Benedict Arnold is the Judas of America’s national history. One of the Continental Army’s best generals, he faced frustration as other generals and members of Congress took credit for his accomplishments or passed him over for promotion. After marrying into a Loyalist family and being accused of profiteering, he decided to work with the British and almost gave them the important location of West Point. Discovered, he escaped to join the British Army and would die much later in England, reviled by the United States and treated with contempt or indifference by most of the British.
Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor was an A&E television film that sought to give Arnold (portrayed by Aidan Quinn) a sympathetic portrayal. The Movie is for the most part accurate, but almost everything just feels…off. One major culprit is the rushed narrative. A two to three hour film could have better fleshed our Arnold’s psychology so we actually feel something when he turns on his country. Of course, it would need better dialogue and some better casting choices as well. A&E was able to make low-budget historical films like The Crossing and Shackleton look great, but you can really feel the low budget with this one.
It’s
not like the movie is reliant on battle scenes. The first ten minutes quickly
run down Arnold’s military career. First there is his competent performance in
the invasion of Canada, which was a disaster for the Continental Army. Then
there’s his escape from the Battle of Valcour Island, a freshwater naval affair
which was a tactical British victory, but also put a wrench in major British
offensive plans. Then Arnold gets wounded leading his men to victory at
Saratoga. This battle scene is light on extras, but it is a rare film portrayal
of one of America’s most important battles.
Aidan Quinn makes a lot of exasperated faces. Kelsey Grammer's Washington stands behind him.
Aidan
Quinn is a good actor, but his character is obnoxious. Benedict Arnold was a bitter man
in real life, but because of the film’s rushed nature his angry and moping
moments are so constant that he comes off as whiny. Worse is Kelsey Grammer as
George Washington. Grammer is too emotive for Washington. When taking Arnold’s side, he acts a bit too warm and chummy. At other times he too easily flies into anger. I should add that this is the second of three
films on my list to crap on General Horatio Gates. Here he’s portrayed with a
snobby accent and is shown to have almost lost the Battle of Saratoga.
Another
character with a snobby upgrade is Pennsylvania politician Joseph Reed (Stephen
Hogan). I had to do extra research on this figure. Reed ensured that veterans
received half-pay for the rest of their lives and also played a large role in
ending slavery in Pennsylvania. The movie, however, focuses on and upscales his
less savory traits. Reed was heavily antagonistic to Loyalists in real life,
but the movie has him flat out hanging them en masse. This makes Arnold more
sympathetic when Reed tries to undercut his military authority and have him
convicted on corruption charges.
Then
there’s John Andre (John Light) and Peggy Shippen (Flora Montgomery). John Andre
is made out to be the younger, more romantic side love interest for Shippen,
quoting poetry in his initial scene. He, Shippen, and Arnold exchange quite a
bit of awful romantic dialogue with each other, as if the film is trying to
compensate for its low runtime by forcing out the emotions. I remember seeing a
small part of this movie with my brother when we were flipping channels, and
this exchange stuck with me until I finally saw the whole thing twenty-three
years later.
Andre:
In my mind, I'm kissing your lips.
Shippen:
I'm kissing them back.
Ugh.
Andre kisses those lips for real.
The movie does make a grand historical argument that Arnold's portrayal actually resulted in the Americans' eventual victory. When Arnold dons a red British uniform and reports to General Henry Clinton (Nick Dunning), his new superior tells him that the Americans were starting to fall apart from internal dissensions, but his betrayal united them in anger. I'd say this is a bit of a stretch. The movie did try to work this narrative in with a subplot about the mutiny of Pennsylvania troops, but it fails to land because, again, everything is moving too fast.
In
short, Benedict Arnold: A Question of
Honor is for the most part historically accurate, but ruined by rushed
pacing, bad dialogue, and a surprisingly poor Washington. One of the tensest
episodes of espionage and betrayal fails to conjure the proper suspense.
Someday I'll check out the show Turn, which I trust portrays the event in much more detail.
Rating:
3/10
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