Before you read my review of The Patriot, you must know what kind of film I believe The Patriot to be. It is a very nice action movie disguised as an epic. It is not an epic important film such as Braveheart or Lawerence Of Arabia. It is nothing more then Lethal Weapon 5: The Revolutionary Period. If you accept that fact and not try to make it into anything else, you will enjoy this film immensely.

As far as action films go, The Patriot is superior to all the major contenders this year, Mission Impossible: 2, Gladiator, Gone In Sixty Seconds and Shaft. I really enjoyed Mission Impossible: 2, but it was lacking a bit in the ultra-violence. Gladiator was a very cool movie, but the coliseum fights got a little repetitive and confined. Gone In Sixty Seconds had about twenty minutes of good action in it. Shaft was a complete waste of time. The Patriot totally satisfied the adrenaline junky in me. Maybe that is because of it’s 164 minute running time, but I left this film feeling like I got my money’s worth. To all you history buffs out there who are biting at the bit because The Patriot is historically inaccurate, chill. We all know Mel Gibson did not win The Revolutionary War. Try not to take this film to seriously, and just go with it.

The story is pretty simple and basic. I’m not going to go into talking about The Revolutionary War. If you want to know about that, stay away from my review and the film. Get a text book. Mel Gibson plays Benjamin Martin, a man who has lost his wife and now only has his children and his farm. He loves his children more then anything, and he will stop at nothing to protect them. He wants nothing to do with this War. He is not willing to die for it, but he is willing to die for his family. As you might assume, something bad happens. Benjamin Martin spends the rest of the film fulled on revenge and hate.

The Patriot is a damn good looking film. Very pretty stuff here folks. The battle scenes are incredible to say the least. We have never seen what cannon balls can do to human flesh quite like this. The towns, costumes, and weapons look all totally authentic. I really did not think Roland Emmerich was capable of making a film look this good. Perhaps the only complaint I have with this film is the CGI backgrounds sometimes look more like paintings. Other then that, on a technical aspect everything here is top notch.

Mel Gibson delivers one of his most powerful roles. Unlike his character in Braveheart, Benjamin Martin seems more human and sincere. He plays the part of the hurt father looking for revenge very nicely. Of course, when the time comes for him to become a bad mutha, he really shines.

They have been pumping up Heath Ledger all year for his part of Gabriel Martin. He does not disappoint. He has some of the most powerful scenes in the film. He can stand his own with Mel Gibson quite nicely.

As far as acting goes, the real treat in the film is Jason Isaacs. He plays Col. William Tavington, and is hands down the best villain thus far of the year. The film is not so much about the American’s Vs. The English, as it is Benjamin Martin Vs. Tavington. He delivers his dialogue in a malicious manner. He steals every scene he is in. The final confrontation between Martin and Tavington is much more satisfying then the final confrontation in Gladiator.

The main problem I have with this film, is sometimes it try's to be a little too patriotic. The main scene that comes to mind is a “Who’s coming with me” scene in a church. That scene has just a little too much pip in it. The film makes it’s mistakes like this, and it has it’s cliches, but those can be overlooked. All in all, The Patriot is a damn fine film and worth seeing in the theaters.







Recommended: Yes