The Patriot: Centropolis Entertainment/ Columbia TriStar Pictures
Rating: USA: R

It’s almost inevitable that Mel Gibson’s new film, The Patriot , will be compared to his 1995 epic Braveheart—thematically speaking, the two films are pretty much interchangeable. In Braveheart, Gibson leads a motley band or renegade Scotsman against the massive and evil British Empire…in The Patriot Gibson leads a motley assortment of renegade Americans against the massive and evil British Empire. In Braveheart, Gibson uses his cunning guerilla tactics to beat a superior army and become a cultural icon and rallying point for his country’s cause—ditto for The Patriot. Yet, while the films are incredibly similar (in fact, Gibson’s character is essentially an older, battle-weary William Wallace transplanted to the new world and with a family), that doesn’t make the film any less enjoyable. Afterall, Braveheart stands as one of the most monumental films of the last decade—at least in the sense that it had a mass appeal that cut across age and cultural differences and brought audiences from almost every conceivable demographic into the same theater…something that The Patriot will almost assuredly succeed in doing as well.

Gibson (Lethal Weapon, Payback) plays Benjamin Martin, a former soldier who became a legend for his actions during the French and Indian War—actions that he seems hesitant to talk about. He’s living on a nice sized farm with his seven children and pseudo-slaves (who are African, but appear to be free—because we can’t have the hero partaking in anything as distasteful as the ownership of slaves) and mourning the passing of his wife. It’s 1776 and trouble’s brewing—the Continental Congress is about to make the Declaration of Independence and war looms on the horizon. Martin wants no part of this war, but his eldest son, Gabriel (Heath Ledger: 10 Things I Hate About You) decides to enlist—against his father’s wishes.

Two years later, the war rages on—Gabriel is injured in battle and struggles to return home. Martin takes care of the wounded soldiers from each side, but when Col. William Tavington (Jason Isaacs: Event Horizon, Soldier) arrives, he’s not too appreciative. He orders the American wounded killed, takes Gabriel prisoner (in order to hang him), and burns Martin’s home. But wait, it gets worse—he kills Gibson’s second oldest son, and takes glee in it (all but cackling maniacally at his handiwork). Well, just like Braveheart, if you kill someone Mel loves, you’ve got Hell to pay. From there, Gibson enlists, forms his militia, and kicks English butt.

To be honest, the film is almost completely predictable—in fact, you can pick out significant things in the narrative and tell how they’ll be resolved later (like the second oldest son’s toy soldiers, or the fact that Martin’s youngest daughter doesn’t talk). However, as a testament to the power Mel Gibson seems to hold over American film audiences, we never really care. Gibson is just so damn likable that you don’t just watch the film—you root for him to succeed. I suppose there’s no greater compliment that you can give an actor than telling him that even though you know how everything’s gonna turn out, you still cheered when things went right and cringed whenever the character was in danger—and that’s what I found myself doing here…despite the fact that I knew I was being manipulated.

The rest of the cast is hit and miss—Ledger is decent as Gabriel…he sort of grows on you as the film progresses, and the relationship between him and Gibson seems relatively genuine. It’s not deep, but it plays fairly realistically. Tcheky Karyo (Nostradamus, The Messenger) also turns in a nice supporting performance as French soldier Jean Villenueve.

On the downside, the British characters tend to come across as caricatures—one-dimensional bad guys who the audience is supposed to hate. Tom Wilkinson’s General Cornwallis is a bit staid, and pompous—your stereotypical Englishman. Isaac’s Tavington is completely over-the-top, chewing the scenery in each and every scene he’s in. And while you know these performances are of the one-note variety, again, you find yourself not really minding it….it’s fun to hiss whenever Tavington comes on the screen while you secretly delight in the knowledge that you just know that Gibson is going to get him eventually. Face it, it’s a summer flick, released right before the 4th of July…what else would you expect?

Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, Godzilla) handles the direction here, basically cribbing a lot from Braveheart. One can easily make the assumption that since Gibson was on the set (and he directed Braveheart himself) that he made a few ‘suggestions’ to Emmerich about how to best shoot some of the scenes. Still, the film is pretty to look at. Emmerich does a nice job capturing the quiet moments of the film—the early dawn or late dusk with the color of the sun bleeding out onto the horizon, or the aftermath of the film’s battles, with characters moving in slow motion while clouds of thick white gunsmoke float ethereally around them.

As far as the battles themselves go, they look almost identical to the ones in Braveheart. By the mid 1700s, warfare hadn’t evolved much—witnessed by the fact that here, like in 1300 Scotland, soldiers from opposing armies line up facing each other on an open field, exchange blows, then charge into a free-for-all melee of swords, bayonets, and guns. They’re not quite as brutal as the ones in Braveheart, but we do see just how much damage one of those cannonballs can do firsthand—on two occasions. Emmerich films the battle scenes in a frenetic style that puts you right in the middle of the carnage—it’s a dizzying, dazzling display which he then contrasts with instances of slow motion. at any rate, it makes for an interesting, if familiar, juxtaposition of images.

Perhaps the only faults with the film lie in the script. The story here, aside from being fairly predictable, lays on the schmaltz and sentimentality pretty thick in more than a few scenes. Inevitably, we’re treated to not one, but two, love stories that have that straight out of a storybook fairytale quality to them. We hear several melodramatic and impassioned speeches (one made by a young woman, no less. Yeah, they didn’t think women were important enough to vote back then, but sure, they’ll let you rally the troops), and several key cast members don’t make it (proving once again that war is hell). Bring your hankies to this one—I heard more than a few sniffles in the auditorium I was in, and on several different occasions.

On a positive note, the script eschews the use of actual historical events (it tells the outcome of the war with a brief voiceover postscript scene). This is the one area where the film surpasses Braveheart—which was a film that tried to be historical but took some laughable liberties with actual Scottish history. Here, the film works within the confines of a large historical event, but presents a small tale of one group’s struggle within the event. In other words, the relationship between Martin, his men, Tavington, and his son takes precedence over the greater military issues of the war itself…smart move.

Still, even in spite of those flaws, it’s really hard to dislike this movie. I found myself completely enraptured for the whole two hour and forty minute running time—never once bored even though I’d figured out all of the film’s secrets. Despite the manipulative nature of the script (which portrays everything in black and white) and the fervently nationalistic tone, The Patriot is still quality entertainment—probably the best film of the summer thus far. And while it’s not quite the classic that Braveheart was, fans of both that film and Mel Gibson will find plenty to enjoy here.






Recommended: Yes