Near Flawless
Simply wonderful movie experience, one of the best 70s westerns ever.
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MovieChat Forums > Bad Company (1972) Discussion > Near Flawless
Watching it right now. Whoever came up with the "Civil War draft dodgers" line has no clue. There wasn't a Military draft until 1948. Was "draft dodgers" ever used in the movie?
shareSir, I do believe that you have just soiled your hat.
Not only did both the Union and the Confederacy utilize the draft during the Civil War, the subject, especially in the North, was often as contentious as that of slavery.
The New York Draft Riots of July 1863 would be a prime example of the unrest that it caused.
While I love the movie, the filmmakers really had no clue about the period. The guns they use are totally wrong (yeah, big deal, right? Well imagine Saving Private Ryan with soldiers storming the beach with M-16s and you might get what I mean). Curly Bill Brocious is talked about as being around in the 1830s when the real Curly Bill Brocious wouldn't have even been born yet (and probably would have been an adolescent when the film takes place).
The whole thing would have been improved by dropping the draft dodging storyline, moving it about 20 years later, and coming up with a different reason why the protagonist would hook up with a gang of bandits. Maybe the filmmakers were going for social relevance, but beyond the draft dodging I didn't see much, and the whole look and feel of the film would be just right for the 1880s as opposed to the 1860s.
I like pie.
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Can't face the truth, eh? Too bad, because the gentleman's criticisms of this quite good film are valid. Grow up.
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Well said Salmon.........
shareWrong. The U.S. started using conscription (the draft) during the Civil War, the time period of this movie. 1948 is somewhere in the middle of the conscription period, which ended in 1973, just a year after this movie came out in the theaters.
shareYeah definitely better than those 70s westerns from the 60's, or worse the 70's westerns from the 80's. I hated those.
sorry, couldnt resist :)
There are times when it's right to insist on absolute historical accuracy, and there are times when a good story trumps factuality.
shareI'm not big on Westerns, but I loved the cast, plot and direction of this film. 7/10 stars from me.
shareI thought the shoot out scene Jake and Drew had with Big Joe's gang was the highlight in subverting the Western. There was almost darkly comical the way in which they moved around the woods trying not to get shoot and when Hobbs died, the way he dropped to the ground in a ridiculous manner summed it all up.
"I'd rather be hated for who I am, than loved for who I am not".