Bloody Dawn: The Lawrence Massacre (2007) Reviews

• A great historical reference

  Amendbrad2012-09-30

  Being a native Kansan I am of course very interested in Kansas History, in particular early history. Having studied the Lawrence Massacre I was very pleased with how the film captured a very accurate account of the happenings of that unhappy day. Being a civil war reenactor for the last 28 years I found the costuming and attention to detail to be top notch and very much what I would expect to see people of the time wearing. They did not attempt to add in any "hollywood" type gunfights and showed how people might correctly act to committing violence and being on the receiving end of it. I would recommend this film to anyone seriously wanting to get to know early Kansas history better. And I am looking forward to reviewing more films from this film company.

• The Real Lawrence Massacre: When a good effort falls short

  lotrfanboy9002008-03-02

  I went to the premiere of this film with high hopes. I'm an immigrant to the shores of sunny Kansas, and I thought it might be fun to learn about this great state. The film started out all right, sans a few technical glitches, but soon descended into buffoonery. People around me started to titter, and then to laugh, as the clownish raiders descended upon Lawrence. The worst bit of this took place at a farm. There was an old man standing outside, and his wife very calmly says, "Otis, you have to hide!" You think? They're burning down the whole freaking' town, and this is all you can think to say? The interviews were interesting, but the live action bits, while masterfully shot, felt like a fourth grade class acting out parts from "Deadwood". I've heard rumors about a re-edit, which this film desperately needs. Good idea, but an awful presentation.