One Man's Hero (1999)

"One Man's Hero" tells the little-known story of the "St. Patrick's Battalion" or "San Patricios," a group of mostly Irish and other immigrants of the Catholic faith who deserted to Mexico ... See full summary »

Director:

Lance Hool

Writer:

Milton S. Gelman

Stars:

Tom Berenger, Joaquim de Almeida, Daniela Romo

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Berenger	...	Sgt. / Lt. / Capt. John Riley
Joaquim de Almeida	...	Cortina
Daniela Romo	...	Marta
Mark Moses	...	Col. Benton Lacy
Stuart Graham	...	Cpl. Kenneally
Gregg Fitzgerald	...	Paddy Noonan
Don Wycherley	...	Brian Athlone
Wolf Muser	...	Cpl. Schultz
Luke Hayden	...	Seamus McDougherty
Ilia Volok	...	Daniel Grzbalski
Patrick Bergin	...	Gen. Winfield Scott
James Gammon	...	Gen. Zachary Taylor
Carlos Carrasco	...	Dominguez
Stephen Tobolowsky	...	Capt. Gaine
Dermot Martin	...	Seamus Fitzgerald

Storyline

"One Man's Hero" tells the little-known story of the "St. Patrick's Battalion" or "San Patricios," a group of mostly Irish and other immigrants of the Catholic faith who deserted to Mexico after encountering religious and ethnic prejudice in the U.S. Army during the Mexican-American War. The plot centers around the personal story of John Riley, an Irishman who had been a sergeant in the American Army who is commissioned as a captain in the Mexican army and commands the battalion, as he leads his men in battle and struggles with authorities on both sides of the border.

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Plot Keywords:

tied to a wagon wheel | bare chested male | zachary taylor | irish american | branding iron | 

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Taglines:

One man's hero is another man's traitor.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | History | Romance | War | Western

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence

Details

Country:

Spain USA Mexico

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 October 1999 (Mexico)

Also Known As:

Egy bátor ember

Filming Locations:

Sierra de Organos, Sombrerete, Zacatecas, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$11,350,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$108,567 (USA) (24 September 1999)

Gross:

$229,311 (USA) (22 October 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Arco Films S.L., Filmax, Hool/Macdonald Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In John Riley's first scene as a San Patricio he asks their names to other Irish soldiers. When he asks his name to James Kelly, Riley asks him if he has any experience, and Kelly answers that he has been in His Majesty Royal Artillery. Riley replies with "Good experience, but there is no royalty here" to what Kelly answers "Yes, sir". Kelly is played by Prince Albert of Monaco, a member of the Royal family of Monaco.

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Goofs

General Winfield Scott, commanding general of the American forces, is shown wearing three stars on his epaulets signifying the rank of a Lieutenant General. At the time of the Mexican War (1846-1848) he wore the two stars of a Major General which was the highest rank in the United States Army at the time. He wouldn't wear three stars until 1856 when he was promoted to Lieutenant General, becoming the first American since George Washington to hold that rank.

User Reviews

A powerful film on a little-known episode in American history.

This is one of the most powerfully moving films I've ever seen. Maybe it does lack some technical expertise, but I got so totally lost in the storyline, I didn't notice that. This film is precisely what I appreciate so much about Tom Berenger: it seems that Tom Berenger can take a small episode of history and make it memorable--so memorable, in fact, that I've seen this movie only twice, but scenes from it keep playing in my mind.