User reviews

I enjoyed this movie tremendously, but then again I'm a big Theodore Roosevelt fan. The movie does nothing to damage his reputation and is minimal in its application of modern sensibilities. There's lots of action, which closely mimics the historical accounts I've read. Believe it or not, by all reports TR was much as he is portrayed. Good performances abound with Tom Berringer topping the list.

I'll skip trying to tell you what was on these peoples mind when they went to war, however, TR had been de facto Secretary of the Navy and a politician for quite a while so I vote for less naivete than hinted at by another commentator. That said, true believers are reported to have been a far more common breed at the time.

A good rent, but I wish it were available on DVD. Talk to Ted Turner about that.

This three-hour, made-for-cable TV in America story of Cuban battles in the Spanish-American War was good enough to sit through once but not edited well enough to see it again.

I say "edited" because, after the short stage-coach robbery scene in the first minute or two, nothing much happens for almost an hour. Then, for the rest of the film - 90 to 120 minutes - it's almost non-stop action. After awhile, with only a few very short lulls, you get tired of it. All the shooting and cannons, etc., become too repetitive and get boring.

Also, for those who assume, as I did, that this film is a biography of sorts of Theodore Roosvelt, before he became President of the United States, might be a bit disappointed. You do see him, and he's a major figure in this long story, but there is no real central character in here. The film gives a fair amount of screen time to a handful of people, not just Teddy. There is no real star in this story.

Tom Berenger must have done a pretty good job because I wouldn't have known it was him had I not read about this before seeing it. Whether it was his pronounced choppers, or odd way of speaking, it didn't sound or look like the actor. However, it was good to get some glimpse of what our former President was like as you don't often see "Teddy" portrayed on film.

This also gave us a good insight on the Spanish-American war, another historic event not often seen on film. I wonder how many people even know that "San Juan Hill," which helped make Roosevelt famous, is located in Cuba?

For a TV-film, the action scenes were well-done and it appeared no expenses were spared in making this movie. A little more action in the first hour, and a little less in the next two, would have made this film more interesting.

Although clearly the most historically accurate and interesting film on this subject made thus far, there were some liberties taken.

Henry Nash and his "compadre" are fictional characters but are very helpful in moving the plot along. The same is true of Chris Noth's character, Craig Wadsworth.

Bucky O'Neil, properly spelled "Buckey O'Neill", was a real and important person both in, and before the battle. One of the most important people in the history of Arizona, he was actually buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full honors.

William Tiffany died, probably of malaria, while awaiting transport from Cuba. He was not fatally injured in the battle.

The Marshall character portrayed by William Katt is, most likely,a composite of correspondent Richard Harding Davis (1864-1916) and correspondent/photographer James H. "Jimmy" Hare (1856-1946). Both obviously survived the battle and become well known newsmen.

Tom Berenger is a superb actor, and I think his talent is often overlooked. He was funny, affecting, and ennobling in "Major League," a comedy about a misbegotten baseball team. He was chilling, on a knife's-edge (a one-man Hitchcock plot - no way to tell where he was, or what he might do, or what he knew... but no mistaking the motivation and emotion, either... indescribably human, he was) in "Betrayed." His performance there was such that one hated and feared him from the very start, but ended up praying that he would not be slain. I heard little about his effectiveness in either case. And yet, there was, of course, his screen-shattering performance as Sgt. Barnes in the brilliant, alligorical, and hard-hitting Oliver Stone production, "Platoon." He won plaudits for that one, and well-deserved ones.

