KnotMissPriceless
Why so much hype?
Humaira Grant
It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
Anoushka Slater
While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.
Johnny_Hing
Having recently watched Ken Burns' Civil War series, I decided to watch a movie based upon the Civil War. Seeing the name "Louis Gossett, Jr" drew me in to Dog Jack. However, he did not actually appear in the movie, but only narrated. The actors for the most part, appeared to have been recruited from a church choir, (although admittedly, this is pure speculation on my part), as many of them could sing very nicely, but were ineffective as actors. I did not recognize a single familiar face, not even a grade C or D actor. It was difficult to emotionally connect with the characters due to the contrived feel of the actors reciting their lines. The choreographed fight scenes were weak as well. On the plus side, the storyline was actually quite interesting. The cinematography was excellent, having been filmed in Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Pennsylvania. If you approach this movie as a documentary re-enactment, then you won't be disappointed. Civil War buffs should be able to enjoy this despite its flaws. But it must be said, this could have been *so much better*, had they hired a couple of professional actors, even B-grade actors, for a couple of the lead roles. The movie also had a "faith/spirituality" message and feel to it, which is fine by me, but is one of the reasons why I suspect that the actors had been recruited from a church group, probably from somewhere in Illinois. (In the closing credits, special thanks were given to a church in the Chicago area.) This is a decent family movie, with no graphic violence, sex, or cursing, and the children watching will most likely not notice the glaring weaknesses in regards to the acting.Once I resigned myself to viewing this as a dramatized Civil War "re-enactment", I was able to appreciate the film on a somewhat modest level.
Steven Steel
While the overall story line holds great promise, the movie falls short by wielding a clumsy script and incongruous story line. One is constantly bashed over the head with the movie's many "points" in an unbelievable and unnatural line of dialogue in each scene as characters seem to line up in some shots, hovering in the background, waiting for their turn to speak to the main character as if they cannot see or hear the character before them. On top of that, the dialogue from some characters seems to come out of left field motivated by some unseen force having nothing to do with the environment, circumstances, or previous scene. Combined with the complete, utter lack of congruity between scenes and the overuse of narration, the movie constantly breaks the fourth wall and one has to force oneself back into the story over and over again. I'm not saying it's the worst movie ever made, but it's pretty darn close.
Charlene Reston
Our family and several friends watched DogJack.The film is intelligent, thought-provoking, the music was great. script is well-written and the acting was good. The The actor who played Jed turned in a command performance as did most of the other actors. I am a big fan of Louis Gossett.We had a meaningful discussion after the film. We talked about how life s so different today than it was 150 years ago for the young boys who were called to fight in the war. I am not normally a big fan of my kids movies but this was very watchable for my husband and myself and the kids thought it was one of the best films they'd seen in the past 2 years.I would recommend this film to any family who wants to watch a meaningful film and not just rent a DVD as a babysitter for the kids.
Morgan Porterfield Freeman, Jr.
I received a copy of this seemingly no-name film a few months back and saw little reason to even pop it in my lavish entertainment system. Then, much to my misfortune, I suffered a bit of a setback (car crash) in Mississippi. I was couch ridden for sometime (my wife will attest to this!) so I figured why not watch that silly film that's been functioning as a beverage holster in my den. The wife was so kind as to toss the movie in for me, and so began my adventure back to the days of civil divide and slavery. I watched halfheartedly until these company soldiers began to converse with the greatest sense of natural instinct. It was as if these small time actors had taken a whirl in the Delorean back to the 1860's and taken on the demeanor of an actual Union soldier. This one fellow was all to dashing and a bit generous with his approach to stage direction, but he captivated me with his few lines of pithy dialog and active presence on the screen. It came to be that this young gentlemen was Kevin Steck. This particular actor along with his co-cast of soldiers transported my mind back to a historical time of severe ideological divergence. I began to place my self in the shoes of a Union soldier, and as I imagined the daily life of a company soldier I became lost in this simplistic film. I write this review solely in appreciation for having experienced the refreshing feeling of natural acting. I cannot help but reminisce about my days in independent films and small time roles. My sense of nostalgia comes from watching the casual manner of these actors and thinking how it was when I didn't think to act but instead just imagined and naturally behaved as if I were another person in another time. Thanks Dog Jack and the magnificent cast (especially the company soldiers *Kevin Steck*.)
