall Jackson (1824-1863). From certain angles, he looks like an older version of Australian politician, Christopher Pyne. Pyne is Defence Minister in the Turnbull government. The only differences are that the plummy Pyne does not speak with a southern drawl, nor has he ever had any facial hair to speak of.

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gods_and_generals/