The Mexican-American War is one of the more overlooked conflicts in America's past. If one tries to find a list of movies on it, there will be about a dozen on the Alamo and one or two on the 1846-1848 war itself. The one I found was One Man's Hero, which tells the story of the San Patricio Battalion, a group of Catholic US Army deserters who fought for the Mexicans. This was meant to be a theatrical picture, but its producer Orion was bought out by MGM, which didn't have much interest in the project and turned it into a direct-to-video release. The movie certainly looks like it was made more for TV than the theater as Orion wasn't in the best financial situation at the time.
First I should provide some historical context. The Republic of Texas desired annexation by the United State. Many in the states themselves also had their eyes on Mexico's northern territories of New Mexico and California. Sensing that Mexico was weak (wracked by internal political turmoil), President James K. Polk sought to bring about a war so that these lands could be added to the United States. He was able to antagonize Mexico into firing on troops in the disputed borderlands, providing a casus belli. The war ended with an American victory. While this expanded the nation, it also drove the political atmosphere into sectionalism as the expansion of slavery became a central and divisive issue.
The San Patricios (hispanized form of St. Patrick) were largely Irish immigrants. Anti-immigrant and anti-Catholic strains among Protestant Americans led to discrimination. There was a suspicion that the Irish would owe their allegiance to the pope over their new home. This discrimination led to some poor treatment of immigrant soldiers in the army. Fed up with their ill treatment, many fled south to Mexico (most before the start of war) and then joined the Mexican army. They found much more in common with Catholic Mexico. The San Patricio Battalion, which manned an artillery battery, turned out to be one of the best units in the Mexican Army and even in its many defeats inflicted heavy loses on the US Army. Their leader was John Riley, whose post-war life remains unknown past 1850. The San Patricios were captured at the Battle of Churubusco. Seen as traitors, most were actually labeled deserters because they left before the start of the war. Those who fled the army to join them after the hostilities began were hung. The others were scarred on the face with a "D" to mark them out as deserters.
With that out of the way, let's get to the movie itself. Its general outline is accurate to history, though many of the details are altered or added for dramatic effect. The main hero is John Riley (Tom Berenger), who is promoted to sergeant for this depiction. A highly respected soldier, he feels sympathy for newer immigrants who are punished for attending Mass and breaks them free. They are captured by a band of Mexican revolutionaries led by Cortina (Joaquim de Almeida), who I suspect is supposed to be the Juan Cortina of history. One of Cortina's villagers, Marta (Daniela Romo) takes sympathy on the Irish and they give them refuge. Initially planning to lay low or escape, they instead agree to join the Mexican Army.
Tom Berenger does a good job as John Riley, playing a leader committed to his men. This was around the end of his most more notable run of films and shows. Coming into this century he would mainly feature in B-films or small roles. His Irish accent is up for debate. As far as major star power, the only other recognizable face is Joaquim de Almeida as Cortina. Cortina provides an insight into the internal divisions within Mexico. Like Riley he yearns for true freedom and sees his government as an oppressive force run by corrupt men. In real life there was no such relationship between the Irish deserters and Mexican revolutionaries, but I do always enjoy Joaquim de Almeida. Daniela Romo is actually a popular celebrity in Mexico, more for her singing than acting. She's alright as the obligatory love interest. The supporting Irish characters are alright, as well. They mostly fill out war movie clichés, but are likeable enough.
The movie also takes its time to show the American side of the war which is neat because we get to see Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott, two great figures that are heavily under-represented in media. In his few scenes, Zachary Taylor (James Gammon) comes across greatly as the the rough-hewn Whig general (albeit with an ahistorical mustache) who appears to harbor reservations about the validity of his nation's cause. Winfield Scott (Patrick Bergin) is not as well presented. The actor's performance doesn't get across the general's well-known gravitas. He instead comes off like an Imperial officer from Star Wars, just itching to punish the San Patricios Battalion. Colonel Benton Lacy (Mark Moses) is the main character for the Americans, Riley's former commanding officer who is also disgusted with the treatment of the Irish.
The battle scenes are definitely not of the highest-caliber, with a limited group of extras, and look like they belong in a Ted Turner mini-series. The cannons don't recoil when fired (we don't actually see them loaded, either) and many of the soldiers charge in loose mobs rather than the Napoleonic formations of the time. The best bits in these scenes are the hand-to-hand combat scenes where the action feels more visceral. The movie shows the Battles of Monterrey and Churubusco, as well as bits of Buena Vista. Disappointingly the Churubusco section is too short. While the movie seems set out to make the Irish look like awesome fighters, it actually undersells their performance during the battle, where they gunned down many American officers and held off their soldiers until they ran out of ammunition. The scene where they stop a Mexican from waving a white flag does have basis in reality (they actually started shooting anybody who raised one). The movie also doesn't have their star performance from Buena Vista, where they repulsed several attacks and actually charged and captured two American field pieces.
The movie also adds a love triangle between Riley, Cortina, and Marta. There's a fifteen minute or so section in the second half where Riley goes out to look for Marta and resolves his dispute with Cortina after helping save his village from another gang of Mexicans. This whole section is a fictional invention designed to add more to the love story. Personally I find it a detour from the more truthful historical events.
Overall this is a decent if not particularly great film. A lot of the dialogue, action scenes, and music belong in a TV film and it's not hard to see why MGM did not put it in theaters. Just a little more money or the excision of the love triangle could have given us a proper depiction of the Battle of Buena Vista. For history buffs the fictional additions might lower their opinion, though the love interest combined with Riley's ambiguous post-war life does allow for some happiness in an otherwise downer ending. The film's greatest strength is showing how complicated men's motivations can be in war. The protagonists love the idea of American freedom, but their treatment as Catholics see them go over to a Mexican cause they don't necessarily care that much for. Cortina and Marta show that many Mexicans also had reservations about their government. They might be willing to protect their homes from invaders, but they might not care for the vision of Mexico that's carried out by its leaders. As the only purely Mexican-American War film made by Hollywood, this is worth checking out for American history buffs.
Rating: 6/10
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