I couldn't wait to watch the Patriot. It looked good, violent, and full of story of a family caught up in the American Revolution. What also caught my attention to the Patriot is it's probably the only movie I've ever heard of that's about the American Revolutionary War.
Patriotic, of course, the Patriot is one of the very few Hollywood movies set during the American Revolutionary War, one of the most pivotal points in American history. Starring superstar Mel Gibson, the Patriot is actually a disappointment, though still not on a colossal scale, even if it’s directed by Roland Emmerich, who has directed a number of disappointing films in his career (Stargate, Independence Day, Godzilla and the Day after Tomorrow).
Patriotic, of course, the Patriot is one of the very few Hollywood movies set during the American Revolutionary War, one of the most pivotal points in American history. Starring superstar Mel Gibson, the Patriot is actually a disappointment, though still not on a colossal scale, even if it’s directed by Roland Emmerich, who has directed a number of disappointing films in his career (Stargate, Independence Day, Godzilla and the Day after Tomorrow).
Gibson stars as a peaceful South Carolina farmer named Benjamin Martin, a hero of the French-Indian War. His is a widower and his raising his seven kids. Eventually, the American Revolution starts. Martin makes his case clear of staying out of the war, but his oldest son Gabriel (Heath Ledger) signs up against his father’s wishes. Two years later, the war has been brought to Martin’s home a wounded Gabriel stubbles into the house with a bloody sword cut across his gut and sweat pouring out of his head. The British, led by the ruthless Colonel William Tavington (Jason Isaacs) burn down his home, murder one of his sons, and sentence Gabriel to a hanging. Enraged, Martin picks up his guns, hatchets and knives and brutally kills the British patrol along with two of his other sons, saving Gabriel and getting himself sucked back into fighting.
Martin leads the American militia in guerilla warfare tactics against the British, stalling General Cornwallis (Tom Wilkinson) from marching north to finish off General Washington who is already taking a beating. However, the heart of the plot remains focused on the battle between Martin vs. Tavington, and the film boils down to a decisive battle between the Americans and the French in which Tavington and Martin face off in a fierce duel with the carnage of war swinging around them.
Like I said before, I couldn't wait to turn on the TV and put the DVD in the player. Let me just say that I was rather disappointed. My favorite aspect of the movie ends up being it's setting, the American Revolution. Other then that, there's not that much to tell about.
Like I said before, I couldn't wait to turn on the TV and put the DVD in the player. Let me just say that I was rather disappointed. My favorite aspect of the movie ends up being it's setting, the American Revolution. Other then that, there's not that much to tell about.
Gibson is partially satisfactory in the starring role as Martin. In other words, I think he needs to loosen up a bit. Ledger gives the best performance in the movie as Gabriel, while the character of Tavington, played by Isaacs, is stiff and very formulaic. Chris Cooper plays Martin’s superior officer.
You won’t learn that much history from the Patriot. After watching the movie, which slightly overstays its welcome at 160 minutes, I did a little research about the backdrop for the story. The movie almost presents the British as veteran criminals who committed various atrocities (burning down random homes and killing wounded Americans, and burning down a church full of innocent people). If you read history books, that didn’t really happen as brutal as depicted in the movie, but Emmerich I suppose he wanted to dramatize the effect. In addition, Emmerich is a poor choice for director.
The Patriot also relies too much on melodrama. This is not a historical picture, and narrows down the scope of the Revolution considerably. And through it all, director Emmerich is telling the story through the effect of an over-use of drama.
***/5
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