One Man's Hero

Critics Consensus

No consensus yet.

Movie Info

John Riley, is an Irish-American officer in the US Army in 1846 just before the break-out of the Mexican-American War. His men have been imprisoned for attending mass with the local Mexicans and he sets out to free them and is promptly attacked by the US Army. They escape into the desert mountains and are captured by Mexican guerilla forces. Riley, wounded in the battle, is nursed back to health by a beautiful Mexican fighter, Marta. After forming a bond with the guerillas, Riley and his men elect to fight on their side. The 'San Patricios', as they are called, fight bravely, but after the US declares war on Mexico they are evetually taken prisoner. Riley is publicly beaten, branded and forced to watch as his men are hanged. Only when the US leaves Mexico is he finally freed from prison and allowed to journey deep into the Mexican countryside to be reunited with Marta.

Rating:

R (for violence)
Genre:

Action & Adventure, Drama
Directed By:

Lance Hool
Written By:

Milton Gelman
In Theaters:

Sep 24, 1999 limited
On Disc/Streaming:

Feb 29, 2000
Runtime:

121 minutes
Studio:

MGM/UA

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Cast

Tom Berenger
as John Riley

Joaquim de Almeida
as Cortina

Daniela Romo
as Marta

Patrick Bergin
as General Winfield Scott

Mark Moses
as Col. Benton Lacy

Stuart Graham
as Corporal Kenneally

James Gammon
as General Zachary Taylor

Stephen Tobolowsky
as Captain Gaine

Carlos Carrasco
as Dominguez

Don Wycherley
as Brian Athlone

Jorge Bosso
as Col. Maximo Nexor

Rodolfo de Anda
as General Ampudia

Vanessa Bauche
as Flor

Roger Cudney
as Col. Harney

Guy de Saint Cyr
as Lasher

Fernando Elizondo
as 2nd Guerrilla

Gregg Fitzgerald
as Paddy Noonan

Luke Hayden
as Seamus McDougherty

Brett Hool
as Army Recruiter

Jason Hool
as Peter O'Neil

Albert Grimaldi
as James Kelly

Steve Leone
as John Daly

Wolf Muser
as Corporal Schultz

Perla de la Rosa
as Juno

Luis Lorenzo
as Padre Varga

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Critic Reviews for One Man's Hero

All Critics (8) | Top Critics (1) | DVD (2)

Weighed down by the traditional Hollywood trappings.

Dec 27, 2009 | Rating: 2/4 | Full Review…

Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com
An interesting historical drama about a little-known incident that would have been much better had someone like John Milius directed it.

Oct 6, 2005 | Rating: 3/5

Chuck O'Leary
Fantastica Daily
An earnest, flawed film for thoughtful, critical viewing.

Jan 30, 2004 | Rating: C+ | Full Review…

Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films Guide