In this one,"Rough Riders," he is given a juicy, meat-filled slice of adolescent Americana, to play - an incorrigible and inimitable American hero, the irrepressible Theodore Roosevelt. Rather than restraining himself, or attempting to portray TR as - well, as an adult - Berenger seems to let his performance carry itself, unconsciously. He is as over-the-top as TR himself. This is, at all times, under a thin, barely-controlled layer of respectability, very similiar itself to the state in which TR himself seemed to be born. TR's life, much of the time, was a bouncy, swashbuckling melodrama - and Berenger plays all of this to the hilt, and with the necessary controlled-abandon. He might be critisized for over-acting if it wasn't for the plain fact that this is, in fact, the way TR behaved. And anyone who cares to witness Mr. Berenger's other performances (including his most recent roll, as a delightfully dour and cynical sheriff, on USA's "Peacemakers") can see, his sensitivity to the depth of the characters he plays is extraordinary - one can almost pity him, in this case, for choosing to play a man who himself embodied unbelievable melodrama.

Suffice to say, the entire picture is worth watching, just to see bully old Teddy back again, alive and in the flesh, trying to start a war, and then trying to fight and win that war... Berenger brings it all to life, brilliantly. He shouts "bully!" with enthusiasm, he studiously prepares several pairs of spectacles for his expedition to Cuba, we see him trying to improve his piping, asthma-riddled voice, the better to command his soldiers - and, later, we see him fall quite out of his chair at the jest of a comrade, declaiming, "I was overcome with mirth!" Such scenes will overcome the viewer with mirth, as well - but a knowing mirth.

Having said that, this film's best moment is near the beginning, and it involves Illeana Douglas, who plays Teddy's wife, Edith, with a healthy dash of long-suffering tolerance, as if she would leave the set if she could just quit loving the man she'd married. Her defense of the macho (but defenseless) TR in the face of the French is played off terrifically. She comes across as precisely what Edith herself, in fact, was - a woman who had long since resigned herself to the hell-for-leather forays of her headstrong husband... and she defends him with the ruthlessness of a woman who knows that no foreigner will ever understand the boundless Americanism (or worldy childishness) of her husband.

This is not a brilliant film, but it is an entertaining one. The battle scenes are well done, but, aside from what I mentioned above, the real fun in the picture is in the "boot-camp" scenes. A well-cast and icily forbidding Sam Elliott, along with the silent, brooding threat-in-being of David Midthunder, makes these scenes more interesting than the typical military drill-sergeant fare. By the end of the training process, even those watching the movie are longing for the approval of the aloof and mysterious Midthunder - who, in a nicely balanced final scene, explains himself in a way that banishes mystery, conjures comradeship, and evokes sympathy.

One other character commends attention here. Gary Busey plays the ancient Confederate General Joseph Wheeler - a hero of the Civil War (for the South, anyway). Like Berenger, his acting is sure to be termed overdone, excepting the reality that his character was, in fact, a hell-for-leather, horse-riding, Yankee-skewering madman... And there is great pleasure in the watching of Busey bringing this nutty semi-senile General to life. He demands assurances from the President, and we see him repeatedly mistake the Spanish, who we Americans were fighting in this war, for "Yankees." (In the end, the addled, overweight, and over-enthusiastic General settles upon the phrase "them Yankee Spaniards," when referring to the enemy...) It is a fun portrayal of a man whose time has past, but who refuses to acknowledge the fact. Busey's Wheeler is so wound up in the sound of the guns, that he loses all reason, becomes delirious, and yet, beneath it all, hangs inadvertantly to the vestiges of heroism. I think there is little choice but to root for the ill-guided but irresistable General. Having such a melodramatic icon on screen with a viviedly-created TR is almost too much fun to bear.

There is humour and adventure enough for all, in this.

In the end, I recommend this picture for the terrific performances of Tom Berenger and Illeana Douglas, as well as the historical accuracy of much of it. I have left out, in these comments, sympathetic and effective performances by Chris Noth and Holt McCallany, who help make the movie go, and serve to tie the audience into the volunteer soldier idiom. Francesco Quinn brings patriotism, duty, and honour to life - unexpectedly (at least, to Anglo-Americans who know nothing of Latin qualities) in the guise of a love-struck Latin-American. His character, I think, speaks the most towards what modern soldiers might say, that we "all fight for each other." Quinn elevates these platitudes into reality, as the film portrays him carrying out his values, making decisions according to a code he had initially resisted in the interests of staying with his sweetheart. I have also left out Brad Johnson, who's trite "bad-man who learns honour" roll is, nevertheless, well-played. I could write much more... alas, just watch it, and see. A lot of fun. And very, very well done.

