34
Metascore
12 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- A sincere, slow-moving, occasionally successful film devoted to one specific homefront story. That, in itself, is noteworthy.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeThe Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeNamed for a slur used against Northerners who opposed waging war on the South, the film works best when focused on Abner Beech (Billy Campbell), whose conscience-driven minority opinion makes him a pariah in his upstate New York village.
- The story offers uncommon insights on the endlessly parsed period in history, but its execution sometimes falls short. Both the production quality and the persistent, sentimental soundtrack create a made-for-TV feel.
- 40Arizona RepublicKerry LengelArizona RepublicKerry LengelIt’s a maudlin, meandering bit of moviemaking that sheds little light on the loyal opposition in the North.
- 40Village VoiceNick SchagerVillage VoiceNick SchagerDirector Ron Maxwell (Gettysburg, Gods and Generals) shows a flair for mythologizing via beautiful panoramas of upstate New York landscapes but less so, unfortunately, through his film's inert story and flat performances.
- 40Time OutTime OutGiven Maxwell’s dry style and fixation on 19th-century vernacular, the result is less like a peering examination of the turbulent political environment than a reenactment of a Ken Burns documentary—or a museum tour.
- 25Slant MagazineSlant MagazineRon Maxwell's film, from beginning to end, exudes all the excitement of a textbook history lesson.
- 20Los Angeles TimesMark OlsenLos Angeles TimesMark OlsenPainfully lugubrious, any sting Copperhead might contain for its contrarian's view of history is undone by its wayward sense of storytelling.
- 20The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerThe New York TimesNeil GenzlingerThough the tale, based on a novel by Harold Frederic, remains relevant to our time, the film is too self-conscious and tedious for the message it delivers.