YMMV / The Rough Riders

• Heartwarming Moments:
  • As the Rough Riders ride a troop train through the Deep South on their way to Cuba, practically every mile they see Confederate veterans dressed in Rebel gray saluting them as they pass by. The Buffalo Soldiers even get a few salutes in spite of Jim Crow.
  • Black Jack Pershing's pride in the 10th Cavalry, who get no respect thanks to racism, but whom he considers the best soldiers America has: "These men would follow me into Hell, and I couldn’t ask for better company!"
  • Hamilton Fish, mortally wounded, is only concerned with George Neville’s condition. The two men couldn't come from more different backgrounds (a Harvard-alumnus millionaire scion, and a barely-literate Arizona outlaw), but Fish ignores his own injuries to ask, "George, my friend, are you alright?" Badly wounded himself, Neville tries to comfort Fish in his final moments.
  • Returning to America as war heroes, some of the Rough Riders enjoy a night on the town in New York. Dirt-poor middle-aged homesteader Eli in his dress uniform is the center of attention of at least a half-dozen beautiful young women at a fancy dinner with Craig Wadsworth and William Tiffany.
• Retroactive Recognition: The film has early roles for Chris Noth and Titus Welliver.

---