Rough Riders (1997) (TV)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

John Milius

Writers (WGA):

John Milius (written by) and
Hugh Wilson (written by)

Release Date:

20 July 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | History | War

Plot:

In 1898 the US government decided to intervene on the side of the Cuban rebels in their struggle against Spanish rule...

Plot Keywords:

Theodore Roosevelt | Military | Silver | Gatling Gun | Americana

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Tom Berenger	...	Theodore Roosevelt
Sam Elliott	...	Capt. Bucky O'Neil
Gary Busey	...	Gen. Joseph 'Fighting Joe' Wheeler
Brad Johnson	...	Henry Nash
Illeana Douglas	...	Edith Roosevelt
Chris Noth	...	Craig Wadsworth
Brian Keith	...	President William McKinley
George Hamilton	...	William Randolph Hearst
R. Lee Ermey	...	Secretary of State John Hay
Nick Chinlund	...	Frederick Remington
Dale Dye	...	Col. Leonard Wood
Holt McCallany	...	Hamilton Fish
Geoffrey Lewis	...	Eli
James Parks	...	William Tiffany
Dakin Matthews	...	Wadsworth, Sr.

Also Known As:

Teddy Roosevelt & the Rough Riders (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

240 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Portugal:M/12 (video premiere)

Filming Locations:

Bandera, Texas, USA

Company:

Affinity Entertainment

Trivia:

Real casualties of the Rough Riders was 40% and many died from malaria, after the battle because the US would not let them back into the country, finally TR was able to get them back to Montock New York in a quarantine camp.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: There were no German Advisors present at the battle of San Juan Hill. Also the German Maxim guns shown were not used by the Spaniards in Cuba.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Henry Nash: I miss you, boys. Been more that twenty years. My God, we were young. Well, it was a young country then, full of promise and hope. Anything was possible then if you were an American.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Bridge on the River Kwai: An Appreciation by Filmmaker John Milius (2000) (V)

Lot's of fun for Teddy Roosevelt fans

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.