I give this film points only for featuring Igorot people, something very rare. Otherwise it's very slow and boring, and often false and offensive.
As an action or war movie it fails. There's about 3 minute of action total, including one ridiculous fistfight where the American officer outweighs a Filipino leader by 50 lbs and still barely wins.
The war depicted was one of the most brutal, but almost unknown in America. Up to a million dead, massacres, forced relocation, starvation, epidemics, and several notorious generals who issued orders to "kill everyone over 10 years old."
And this film whiteswashes it, makes the troops into nice guys who build a well and a school. The patriots who fought for independence for over 30 years are shown as primitive savages (with feather headdresses!) or deluded. And the average Filipino just loves loves loves Americans, the exact opposite of real history.
As an action or war movie it fails. There's about 3 minute of action total, including one ridiculous fistfight where the American officer outweighs a Filipino leader by 50 lbs and still barely wins.
The war depicted was one of the most brutal, but almost unknown in America. Up to a million dead, massacres, forced relocation, starvation, epidemics, and several notorious generals who issued orders to "kill everyone over 10 years old."
And this film whiteswashes it, makes the troops into nice guys who build a well and a school. The patriots who fought for independence for over 30 years are shown as primitive savages (with feather headdresses!) or deluded. And the average Filipino just loves loves loves Americans, the exact opposite of real history.