Movie Reviews for The Patriot (Special Edition)

The Patriot (Special Edition)

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Movie Reviews of The Patriot (Special Edition)

Movie Review: In rememberance of Heath Ledger
Summary: 3 Stars

I've had The Patriot (not the Steven Segal movie) for absolutely ages. I admit, it was cheap, and I do have phases where I have a bit of a thing of Mel Gibson. But I have to be in the right mood for him.

I don't know much about American History. I don't know much about my own Scottish history actually, never mind anything else. But I liked Braveheart, so I figured this was cheap, sounded kinda similar, why the hell not? I'd bought it a few months before Heath Ledger died, and only managed to get round to watching this a couple of months later.

Basically, this is one of those movies where everyone who knows their American history will quibble the slightest inaccuracy - and this kinda film is normally riddled with them. But I'm going to skip over all that. I left school for a reason.

The Patriot, is about a man with seven children and no wife/mother. No, you're not getting another Von Trapp family. (SEVEN CHILDREN???) The script originally called for six children, but since Mel has seven in real life, it was changed. (SEVEN CHILDREN???) He has particpated previously in battles, and is now a proud family man, trying to keep his children out of danger. But his eldest son, played by a blonde Heath, is determined to serve his country, and goes out fighting.

Meanwhile things get hectic back home, with an evil Colonel (Jason Isaacs) hellbent on wrecking quiet family life, until he encounters the Ghost. Can you guess who it is?

There's not much else to report on The Patriot, without repeating 800+ reviewers have already said. It's there to be watched, but at 2hrs 48mins long, you need to find a long night free, with no interruptions. (Easter Sunday strangely enough did it for me.) Mel doesn't really get stretched playing the role of Benjamin Martin, and there are a couple of similarities, particularly in scenes, to Braveheart. (Did you see the scene where he was riding in front of the army? Did you not want to shout at the TV "FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM"? Or was that just me?)

It was one of those films that yes was good, but could have been edited slightly better towards the end. The rest of the running time passed by like a breeze, but you do tend to find the last 30-45 minutes do start to drag. Otherwise, not really an appropriate movie to watch on Easter Sunday, but hey, I had to watch it sometime!

Movie Review: "Sometimes the shepherd has to tend to his flock...and sometimes fight off the wolves!"
Summary: 5 Stars

Actors Mel Gibson (Lethal Weapon saga), Heath Ledger (10 Things I Hate About You), Tcheky Karyo (The Core), and Rene Auberjonois (Odo from Star Trek: DS9) lead an all-star cast loosely based on the American Revolution in the states of Virginia and the Carolinas. When I say loosely, I mean it's kind of one sided. If you've read textbooks in the United States you will notice how Britain is cast as an evil parent (as the mother country of the 13 colonies). General Cornwallis is referred to as a poor general. But that's the textbooks and this review is more about the movie itself.

Mel Gibson plays Benjamin Martin, a former leader in the colonial militia who fought in the French Indian War. The captain of the militia tries but unsuccessfully to recruit Martin in the Continental Army. Tragedy strikes when a brutal British Colonel kills one of Martin's young sons. Martin then joins the Continental Army to lead and take revenge for what Colonel Tavington (Jason Isaacs) had taken from him. Benjamin Martin in his battle expierence begins to take charge of a small militia and teaches them battle tactics that the British are unfamiliar with. While slavery isn't entirely viewed in the movie, it was shown as the continental army General named George Washington allowed slaves to fight on the Continental Army for aperiod of time and then were free. Donal Logue plays a member of the miltia who disagrees with this notion but as human as he is, he changes his mind and embraces a slave who's time was up yet still stayed. Anyway, the British outnumber the colonial militia who are nothing more than farmers. As Martin's militia begin to be a thorn in Cornwallis's side, the colonists begin to believe in their cause. In the history books, the French aid the colonies with soldiers, able bodied generals, supplies, and ships.
Tcheky Karyo plays a French general who fights along side Gibson's Martin as well as training his men. Both Gibson and Karyo provide some good comedy relief within a war which is never fun.

All in all this is a great war movie that makes for an interesting view during the time period when some colonists insisted on breaking from the mother country: Britain. The starts as the American Revolution had already started. It's a great movie set in a time period that I love the most; The colonies and the Revolutionary War. For most people if you want historical accuracy, seek out more than one source and get multiple views from both sides. I'm not going into a highly detailed analysis and knitpick every scene and use this as a soapbox. I see it for what it is: A movie! This movie has great battles, great acting, some comedy, a lot of limb loss and cannonballs "flying" everywhere, making this a good addition to anyones DVD collection.

Movie Review: The Only Patriot Act Worth Having
Summary: 5 Stars

This American saga is rife with historic accuracy and pathos.

For those who know little of the Revolutionary period of American history, I heartily recommend the contents as an example of quality performances and in the offering of an explaination of the issues that existed when this country was in it's first Civil War--that is, Americans of European heritage having become pitted against their own kinsmen from afar in order to form "A more perfect union" on our shores. As for the Ameri-indian participation in this crises--the piece should act as a springboard for information-gathering and education for those who are unfamiliar with the indigenous people of Turtle Island--as the western hemisphere is called by many Native Americans, and the parts that they played in bringing America together, even as their nations were eventually torn apart and reconstructed as something very different than they had hoped to retain and nurture. This is an outstanding movie, and I hope that it becomes more popular as a representation of American history as much as thrilling and compelling drama.