Angel Studios' Young Washington, directed/produced by Jon (Woodlawn) Erwin, who cowrote with Tom Provost and Diederik Hoogstraten, spotlights the rise of the perennial, American hero, portrayed by the strapping William Franklyn-Miller. Most of the founding-father, action-adventure epic takes place prior to 1755, essaying Washington's childhood (and yes, the cherry-tree incident is covered, albeit implied and truncated) and (to a more extensive extent) the period in which he commenced his military ascension. As matters would go, he often stumbled more than succeeded, which gives this biopic an underdog/against-the-odds designation, and as is the nature of such fables, it's inspirational, fortified through Washington's beleaguered but sanguine eyes.
This perspective becomes clearer when he enters the provisional militia during the French and Indian War, enlisting and combatting members of surrounding tribes and facing the mounting and formidable, French opposition.
We learn, as well, that Washington and his family weren't held in high regard. They were colonials, not part of an affluent, British demographic; this niche made his ambitions all the harder to attain. To boot, we experience his contentious relationship with his mother and how he became a fall guy for the French, accused of assassinating Ensign Joseph Colon/Coulon and later surrendering to his accusers, with the Frenchman's death spurring the Seven Years War. (The account, which could be dismissed as hyperbolic melodrama, was documented after the Battle of Jumonville Glen; so its inclusion is essential.)
To test his mettle, Washington volunteered to survey the vast, Virginian landscape, though it proved more daunting than not. The movie, in this regard, shows Washington and his men pushing through the arduous wilderness as they map it, which references the allegorical challenges contained in Georges Arnaud's Wages of Fear, William Friedkin's Sorcerer and Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo and Aguirre, the Wrath of God, where men are tossed into terrain that grows harsher with each stretch seized. Washington's strife, in this respect, is characterized by palpable frustration and heaps of determination, which allows viewers to appreciate his emblematic resilience as a leader.
Franklyn-Miller is a huge reason why such works, and in the hands of a less convincing actor, Washington's journey (which culminates in his taking command of the Virginia militia) may have fizzled, as sometimes will occur in cinematic, historical dramas.
That the actor is flanked by a great ensemble does, of course, enhance his portrayal. The supporting players and their attributed characters consist of Will Joseph's adolescent Washington (enacted as strong-willed and rebellious); John Foss' Lawrence Washington (Washington's stepbrother and gracious, patriarchal figure); Ben Kingsley's Lieutenant Governor Robert Dimwiddie (an arrogant man who dispatches Washington into the Ohio territory and with it, a troublesome turn at the Battle of Fort Necessity); Kelsy Grammer's Lord Thomas Fairfax (a land baron, customs official and amiable mentor to Washington); Joel Smallbone's William Fairfax, (Thomas' son and Washington's smug competitor); Mia Rodgers' Sally Carey (the woman Washington loved); Andy Serkis' General Edward Braddock (a seasoned leader who underestimates the task at hand); Jonno Davies' James McKay (a condescending, British officer who sees little worth in Washington); Michael Benz's Thomas Gage (Washington's wary peer); Clement Toyon's Ensign Joseph Colon/Coulon (a crafty Frenchman with ample disdain for the British); Montana Cypress' Chief Red Hawk (a Catawba who seeks revenge on the French); Leo Hanna's Christopher Gist (a respected frontiersman, guide, French interpreter, and Washington's righthand man); Angus Castle Doughty's David Frisk (a fellow frontiersman); Fearghal Geraghty's Henry Frisk (David's frontiersman brother); and Mary-Louise Parker's Mary Ball Washington (Washington's censuring mother). None of them lingers too long, but their purposeful culmination shapes Washington's persona, giving the audience a better view of where he stands and what he can (and will) achieve, despite the criticisms and missteps lodged against him.
Also to its advantage, the look and feel of the movie is old-school, where nothing appears computerized (though perhaps some portions are), and this goes for the movie's sprawling ambush and battle sequences, which rival the best of them. Everything is downright gritty, since war is gritty. The French and Indian War would be no exception in that respect. (Kristopher Kimlin's cinematography and the rousing score by Sean, Kevin and Deana Kiner empower the volatile tapestry.)
Above all, Young Washington works as a successful, warts-and-all character study, relayed per a matter-of-fact slant, but with evident heart and soul beneath. The cynical crowd will find fault with it sight unseen (as it did with Sean McNamara/Howard Klausner's Reagan), but for those who enjoy bygone melodramas and/or biographies in general (even if embellished here and there, and what among the latter aren't to some degree?), Young Washington will fulfill. Here's hoping its July 4th advent builds enough box-office momentum to birth a sequel.