Damn fine film. Some historical points have been stretched a bit, here and there...Bucky O'Neil was a madman who refused to keep his head down and got shot right through his cigarette ... Fighting Joe Wheeler was a bantam rooster of a man (5'3") but with the heart of a lion who did indeed keep referring to the enemy as "the Yankees"...TR's Rough Rider's attack was up the nearby Kettle Hill (Cero de Olla) where they racked the Spanish position across the narrow gully with deadly fire; when the Spanish [and there were about 1,500 men-- not 500, as some reviewer suggested] broke to fall back to Santiago, TR boldly took off alone toward the San Juan Heights (Los Altos de San Juan)having forgotten to give the order to charge...

OK. Enough of History. Yes, Stephen Crane, author of The Red Badge of Courage, was a "looper," as one reviewer puts it, and yes, WR Hearst was a war-baiter-- anything to sell papers and fan the fires of xenophobia... But, hey! This is a damn fine film that captures much of the spirit of that "Bully little war," that launched TR's career into the White House. Tom Berenger is wonderful as the one and only TR who adored by his men (reportedly, on the march into the interior from the coast, TR walked with his men, refusing to ride, through the humid, hot forest and always saw to it that "his boys" were taken care of first. I too noted sadly, the weariness of Brian Keith prior to his suicide, as President McKinley. This film is definitely worth watching again ... and again.

Love him or hate him, you have to admit that John Milius has returned in force to make this wonderfully epic movie. He only made two other films (barely) worthy of note: the underrated Flight Of The Intruder and the equally under-rated Farewell To The King. Though directed for television, Rough Riders has all the qualities of a great war epic from the sixties.

What helps Milius is his love of the subject matter. With The Wind And The Lion, Rough Riders feels as though Milius has a deep and abiding love for Theodore Roosevelt. Every frame of this movie gives you the feeling that Milius is working from the heart. His passion and respect for his subject matter illicited the greatest performance of Tom Berenger's career.

If you liked this, do see The Wind And The Lion.

I cannot overly praise this great motion picture. When I saw it on television, I was amazed at its quality and verve, and eagerly awaited it on video. I was not disappointed.

This is a fantastic motion picture on many levels. The scoring was perfect, and the painstaking, accurate attention to detail in period weapons, uniforms, and accoutrement was obvious.

Though the actual facts of the engagements depicted were a bit different than is portrayed in the film (due to time constraints and for the sake of lucidity), the movie has a genuine 'feel' for Teddy Roosevelt, his famous outfit, and the times they lived in.

Sam Elliott, as Captain Bucky O'Neil, was a standout and should have won an award for his performance. He's always a pleasure to watch on screen, but he infuses his part here with genuine toughness, a wonderful dry humour, and great humanity.

Then again, the entire cast was wonderful, particularly Chris Noth, Brad Johnson, Tom Berenger, Dale Dye, and especially scene-stealer Gary Busey. Watch for the actor who played "Indian Bob"; he has one of the funniest (and most human) lines in the film.

This is the only movie I've ever seen that I wanted to be in, in some capacity. It's that good.

The depiction of America in 1898, the slowly healing wounds from the Civil War (in the South), the coming together of men of different backgrounds, as well as the apparently realistic battle scenes combine to make this one of the best Turner films in recent years. I would recommend it to anyone interested in Teddy Roosevelt or Bucky O'Neil or in the Spanish-American War and the economic (and idealistic) American view of Cuba at the time. The characters emerge as real people and the viewer forgets for a moment that it's a film.

Tom Berenger as Theodore Roosevelt! Is this guy an ACTOR or what?!? He's got Teddy's look & demeanor down pat. He certainly does his research!

