Perry Kate Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Darin One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

Wuchak "Journey to Shiloh" (1968) details the story of seven youths from Concho County in near-West Texas who travel across the Mississippi to join the Confederate Army and kick some Yankee arse. While they intend to ride to Richmond, Virginia, they end up hooking up with Braxton Bragg's Gulf Coast outfit and fighting in Shiloh, Tennessee. The male ingénues learn a lot on their long journey and their introduction to soldiering and war. Who lives and who dies? James Caan plays the main protagonist, "Captain" Buck Burnett, while the other six "teens" (all well into their 20s) are Michael Sarrazin, Don Stroud, Jan-Michael Vincent, Michael Burns, Paul Petersen and, believe it or not Harrison Ford, a full nine years before his breakthrough with Star Wars, but don't get too excited as he gets the least screen time of the bunch.On the downside, Universal was huge on TV movies at the time and so "Journey to Shiloh" looks like a TV movie; in fact, it was directed by one of their TV movie directors. So don't expect the cinematic scope of contemporaneous Westerns, like "Duel at Diablo," "Bandolero!," "Hang 'Em High" and "Shalako." It looks serviceable, but also phony and stale. A big part of the phoniness is due to the fake Southern countryside, as the movie was shot in Agoura and Thousand Oaks, California, but takes place in East Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and adjoining regions. No matter how you slice it, California doesn't look like the deep South, not to mention the studio sets. Another issue is the movie's cartoony vibe. Things that would ordinarily take much longer occur with the quickness of a comic book.Despite these glaring flaws, I found myself ignoring them in favor of the story, particularly as it moved along. You feel like you get to know most of the gang by the end of the movie, Harrison's character being the biggest exception. The "boys" grow from wide eyed youngsters to hardened men over the course of the movie, the biggest rude awakening of course being their baptism into soldiering and war.Speaking of which, I really enjoyed the last third of the film that involves the youths joining up with Bragg's brigade, the ensuing warfare, deaths, injuries, possible desertion and aftermath. Although decidedly comic booky the movie offers a unique glimpse of being a Confederate soldier.The film features no less than four beauties, albeit all relatively short roles: Tisha Sterling as Airybelle Sumner; the un-credited Susanne Benton as the blond saloon girl, Lucy; Brenda Scott as the brunette saloon girl who falls for Buck; and a nurse (Eileen Wesson).FINAL WORD: Someone criticized "Journey to Shiloh" for its obvious low-budgeted faults by pointing out that it's no "Magnificent Seven" or "The Wild Bunch." While this may be technically true I found myself enjoying "Journey to Shiloh" more than these heralded Westerns. Yes, the movie has the unmistakable gloss of one of Universal's factory-made television movies, but it's strong in characters and story, cartoony or not. This is likely because the movie's based on Henry Wilson Allen's excellent novel (aka Will Henry). Some call it an "anti-war movie," but this isn't really true; it's simply a "showing-soldiering-and-war-the-way-it-really-was" movie.The film runs 101 minutes.GRADE: B

eklund-par As a political anti-war statement it has its points but as a western, it's quite awful. The acting is cheerful and jolly in the same way as in Bonanza or High Chaparral. The main characters remain smiling and optimistic even when all their friends are getting killed in the war. The guys have 60's style hair and the gals are made up in the same fashion. In fact you feel like you are watching the musical Oklahoma and everybody will start to sing soon, but alas. The film is mostly set in a studio and the battle scenes seem to be from another movie, or a documentary of some sort. It's low-budget all over. James Caan is solid even with the funny hair and Harrison Ford couldn't act even then. It's actually hard to believe that this was made during the same time as Once Upon a Time In the West. I give it a 4 just because I'm a sucker for westerns. Silly.

biomnc It is a shame more people will not see this movie. From what I can find out, it has never been released for home viewing. Regardless that the weapons they used were not made until after the Civil War, I would not have known this if I had not read others comments. Its kinda like learning the secrets of magic, it just doesn't matter, you still enjoy watching. Nothing in this movie could be less real than any movie about Custer being a hero! Anyone interested in movies about how bad we did the Indians needs to see "I Buried My Heart at Wounded Knee". What a shame.If anyone has any luck finding "Journey to Shiloh" on video or DVD, I would appreciate them contacting [email protected] Thank-you

jdatr97-1 While not the best movie ever made, Journey to Shiloh is definitely worth the watch. Seven cowboys travel to war together, finding that away from the open range the world is a contradictory place. I find the year of the movie, 1968, especially relevant. As the boys grow from wide eyed youngsters to hardened men, the viewer finds himself ignoring the lesser qualities of the movie in favor of the story. You could do a lot worse with your time than watching this movie, and afterward you may have a different interpretation of war in general, the American civil war in particular, and at the same time enjoy seeing James Caan and Harrison Ford in the earliest stages of their careers. This movie definitely should be released on DVD.