Movie Review by: Thomas Huong
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When I first heard about 'The Patriot', my first thoughts were,
"Most likely another 'Braveheart' -like movie with Mel Gibson
in it." Boy, was I wrong! Although there are some comparisons
to 'Braveheart' in terms of the themes of patriotism, drama,
heartbreak, war and the English as the bad guys again, 'The
Patriot' definitely stands on its own as one of the best and most
dramatic war movies ever made.
'The Patriot', based on a
fictionalized representation of American war hero Francis Marion,
was directed by Roland Emmerich and the screenplay was written by
Robert Rodat. However, a word of warning! The running time here is
about 2 hours 40 minutes.
In 1776, Benjamin Martin (Mel
Gibson) is a plantation owner in South Carolina. Having tasted the
blood and gore of war before, he has no wish to join in another
and only wants to raise his family in peace. However, The American
Colonies rise up against the English monarchy in a fight for
independence and Martin's son, Gabriel (Heath Ledger), joins the
American militia over his father's disapproval. Soon, despite his
reluctance, Martin gets pulled into the war when his second eldest
son, Thomas, is killed by the ruthless English Colonel, William
Tavington (Jason Isaacs).
In his fury, Martin goes after the
English with a vengeance, leading the local militia and killing
the English troops with so much success that the English General
Cornwallis orders that Martin be captured by any means available.
In 'The Patriot', the battle scenes
are brilliantly filmed, so much so that you can actually see (and
believe!) soldiers dropping like flies, loss of arms and legs by
gunfire and cannonballs, impaling, decapitations, and endless
bloodshed. There was a scene where I actually instinctively tried
to avoid a cannonball zooming in on me right out of the screen! It
was totally incredible and at the same time, totally brutal and
sickening. Nobody, and I do mean nobody, in their right minds
would wish for the 'glory' of war after watching this movie.
Also, despite the moral high ground
of the Americans fighting for their independence, both sides are
not above committing atrocities when it suits their purpose. In
one scene, the American militia cold-bloodedly murdered English
soldiers who had surrendered. In another, English troops locked
American civilians, including women and children, inside a church
and proceeded to burn them alive.
Tcheky Karyo is wonderful here with
his wise-cracking, vengeance-driven yet compassionate French
officer Jean Villeneuve role. And Mel Gibson? Well, as usual, he
puts in a powerful, moving and great performance. But what really
drives the 'The Patriot' is the stunning, breathing-taking and raw
battle sequences and the superbly directed scenes of drama,
horror, brutality, anger, grief and just about every emotion a
human can experience. In the end, the heroes in 'The Patriot' may
have defeated their enemies, but at the same time, they could
never regain what they lost during the war, namely, their families
and whatever 'innocence' that might have. In short, 'The Patriot'
is great, moving, shocking and heartbreaking!!
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Bejamin Martin is a
reluctant hero who is swept into the American Revolution when the war reaches his home and
threatens his family. A hero of the fierce French and Indian conflict, Martin had
renounced fighting forever to raise his family in peace. But when the British arrive at
his South Carolina home and endanger what he holds most dear, Martin takes up arms
alonside his idealistic patriot son, Gabriel, and leads a brave rebel Militia into battle
against a relentless and overwhelming English army. In the process, he discovers the only
way to protect his family is to fight for a young nation's freedom. 