Crux of the film - A volunteer rag-time bunch of men become soldiers trained by Buck O'Neil (the ever-outdoorsy M-A-N of the cowboy/war-type flicks, Sam Elliot). Goodrich & Tiffany are just some of the now famous names who went down in history fighting this war on San Juan Hill. Besides the rich & priviledged there were outlaws & everyday men. And who led them up that hill? Tom Berenger as Theodore Roosevelt himself. It's something how he can change his look in practically every film he's in. Just before this one, he was The Substitute. He looked older, grayish hair, wrinkles in his face. As Teddy, his skin is so smooth, his hair not gray at all & has a much younger stance. I know make-up & hair dye can do wonders (& Berenger's wife was the person on the set to do it here) but what a transformation!

Gary Busey is not one of my favorite actors but he's got the energy & craziness for his role as Joe Wheeler here, in command & in pursuit! Go buy this film & enjoy the thrill of acting!

This film chronicles the 1st US Volunteer Cavalry ("Rough Riders") from their inception in the mind of Teddy Roosevelt through the capture of the San Juan Heights, the moment at which Roosevelt said "We will always live in its shadow." Although it takes some liberties with the facts, they're simply to strengthen the story as constrained by the medium: better than two months and a thousand men are pushed into three+ hours and some fifteen characters, enough to catch the flavor of the time. And what a time: when rich young men from Park Avenue sincerely believed it was their duty to take part in their country's wars, and a politician who started one went to fight in it, when artists calmly painted oils of battle, and correspondents walked toward the sound of the guns... Fiercely accurate in the feel of the battle, especially the waiting under fire, and in the making of men into killers, "Rough Riders" is beautifully filmed and scored. But mostly, it's well acted. Berengar *is* Theodore Roosevelt, and Sam Elliott gives another good performance, as does William Katt as Edward Marshall (with a lot of Richard Harding Davis's actions). Gary Busey's Fighting Joe Wheeler is a scene-stealer, much like "the old gamecock" undoubtedly was, and the little roles are well handled as well, especially Nick Chinlund's Frederic Remington. But the real focus of the movie is on Brad Johnson's Henry Nash, the Arizona outlaw, and Chris Noth's Craig Wadsworth, the Park Avenue polo player... Noth in particular gives a understatedly lovely, nuanced performance as the rich young man coming face to face with Life -- the very thing his family had tried so hard to keep him from ever having to experience. His transformation mirrors the transformation this particular war created in our country; as Roosevelt says in the film, "It will never be the same again." I heartily recommend this movie.

Tom Berenger was a great Teddy Roosevelt. It just shows his talents as an actor. The background research on the history was done and the locations were chosen wisely. Unfortunately this movie has not been put on DVD and was not receive wide publicity, so it was overlooked. In addition most of our youth today don't even remember the history beyond last week. I would have liked to see more of the relationship that Teddy had with his men. It's also a fact that many of his Rough Riders did not get to go to Cuba for lack of space on the ships. They wept at the thought of being left behind. At the mustering out - Teddy was presented gifts by his men and he said I'll never forget you. I think these items were overlooked in the movie.

ROUGH RIDERS, John Milius' tribute to the legendary Spanish-American War volunteer unit headed by future President Theodore Roosevelt, can be nearly considered a 'prequel' to his classic, THE WIND AND THE LION. Certainly no director has ever presented a richer portrait of one of the most complex, fascinating men of the twentieth century than Milius has, in these two films.

When 'War Fever' against the Spanish grips the nation, fueled by the inflammatory headlines of newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst (flamboyantly played by George Hamilton), young Teddy Roosevelt (Tom Berrenger, who is superb), exhibiting the headstrong energy he was famous for, decides he has to be a part of it. Getting veteran Apache fighter Col. Leonard Wood (real-life film military adviser Dale Dye) to command his unit, Roosevelt puts out a call for volunteers, and his name, already famous nation-wide, draws an extraordinary mix of personalities, from bank robbers (Brad Johnson, in one of his best performances), to a frontier marshal (Sam Elliott, who would play a similar character in WE WERE SOLDIERS), to Indians (Bob Primeaux and David Midthunder, both excellent), to a group of Ivy Leaguers (led by LAW AND ORDER star Chris Noth).

