For Greater Glory

There is so much history that is recent and yet I know nothing about.  This story tells about our neighbor down south.  It takes place in 1920s Mexico, when rebels known as Cristiada fight back after the Mexican government (whose President is played by Ruben Blades) outlaws religious freedom.  The government fears, since many of the religious leaders come from Rome and other foreign places, that outside influences will turn the citizens against the government. Soon foreign religious leaders are booted out and their continuing presence is restricted (including an old priest played by Peter O'Toole).

What the government didn't think would happen, happens.  The people band together in secret and while at first are a bunch of unconnected factions, finally decide they need to be cohesive; they hire a non-religious former general to lead their military strategy (played by Andy Garcia). He of course conflicts with a hothead (Oscar Isaac), discusses the religious fight with a priest soldier, and takes under his wing a boy who leaves his family to fight and whose death for the cause eventually led to him being beatified (a pretty good young actor, Mauricio Kuri). With Eva Longoria in a decent dramatic role as the general's wife. Many of these main characters are based on real historical figures.

I give the movie kudos for being able to cast an all Hispanic cast (except for the couple American politicians necessarily played by white actors such as Bruce Greenwood as the ambassador to Mexico and Bruce McGill as President Calvin Coolidge). The acting and historical story are pretty good, but the script at times feels very mainstreamed. The music by James Horner is also very mainstream and I was bored by it (I find his music is often dull and does not have a lot of personality, I can't tell them apart from film to film) and wished there was something more authentic/Mexican. Much of the major technical crew such as cinematography and costume design were also Hispanic names (director and writer were not, although the writer was born in Mexico City). Too many hand held shots were unnecessarily used, which detracted from the dramatic experience for me.