This film is a solid Civil war drama w/ a strong cast and a realistic and believable main story and supporting subplots. In my opinion, the major drama unfolds from the train robbery early on in the film. Subsequent to that there's the subplot of shifting alliances among the ex-Rebel soldiers and the Union effort to recover the stolen $12,250 followed by the three angle romantic drama involving the Presley, Egan, and Paget characters. I think at first this subplot appears to be the main drama, but I watched the film twice and argue that it is a subplot (although the film title & title tune suggest differently). Neville Brand gives strong support as his greedy character is pivotal to the Presley's character arc. I wonder why Presley didn't have a flashback scene (to when the Egan character assures him "Deep from my heart" that he would never lie to the Presley character) after he's been convinced by the Brand character that the Egan character betrayed him.
The movie has a nice quick pace. In the picnic scene when Presley learns Egan is leaving for California I like how in the background the Union soldiers subtly appear and the main story resumes. However, it's here in the picnic sequence that an earlier scene produces UNINTENDED LAUGHS when Presley is up on stage swinging his pelvis and singing 50's music to a clearly 50's female teen crowd AND it is is supposed to be 1865! It gets even funnier when there's a reaction shot of his "Ma" (who based on her Southern puritan values should be horrified at the sight) smiling happy as a clam. TOTALLY LAUGH OUT LOUD!
The movie has a nice quick pace. In the picnic scene when Presley learns Egan is leaving for California I like how in the background the Union soldiers subtly appear and the main story resumes. However, it's here in the picnic sequence that an earlier scene produces UNINTENDED LAUGHS when Presley is up on stage swinging his pelvis and singing 50's music to a clearly 50's female teen crowd AND it is is supposed to be 1865! It gets even funnier when there's a reaction shot of his "Ma" (who based on her Southern puritan values should be horrified at the sight) smiling happy as a clam. TOTALLY LAUGH OUT LOUD!