At a White House meeting, President William McKinley (a frail-looking Brian Keith, who had portrayed 'T.R.' in THE WIND AND THE LION) and his Secretary of State, John Hay (R. Lee Ermey), appoint southern Congressman 'Fighting Joe' Wheeler to lead the American forces, with the rank of General (primarily to appease a South still bitter over the Civil War). An ex-Confederate officer (portrayed by Gary Busey, who nearly steals the film), Wheeler takes a liking to Wood and Roosevelt, and to 'Black Jack' Pershing's 'Buffalo Soldiers' (the famous Black regiment), over the 'regular Yankees', and does his best to give them preference, while offering his 'unreconstructed' advice.

With the eyes of the world on them, the 'Rough Riders' train (Elliott says, bluntly, "I'll teach them to become killers"), bond (the cowboys are stunned when Ivy Leaguer Noth easily breaks a stallion, then are told that he is a champion polo player), and show complete devotion to the eccentric but beloved Roosevelt ("He's one of us," one cowboy says, proudly). Despite a series of snafus (the horses get left behind, turning the unit into a 'dismounted cavalry'), the 'Rough Riders' make it to Cuba, and the thick of battle.

With legendary personalities Hearst, Fredric Remington (Nick Chinlund), Stephen Crane (Adam Storke), and Edward Marshall (William Katt) chronicling their actions, Roosevelt and his unit would be bloodied but unbowed, achieving immortality, with the 'Buffalo Soldiers' beside them, at the Battle of San Juan Hill...

Told as a flashback narrated by Brad Johnson, ROUGH RIDERS emerges as a remarkable history of a group of remarkable men. At the film's center is, of course, Berrenger's remarkable portrayal of Teddy Roosevelt, who, experiencing war first-hand, matures dramatically, developing the courage and strength of character that would soon make him a truly great President.

John Milius proves, again, that he is one of America's most underrated directors. ROUGH RIDERS is superb!

"Rough Riders", despite the constraints forced by trying to put six months into three hours, is the best Spanish-American War movie, possibly the best war movie, I've seen in years. Tom Berengar's Teddy Roosevelt and Gary Busey's 'Fighting Joe' Wheeler are splendid evocations of two rather well-known men, replete with little details that bring them to life. The focus of the film, however, is on two ordinary troopers: Brad Davis's Henry Nash, a composite of the trooper from the Territories with a real Rough Rider's name, and Chris Noth's Craig Wadsworth -- one of the Park Avenue contingent, who enlisted as a trooper and mustered out as a sergeant. A few liberties have been taken, mostly by merging several men into one (eg, Richard Harding Davis is merged with Edward Marshall) or slightly misordering or misascribing actions to keep the characters down to a manageable and recognisable few (Marshall was shot at Las Guasimas, Tiffany actually died of fever), and the regiment's return to Montauk is left out, but overall tone of the movie is of scrupulous accuracy. It's a wonderful film; the Charge of the San Juan Heights will make you feel what war was like a century ago. Highly recommended.

