Young Washington: A Revolutionary Film! (Review By Noah)

On the 250th anniversary of this great nation, my father and I could not think of a better way to celebrate than by seeing Young Washington, a coming-of-age story about none other than... George Washington. Rather than focusing on cherry trees and his later exploits, the film explores the formative experiences in childhood and the French & Indian War that shaped Washington's character, judgment, and rise as a military leader in the colonies, ultimately preparing him to become one of the defining figures of the American Revolution. Along the way, it doesn't shy away from his flaws, illustrating how they led to mistakes that placed others in harm’s way, such as risks to himself and others he was willing to take, especially in his efforts to impress a wealthy young woman he admired.  Yet, it also suggests that the same relentless ambition to overcome his low social standing would eventually contribute to a larger historical legacy from which we all still benefit, so that's beside the point. At a time when warfare itself is changing in ways for which free societies are unprepared (these cheap FPV drones are such a headache), the film’s battle scenes felt especially resonant.  The movie captures a similar moment of transition, as constipated European battlefield tactics begin to collide with the gritty style of fighting that would later define the American Revolution. Despite glimpses of that emerging guerrilla approach, the British remain strikingly attached to their conventional methods.  The film makes their rigid formations feel almost absurd: rows of soldiers standing exposed in open fields, firing and waiting their turn as men fall around them.  That image helps explain why the colonies, leveraging their home-field advantage of “knowing the woods,” were eventually able to prevail. The movie respects its audience by approaching its subject with enough self-awareness to avoid feeling overly simplistic.  For example, in Washington's interactions with Indians who also happened to be opposed to the French at that moment, a chief repeatedly makes a point to declare to Washington that the Ohio frontier in dispute is "their land."  While you can feel an undercurrent of "Keep telling yourself that... you'll get your casinos eventually," it doesn't take away from the narrative at all. At the same time, it communicates its central message clearly: this is a historical film with a point of view, as all historical films are.  The film ultimately works as a feel-good story about the idea of America and the indomitable spirit that helped create it.