Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

A very feeble attempt at affirmatie action

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Political issues are a common theme in John Sayles's movies, and "Men with Guns" is one of the most significant. Set in an unnamed Latin American country, Dr. Humberto Fuentes (Federico Luppi) has lived a privileged life and trained his students to tend to people out in the countryside. To be certain, Fuentes has never had any strong political convictions. But when he learns that his students have gotten murdered, he goes to investigate. He learns that the "men with guns" have been indiscriminately murdering the peasant population. The "men with guns" are any people who carry weapons: soldiers, rebels, or otherwise. The point is that to the indigenous peoples of the Americas, there's practically no difference between government troops and rebels.The movie has many qualities that make one forget that it's American-made. Aside from the mostly Latin American cast -- Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody play a pair of American tourists who are completely ignorant of the local culture -- the movie incorporates magical realism into its plot. Also, while most of the dialog is in Spanish, some scenes show people speaking Mayan, Kuna, Nahuatl and Tzotzil. But the movie's basic gist (Dr. Fuentes's eventual search for a village that has escaped the bloodshed) is summed up by a repeated line: "It's good to go where there are no white people." This is definitely one that I recommend.

i rented this over 8 years ago, and whenever anyone asks me for movie recommendations, this film always comes to mind.don't let the dreamlike atmosphere fool you, this film is depressing and haunting because of the main message: that innocence and idealism will be forever trampled by the "men with guns" despite all their good intentions. In this film the government and rebel groups were portrayed as equivalently bad by the simple folk caught in the middle. they (the equivalent of civilians) did not distinguish between the soldiers and the revolutionaries, they simply referred to them as the "men with guns".its a persuasive case for nonviolence. it takes all the glorification out of war, conflict and political movements and glorifies a simpler more humane way of living.

Men with Guns is one of the finest films of the genre. It has legs- really stays with you, for years. The priest's story alone is brilliant filmmaking. I've been a great fan of John Sayles' work for many years, but I think this is both his most original and generally best work. The shame is that no one seems to have seen this film. I saw it 3X in theatres and there were never more than 5 people in the audience. MWG doesn't appeal to the short- attention-spaned sex-and-violence cravers. The history of 30 years of terrible civil war as close as Guatemala is something our children remain ignorant about. This incredible film puts that war into unique perspective. Sayles didn't seem to care if too many people saw it or not- subtitles alone guarantee a fringe audience confined to a few art houses. The film is not perfect- editing could be a little better; but what a story! The opening and closing scenes really work for me. I hope everyone reading these comments will go out and rent Men with Guns ASAP. Sayles at his best.

John Sayles writer & director of Lone Star (the best movie of 1996 IMHO) has done it again. Men With Guns should have been nominated as the best foreign language film of 1997,or even in the top 5 for best film. This very complex, but easily understood story of a dedicated Doctor in his quest for Students he trained to be doctors is compelling from beginning to end. We see the violence described eloquently,but very few visuals,but the images are planted in your mind & they will stay with you; a MUST see film for ALL those who like suspensful, well thought out stories, superbly acted, directed & edited. John Sayles wrote, directed & edited this film with care & dedication, a **** film One of the Best as alwaysJay Harris