Tecumseh

Wow. I haven't seen a film this bad in a really long time. Based on Tecumseh and his last days, uniting Indian groups to fight against William Harrison, this film does nothing to justify the historical points, and make it interesting. It seems as if they just decided to make a film with the same characters as events in the past, take the places and make a movie. The problem...we don't care about the characters. They are not fully developed enough to feel about what they're doing, or what they're working towards. It also doesn't help that it gets confusing trying to keep track of who is who. The actors are just plain bad as well, and the dialogue that they're given is just laughable and comes off as cheesy.

THE MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THIS FILM IS: NO BLOOD! I thought that these wars were supposed to be bloody? If you're trying to make a movie with wars historically accurate, blood is a must to fully draw the viewer into the film. It makes you feel as if you are actually present, watching the events unfold before your eyes. These types of movies, should not even be allowed to be TV-Movie-ized, or suffer from non-gore, family-friendly G, PG, or PG-13 ratings. Shame on Hallmark for this. That is probably the highest factor in this film's bad rating. Let this be a note in the future to all companies making war movies.

Rating: Unrated, but Made-for-TV (Contains-Nothing objectionable except the bad acting, dialogue and unrealistic war sequences).

Final Grade: 1/10

I believed this to be a real inspiring film since it tries to give viewers the most accurate depiction possible on what Tecumseh did in his remarkable life by wanting to unite all the Native Nations from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. Although he didn't quite succeed in his goals, it was the fact that he came ever so close in succeeding; and IF he did, every white settler living east of the Mississippi River would have been pretty much driven out since they would not have been able to survive the constant barrage of raids, attacks, etc.

Some of the greatest American leaders never lived in the White House; some never lived in any house; and many fought against the US. Tecumseh would have founded the Indian nation that the English wanted as a buffer state between the expansionist, aggressive United States and British territories remaining loyal to the crown.

Tecumseh is the Machevelian leader par excellence. He preys on the Indian's superstitions; yet uses the White Man's medicine to predict eclipses and cement his sway over the Indians restive over US encroachments.

America needs leaders like you says Wm Henry Harrison (David Clennon) Tecumseh has no use for the arriviste American nation. He wants to preserve the old ways: hunting and fishing.

Yet as much of a rationalist as Tecumseh is he lives in the shadow of a deadly prophesy: he will fall in battle but if not raised by an Indian he and the indian nation he would found will down for the count -- for good. And this dire prophesy comes true at the Battle of the thames.

Not recommended for the timorous US - er who believes in flowery (meaningless) speeches and empty oratory. Highly recommended for those who would like a study of leadership and objective history. Excellent performance by the cast especially David Clennon as the future president Wm Henry Harrison.