In the indie drama Men Go to Battle, it’s 1861 and two bachelor brothers are sharing an especially unprosperous farmstead in rural Kentucky. Brash and loudmouthed, brother Francis (David Maloney) confidently plunges into one foolhardy scheme after another. His quiet practical brother Henry (Timothy Morton) picks up the pieces. Not one to use words to express his feelings, Henry has finally had enough of Francis and simply leaves for the Civil War without notice.
Observing Francis is plenty amusing, because of his unerringly wrongheaded impulses. But the stone faced Henry, for whom still waters run deep, is much more interesting – we wonder what he is thinking and what he is going to do. Once he’s made up his mind, he is decisive and resolute. In a remarkably powerful scene on the morning after the Battle of Stones River (Perryville), he wordlessly decides about war and about his part in it.
Men Go to Battle is the first feature for director and co-writer Zachary Treitz. His co-writer is the actress Kate Lyn Sheil (Sun Don’t Shine, House of Cards), who has a small acting part (as does indie director Amy Seimetz).
Visually, much of movie is way too dark (as in you can’t see what is going on). But Men Go to Battle does an exceptional job of illustrating the QUIET of pre-electric and pre-motorized North America.
[Note: Some critics have described this movie s “Civil War Mumblecore”. Indeed, it’s a low-budget indie made by thirty-somethings and the male actors DO mumble a lot. But I despise the Mumblecore genre because the stories are about underachieving slackers who are navel gazing and whining about first world problems. That’s not the case here. This movie is about a real family relationship, and there is no entitlement or snivelling, so it’s NOT Mumblecore.]
Men Go to Battle is available to to stream from Amazon Instant, iTunes, Vudu, YouTube and Google Play.