Ever see a movie that you thought was so-so, but one aspect of it knocked it off that fence, solidly landing it in the realm of crap? This was that kind of movie, and the stick that shoved it off the fence was the ridiculous characterization of Joan of Arc.<br /><br />For one thing, Joan went into battle in full armor carrying...a flag. That's it. In one scene she brandished a sword, but throughout the movie she scampered about the battleground with a damn flag instead of a weapon. In fact, several times she freaked out about her flag, "Where's my flag?! I must have my flag...!" Even for the crazy person the film made her out to be, this was nuts. Then there's Joan's dialogue. In one scene, as she prepared her men for battle, she uttered the inspirational and heroic lines "Watch out! Be careful!" I'll admit to not being Joan of Arc expert, but my guess is that it wasn't this sort of behavior that made her beloved by the people of her country.<br /><br />The fact is, the movie seemed as though it's purpose was to show Joan as a mentally unstable kid who didn't even take part in the battles and fighting which have made her famous. I don't know if that's true or not, but I know that when I watch a movie that's supposed to be about a heroine fighting for god and country, I expect to see her fight.<br /><br />Dustin Hoffman was pretty good, Mila was ok, given what she had to work with, and the battle scenes and wardrobe were very well done. But on the whole, the movie was a loser.