It's an identity drama set in 1866-67 small-town Tennessee, soon after the end of the Civil War. It follows a man who returns from the war and has questions raised about whether he is who he says he is. It's loosely based on the 1982 French film, "Le retour de Martin Guerre."
Jack Sommersby (Richard Gere) returns home in 1866 after six years from his wife and young son. He had been thought killed as a soldier in the Confederate army. His wife, Laurel (Jodie Foster), has tried to maintain the family estate with the help of Orin Meacham (Bill Pullman), who she agrees to marry if her husband doesn't turn up in another year. Jack says he has been in prison for four years.
Jack takes leadership in rallying the town to try a new crop--tobacco. He promises to sell off parts of his land to locals if the community share crops the tobacco. In addition, he insists that newly-freed slaves be part of the arrangement, to the dismay of some. Several incidents raise questions about Jack's identity, and his sudden arrest and trial for capital murder lead Jack and Laurel to face difficult decisions. The trial has added intrigue because Judge Isaacs (James Earl Jones) is African American.
Foster is a favorite actress of mine. She, Richard Gere, James Earl Jones, and Bill Pullman are fine in their roles. The problem with the movie is the script. It tries to make a storyline believable that stretches credulity. Better writing could have made it marginally more plausible. Foster, Gere, and Jones do their best, and the film is entertaining, but the script detracts from "Sommersby"'s potential.
Jack Sommersby (Richard Gere) returns home in 1866 after six years from his wife and young son. He had been thought killed as a soldier in the Confederate army. His wife, Laurel (Jodie Foster), has tried to maintain the family estate with the help of Orin Meacham (Bill Pullman), who she agrees to marry if her husband doesn't turn up in another year. Jack says he has been in prison for four years.
Jack takes leadership in rallying the town to try a new crop--tobacco. He promises to sell off parts of his land to locals if the community share crops the tobacco. In addition, he insists that newly-freed slaves be part of the arrangement, to the dismay of some. Several incidents raise questions about Jack's identity, and his sudden arrest and trial for capital murder lead Jack and Laurel to face difficult decisions. The trial has added intrigue because Judge Isaacs (James Earl Jones) is African American.
Foster is a favorite actress of mine. She, Richard Gere, James Earl Jones, and Bill Pullman are fine in their roles. The problem with the movie is the script. It tries to make a storyline believable that stretches credulity. Better writing could have made it marginally more plausible. Foster, Gere, and Jones do their best, and the film is entertaining, but the script detracts from "Sommersby"'s potential.