The Colt (2005)

I am watching this movie right now and was about to delete it from my PVR to make space. I thought I would have a quick look to see what it was like and it hooked me from the start. The acting is good if not great and the story holds the attention well. It is not a sentimentalised view of war as the synopsis might indicate and it does not gloss over the brutality of war either. It has the qualities of good anti war movies like The Red Badge of Courage or All Quiet on the Western Front - no bad thing. Channel 5 doesn't always have dross movies on in the afternoon obviously-many I have tried have been awful cheap romances or unthrilling "thrillers"!!

If you like your movies sappy, then this one's for you. I can't help but think how much tragedy would have been prevented in this movie via the use of a concept I like to call "scouts". I'm all for the suspension of disbelief (especially when watching a movie on the hallmark channel) but the idea that a guy could be riding his horse around in a war and *not* know it was pregnant strains incredulity to it's limits. I'm not the target audience and I admit that I was forced to watch this but I really didn't like this movie. I found it pretty amazing how much outright death this had for a family movie. The ending especially could be pretty traumatic for little kids.

This movie is well acted, and the colt shows the humanity of people even during a war. If you haven't seen a civil war movie in some time this is an interesting look at this time in our history without taking away from the essential theme that all civil war movies try to show which is that it was a vicious war with lots of suffering from both the north and south and no one was exempt from the horrors of the war. The Colt takes you away from the brutality and makes the characters seem more humane. The character of Jim is well acted and I would be surprised if this Kid is not a big star someday. The ending works for the story, but I was hoping it would have ended differently.

The title is deceiving, this movie is much more than a tale about horses. Not being one for sappy animal movies, I was a bit skeptical at first. However, I was curious to see Merriman's performance after watching him years ago on the television series THE PRETENDER so I tuned in. With the Civil War as a backdrop, the story of the colt and men engaged in regiments was very moving. I laughed, cried, and even sat on the edge of my seat at times. It made me analyze history and human behavior. This story explored emotion and compassion that are often neglected in the history books. Suddenly, the Civil War becomes more complex and unnerving- leaving the viewer an opportunity to see humans at their best and worst. Merriman was superb and connected you to his plight as a young Union soldier far from home, trying hard to protect the innocent colt. If you enjoy historical drama, action, and social commentary you will enjoy this film.