Well, I have to say Angel Studios did it again. They provided some solid entertainment with Young Washington, giving us a tight look at the future first President’s youth and early military career.

 

Now, that word gets bandied about a lot these days, so I’m hesitant to simply call this film “patriotic.” HOWEVER, this movie successfully lays the groundwork and evokes a genuine spirit of patriotism for Washington and the Virginia colonials in their future historical endeavors. Are things sensationalized and historical liberties taken? Yes, they absolutely are. But I’m happy to report that it completely works for this film because, in essence, it is a classic hero’s journey—and a beautifully executed one at that.

 

Let’s get into this thing before I start rambling.

 

 

Young Washington, as the title declares, focuses on George Washington’s (William Franklyn-Miller) youth from his time as a young lad until his ascendance to a colonial militia officer under the British during the French and Indian War. As he grows, he encounters friends, family, and acquaintances who spur him on, tempering his youthful ambitions of joining the British army with wisdom and opportunity.

 

But alas, George is a colonial, and in the gentrified hierarchy of the British military, opportunity is almost non-existent for one of his social class. Yet through dogged perseverance, he volunteers his talents and services anyway. The movie takes us through Washington’s string of successes and failures both on and off the battlefield, leading up to the fateful Battle of Monongahela in 1755.

 

The film does a great job of using historical events and characters to service the narrative theme: Washington’s sheer determination to weather crushing defeat and ultimately bring about victory. I had some doubts about William Franklyn-Miller’s portrayal after seeing the initial trailer, but after watching the movie, he’s got my vote if they decide to go for a sequel.

 

 

The supporting historical cast is equally stellar. While heavy hitters like Robert Dinwiddie (Ben Kingsley), Lord Fairfax (Kelsey Grammer), and General Braddock (Andy Serkis) aren’t in the film for very long, their veteran performances made me wish we got more scenes with them. Younger performers like Lawrence Washington (John Foss) and Thomas Gage (Michael Benz) also put in some fine work in their respective roles.

 

Angel Studios has this magical way of using every possible cent of a small budget to stretch unreasonably far, yet the final product looks like they spent blockbuster money. When I saw that this movie only had an estimated production budget of around $20 million, I nearly did a double-take. Seriously? $20 million gets you all of this? What the heck are the big-money Hollywood studios doing?

 

Of course, the filmmakers made great use of sprawling wilderness shots and real historical houses to do most of the visual heavy lifting, but there were plenty of scenes augmented with digital effects to scale things up. The camerawork and cinematography were on point, the period costumes an absolute feast for the eyes, and the way they utilized a limited number of extras to make a small colonial army feel massive was just excellent planning. You’d think they took a page right out of Sharpe’s playbook!

 

Now, I did mention there was something that didn’t quite work for me. There are a couple of specific scenes during and after the Battle of Monongahela that missed the mark. I won’t spoil anything, as I do believe this movie is well worth watching, but the tone shifted a bit too far into melodrama and felt slightly cheesy compared to the gritty realism of the rest of the film. Your mileage may vary, but it took me out of the moment just a bit.

 

 

Even if those specific scenes fumbled the handoff, the sweeping period soundtrack kept the movie securely on track. Famed Star Wars (Clone Wars, Rebels) composer Kevin Kiner and his family lent their great talents to the project, delivering a score that is both dramatic and adventurous.

 

I can only hope this gets people excited once more about that period of our history. I know it did for me. 

 

Ultimately, director Jon Erwin managed to do something special with Young Washington. I can only compare it to other historical biopics like Ridley Scott’s Napoleon, except Erwin actually succeeded here where Scott stumbled. He made humanized George Washington with real foibles and faults, without ever resorting to mean-spirited, modern deconstructionism.

 

In a time where so many of our onscreen protagonists are heroes in name only, it gives me hope to see a film dedicated to themes we should all genuinely strive for. Highly recommended.

 

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