Set in the days just prior to the Spanish-American War this film details several different characters from across the United States who enlist as volunteers to fight for their nation's honor in Cuba. At least, that is the reason heavily promoted by "William Randolph Hearst" (George Hamilton) in his newspaper articles. The truth of the entire matter being something totally irrelevant to him. Likewise, there were other people with different reasons from wanting a war with the Spanish which included profits from the lucrative sugar markets being one key factor along with national prestige or simply personal fame and glory guiding others on. And it was mostly a mixture of the last couple of attributes that propelled the Secretary of the Navy, "Theodore 'Teddy' Roosevelt" (Tom Berenger) to resign from his office and request to serve as an officer in an outfit named the Rough Riders. Unfortunately, like so many eager volunteers he is soon to come face-to-face with the grim realities of war. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this mini-series of sorts had some interesting moments here and there which kept my attention for the most part. That being said, however, I should also mention that I didn't quite care for the rather obvious and one-sided appeal to patriotism which completely neglects the Spanish side of the equation as they did everything they could to avoid war with the United States. Likewise, another criticism I have with this film is that there were simply too many characters featured which tended to detract from the story overall with the inclusion of "Stephen Crane" (Adam Storke) being just one example. On a side note, I found it somewhat amusing to see Brian Keith cast as "President William McKinley" in this particular picture when he had previously played "President Theodore Roosevelt" in the movie "The Wind and the Lion" some 22 years earlier. Just an odd bit of trivia. In any case, in spite of these criticisms mentioned earlier, I suppose this two-part mini-series was worth the time spent to watch it and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Average.

This is an excellent film, with superb sound editing, great cast, acting, cinematography, and script. Non-Americans should realize that the battle of San Juan Hill is a significant part of American history that instills patriotic pride as well as admiration for one of America's most colourful and popular presidents. However, Americans should find it interesting to know the Spanish perspective. Approximately 500 Spanish soldiers fought valiantly against nearly 7000 American troops: this is the 'Alamo' for the Spanish people. Similar to USA Vietnam veterans, the Spanish returned home with the knowledge that they had done their best to uphold their country's honor in an impossible situation. Knowing some of the history behind such battles brings more depth to such war films.

I think Teddy would have approved. Sometimes modern movies present the past through modern beliefs and sensibilities. In fact, more often than not directors present the past in this manner. Rough Riders is an honest movie that lets the past speak for itself with no apologies. Teddy Roosevelt and his rather diverse band of recruits believed that they were going to Cuba to save the Cuban people from an evil and exploitive Spanish colonial government. Tom Berenger completely buries himself in the character of Teddy Roosevelt without the parody that often accompanies the part. He is surrounded by a cast of excellent actors from Gary Busey as General Joe Wheeler to George Hamilton as William Randolph Hurst. Sam Elliot, Francesco Quinn, and Brad Johnson are fictional characters used to represent the range of ordinary men who followed Roosevelt. Chris Noth, Holt McCallany, and James Parke are the wealthy scions of the Wadsworth, Fish and Tiffany families. I especially liked Nick Chinlund as Frederick Remington and Adam Storke as Stephen Crane. Except for Hurst and Wheeler, these men went into the war dreaming of honor and adventure. They saw themselves as heroes going off to save the Cuban people. They were men who quoted Shakespeare's Henry V "we happy few" and believed it implicitly. The director, John Milius, and his cast of fine actors do honor to themselves and their professions by allowing these naive young men to speak for themselves and their world.

On the 99th anniversary of the Spanish American war and the most famous land battle of that brief said war, John Millius wrote and directed a stirring tribute to the First Volunteer Cavalry. The group has come down to us in history as the Rough Riders and its organizer and second commander became President of the United States on the strength of one afternoon's very bloody work at a place called Kettle Hill, better known as San Juan Hill.

Tom Berenger makes a splendid Theodore Roosevelt. He captures all the passion in him, the brilliance as well as the bumptiousness. Some may find Roosevelt too super-patriotic, even too racist in some regards. It was a different time a century ago. Roosevelt was also a man who would stand for nothing less than the United States being nothing less than number one.

In his own way he pioneered integration, he was of the patrician class with roots going all the way back to Dutch New Amsterdam. But his Rough Riders as you see come from all walks of life, from society kids to even western outlaws.

Milius did his research well for the most part. Ileane Douglas whose family pedigree includes grandparents Melvyn and Helen Gahagan Douglas, plays the ever patient Edith Kermit Carow Roosevelt. She loves her husband, but is able to say an occasional 'now Theodore' to put the brakes on his enthusiasm getting the better of him.

