Good movie but grossly overrated

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Of all the movies I've come across dealing with early Texas history (various versions of The Alamo, Michener's Texas, Texas Rangers, King of Texas, Two for Texas), this is by far the best.No sugar-coating here. Instead of loading on the usual simplistic blather about heroic Texas revolutionaries fighting for "freedom" (these were slave-owners; they wanted the "freedom" to own human beings), this movie makes the point early on that self-serving adventurers from the US were scheming to take Texas from Mexico long before the revolution came. Jim Bowie is seen inviting Houston to do just that; Houston, drunk with his Indian compatriots, dreams of seizing Texas and making it an Indian Republic (with himself at the head, naturally). For such "dreams of freedom" to take place, a lot of people will have to die, but when ruthless men believe in their own manifest destiny, nothing must get in the way of their empire-building. Thus the J.R. Ewing mentality of Texas was set from the very beginning...and continues to this day, with our war-mongering Texas president.Are men like Houston (or Julius Caesar, or Napoleon, or George Bush) admirable? Frankly, after living 50 years on this planet, I've had my fill of these dangerous egomaniacs, but for better or worse they are the types who make history for the rest of us, so any work that offers insight into their personalities and careers is interesting to watch. Most movies that portray the Texas revolutionaries reflexively offer brain-dead patriotic pabulum; they're fairy-tales for adults who think like children. The script for this movie offers far more to think about.Even the most justified wars are always fought for someone's profit, and atrocities always take place on both sides. And yet, at the outset of every war, a large component of the population goes forth with stars in their eyes, thinking that god must be on their side and that everything will be just wonderful. What's truly reprehensible is to look back on those wars in retrospect with the same stars in your eyes, instead of training a hard, unflinching gaze on the cruel and ugly realities of history and the types of men who make it. This movie does that to a greater degree than most, and for that I give it credit.

Sam Houston will always be remembered as the man who annexed the US to Texas and changed everything. Told with respect for the Mexican view, Gone to Texas does more than hint President Jackson's resolve to get Texas one way or another and his tasking of Sam Houston to the project to relieve both whites and Indians in the American East of coping with Sam. The legend of San Jacinto is told in the traditional fashion , but there's more than a hint that Houston had General Gaines' US troops for the task. But it's still a pleasure to revisit young America bursting with enthusiasm albeit at Mexico's expense. G.D. Spradlin played President Andrew Jackson as he is remembered the last of the demi-Gods. I think even the Raven would have liked Sam Elliott in his part. Bo Hopkins was an excellent choice for Colonel Sidney Sherman, cool arrogant and deadly. COMPARABLE FILMS: ONE MAN's HERO, The Alamo

Just saw it again last night on t.v. This is a fantastic film. Very well done by all involved. Then again, how can one not like a Sam Elliott western? he is one of the best western stars we have and we need to get him back in the saddle again to churn out some more.

I thought I would really like this movie. Perhaps it is because I am fan of all things Texan, or perhaps it was because it starred Sam Elliott. Either way, I was, sorry to say, disappointed. First, you should be warned that this was a TV movie. I did not realize this when I rented it, but it became apparent quite quickly! Second, if you were expecting the Sam Elliott of "We Were Soldiers", "Tombstone", or "Gettysburg", he's not in this movie. However, Elliott is not only in the sub-standard performance category. The acting overall reminded me not of a TV special, but rather of those made-for-middle school history class productions. Finally, if you are a student of history, this is not the movie to watch. The producers and/or writers took some liberties that did not have to be taken, especially in dealing with a larger-than-life figure like Sam Houston. If you still feel inclined to rent this movie, save it for a rainy or snowy day!