Patriot, The Review

Benjamin Martin, (Mel Gibson), a widower with seven children, works as a farmer in the state of South Carolina. The year is 1776; the American colonists are up in arms against the British, but Martin saw enough of war when he fought the Indians and the French. His son, Gabriel, (Heath Ledger), is determined to fight, however; and, inexorably, Martin finds himself caught up in the cause when he comes into personal conflict with a sadistic British officer (Jason Isaacs).... Spectacular to look at, Roland Emmerich`s often exciting film pays scant attention to history. The real-life character on which Benjamin Martin is based wasn`t the unadulterated hero he`s seen to be here (he behaved atrociously towards his slaves), and the British weren`t as swinish either. The plot, inspired by every film in which a pacifict becomes a hero (think Casablanca and all the rest) is the least attractive element here - the many action scenes, some of then surprisingly violent are powerfully staged. Gibson gives a familiar performance, but Heath Ledger impresses as his brave, romantic son and there`s a strong supporting cast - Chris Cooper, Tom Wilkinson, Tcheky Karyo among them. Margaret`s Comments:Groaning at the thought of a 2 hour 40 minute wallow in the American Revolutionary War I found myself surprisingly entertained. Perhaps the popcorn helped because this is certainly a popcorn movie. Surely no-one expects historical accuracy from Hollywood, well The Patriot doesn`t pretend to supply it despite the involvement of the Smithsonian Institute. This is just another action romp which shamelessly manipulates sentiment towards kids and dogs and the good old US of A. But it manipulates with surprising effectiveness. Mel Gibson has a mellowness here, his scenes with his on-screen children have a naturalness that lays the groundwork for the wrath to come. And Heath Ledger brings a fresh youthful handsomeness to his performance as the oldest son Gabriel. The bad guy (Jason Isaacs) is ludicrously evil, the British generally are portrayed as a pretty immoral and greedy lot. But for most of its length The Patriot is at least entertaining, despite the blood and gore, despite the whitewash of racial issues and despite the less than perfect script. I just wish I`d bought a larger sized popcorn to last the distance.