Rough Riders marks the farewell performance of Brian Keith as President William McKinley who Roosevelt said had the back of a 'chocolate éclair'. That was one of Roosevelt not so admirable qualities, his failure to see merit the other point of view had. McKinley was a wounded Civil War veteran who saw action as a young man in places like Antietam. He was not a man to rush lightly and foolhardily into a decision for war, knowing far more than TR at the time of what war can cost.

My favorite in the film is Sam Elliott as Yavapai County, Arizona sheriff Bucky O'Neill who joined the Rough Riders and was in charge of molding them into a unit. This is definitely one of Elliott's finest moments on screen.

The last Rough Rider died in 1975. I wish some of them had been around to see this fine film about a young America and what some of the best and brightest of that generation did. The politics behind the Spanish American War are debatable and dubious at best, but the heroism of our soldiers is unquestioned.

"Rough Riders" is an excellent movie about the 1st Volunteer Cavalry a.k.a. the Rough Riders. The movie begins with the declaration of war and the efforts of Theodore Roosevelt to raise a cavalry regiment that will fight in Cuba. The period of training for the troopers is grueling but you learn much about the characters that will be featured. Most of the movie concerns the Rough Riders in combat, especially the famous charge at Kettle and SanJuan Hills. The fighting is quite exciting and authentic. The Spanish-American War may be regarded as an imperialistic war but the "Rough Riders" is well-acted and shows the human as well as propaganda side of warfare.

Great movie and for the most part historically accurate. There were however a few minor errors of omission or commission. Gary Busey played a fantastic Gen. Wheeler but the actual Gen. Wheeler was considerably smaller in stature and weighed maybe half as much. There are pictures of Gen. Wheeler standing with TR and Col. Wood, both of which were taller and heavier. The movie does not depict the intense heat in Cuba in July with near enough severity. The heat was unbearable and went a large amount toward the reason for the incredibly high disease rate. Rough Riders as well as the other soldiers of the Cuban Campaign were 8-10 times more likely to die of malaria and dysentery than from being shot in combat. The movie spent only a little time on this.

Wish this great film had made it to the Big Screen! Absolutely the best film ever made on Teddy Rosevelt.

Great for the whole family in my opinion!

It not only documents his life... it also presents his great ideals and character as very 'Presidential' and to be desired. The same cannot be said of all our Presidents.

The depiction of the battle for San Quan Hill was one of the best war documentaries I've ever seen.

An all-star cast helps make this a classic movie.

I will get this movie for my collection for sure.

I will recommend it to all our family and friends.

-BGLewis of Spring Hill, FL

this is an excellent film that most have never heard of because it was made for TV (turner)and never shown in the theater.not much to add except that the film sheds light on the short and little known 1898 Spanish-American war which while trumped up by the media(newspaper publisher William Randolph Hurst played superbly by George Hamilton)catapulted the up until then isolationist united states on to the world stage for the first time and which gave the united states control of Spanish territories around the globe-Cuba,Puerto Rico the Philippines,wake island,Guam and the Marshall islands.and allowing the united states to flex its military might globally for the first time.there are some historical inaccuracies(such as the imperial German army advisor's aiding the Spanish, director john milius also made the turn of the century imperial Germans the bad guys in his 1975 film THE WIND AND THE LION in which Brian Keith played teddy Roosevelt as president during an international incident resolved by his big stick diplomacy-sending the marines.if you liked rough riders see the wind and the lion.

This movie combines the best elements of western and war movies. Fantastic cast. Berenger is outstanding as Roosevelt. Who would have thought he would be so good in this role? From his other movies I've seen, this is a totally different type of role for him. And Sam Elliot, Gary Busey, Chris Noth, George Hamilton, and all the rest of the cast are outstanding. Wonderful casting job.

What a sleeper this movie is. I can't believe it's out of print, and never even been issued on DVD. Get a used copy if you possible can. You won't be sorry!

WW Tampa