Drama

History

Action

The Patriot

Columbia Pictures

Mutual Film Company

Centropolis Entertainment

Global Medien KG

Germany

United States of America

English

Mel Gibson

Heath Ledger

Joely Richardson

Jason Isaacs

Chris Cooper

Tchéky Karyo

René Auberjonois

Lisa Brenner

Tom Wilkinson

Donal Logue

Leon Rippy

Adam Baldwin

Jay Arlen Jones

Joey D. Vieira

Gregory Smith

Mika Boorem

Skye McCole Bartusiak

Trevor Morgan

Bryan Chafin

Logan Lerman

Mary Jo Deschanel

Jamieson Price

Peter Woodward

Grahame Wood

Beatrice Bush

Shane Ayon

Shan Omar Huey

Hank Stone

Kirk Fox

Jack Moore

Mark Twogood

Colt Romberger

Terry Layman

Shannon Eubanks

Bill Roberson

Charles Black

Andy Stahl

Kristian Truelsen

Kanin Howell

Mark Jeffrey Miller

Zach Hanner

Randell Haynes

John Storey

Greg Good

John F. Dzencelowcz II

Kyle Richard Engels

John Bennes

John Curran

Dara Coleman

Roy McCrerey

P. Dion Moore

Tyler Long

John H. Bush

Gil Johnson

Scott Thomas

Derrick B. Young

Le Roy Seabrook

Samuel Brown Jr.

Samuel Brown Sr.

Lillie L. Harris

Braima Moiwai

Patrick Tatopoulos

Dean Devlin

John Williams

Caleb Deschanel

Robert Rodat

Barry Chusid

Gary Levinsohn

Deborah L. Scott

Kirk M. Petruccelli

Mark Gordon

Roland Emmerich

Steve Park

Thomas Nellen

David Bloch

April Webster

John Zimmerman

Alyssa Fong

Julie Monroe

Dionne McNeff

Ute Emmerich

Michael Dahan

David Brenner

Peter Winther

William Fay

Lauren Stephens

P. Scott Sakamoto

Harry Cohen

Dino DiMuro

Christopher Assells

Peter Staubli

Carey Milbradt

Greg P. Russell

Andrew Cooper

Ozzy Inguanzo

Lee Orloff

Kim Berner

Kevin O'Connell

Dan Hegeman

Scott Sanders

Kenneth Wannberg

Per Hallberg

Randy Kelley

Shirley Fulton Crumley

James Dyer

Jeanie Baker

Richard F. Mays

Alan R. Disler

Freddie Hice

Kay Georgiou

Harry K. Garvin

Judith H. Bickerton

Harry Lu

Dick Deats

Susan Buffington

Christopher Flournoy

Leo Corey Castellano

Dawn M. Baker

Victor J. Zolfo

Loren Bess

Paolo Moscatelli

James M. Crumley Jr.

Chad S. Frey

Gillian Albinski

Jessee J. Clarkson

John Duino

Randy McKenney

Warren Manser

Diane Crooke

Jon Carpenter

Robert A. Blackburn

Lahly Poore

Julie Callihan

John Rotan

Reid Russell

James Marbas

Robert Minsk

Stanton Barrett

Clete Cetrone

Sean Bernard

James K. Jensen

Clyde D. Baisey

Yves De Bono

Pedro Barquin

Larry A. Cornick

Birger Laube

Zandra Harding

Ivica Bilich

Keith Collea

Ronald M. Betts

Cindi Hobgood

Mary Weisgerber Meyer

Adria Later

Tim T. Cunningham

Fiona Bull

Chris Brighton

Rachel Aberly

Anthony Cargioli

Jeffree Bloomer

Here's Mel to give the Brits an inaccurate historical thrashing, again... 

The Patriot is based around one Benjamin Martin, an ex-soldier, who now happily living as a family man finds himself thrust into conflict at the break of the American Revolution.

He loves the Brits does Mel Gibson, "Gallipoli", "Braveheart" and here with "The Patriot", see the pattern anyone? As with the aforementioned "Gallipoli" and "Braveheart", certain liberties have also been taken with events in "The Patriot" so as to glossy up for the eager Hollywood contingent. It's not my want to scribble about the facts of Benjamin Martin (Re: Francis Marion), or William Wallace for that matter, information as such is but a mere click away on the world wide web.

So casting aside the artistic licence factors, is "The Patriot" any good? Well nearly it is -- nearly. Gibson is fine, he shoulders the burden of the film with great gusto and no shortage of emotional depth. It's very easy to accept him as a staunch family man who transforms into a blood thirsty warrior. The problems, acting wise, lay away from Gibbo's central performance. Surrounded by caricature villains (though Jason Isaacs' Tavington is deliciously vile) and underwritten characters (Chris Cooper wasted and Joely Richardson is but a mere prop), Gibson has no choice but to hog the screen. So much so it ultimately turns into a one man star vehicle, which for a costume war epic isn't a great thing really.

Roland Emmerich ("Independence Day" and "Godzilla") directs and handles the battle sequences very well, there's lashings of blood as men line up to shoot and dismember one and other. While cannonball's whizz, bang and tear off body parts, it's grim, yet oddly rousing stuff. Not even the overtly flag waving and sloganeering on show can off set the impact of the well constructed battles. There is of course lots of tragedy to be found in the film, and these are some what surprisingly, tenderly handled by Emmerich, but mostly it's via an on song Gibson, who remains one of the few modern day male actors capable of believable grief. All of this is given a John Williams score that suitably flits between rousing and ethereal, and things are further boosted by the sumptuous photography from Caleb Deschanel.

There should have been more thought given to the racial (slaves) aspects in the conflict, and this coupled with the bad errors of under developed characters hurts "The Patriot" as a filmic exercise, not so as to stop it being entertaining, but more to stop it being a one man show. But as it is, thanks in the main to Gibson, and in spite of the overtly evident faults, it's an above average drama. 6/10

The Patriot (2000) Original Trailer [FHD]

Best Movies

The Patriot

Cast & Crew

Videos

Cast

Mel Gibson

Heath Ledger

Joely Richardson

Jason Isaacs

Chris Cooper

Tchéky Karyo

René Auberjonois

Lisa Brenner

Tom Wilkinson

Donal Logue

Box office

More Like This

K2

Anwar: The Untold Story

The Island of Giant Insects

Museo

Walking Tall

Yi Yi

In Her Place

My Name Is Khan