Rating: 
Summary: Good Movie
Review: I love It I will have See It Again
Rating: 
Summary: A Good movie, but a bit long
Review: I enjoyed the Patriot. It was a good movie but a bit long. I always enjoy the costumes for the period as well as the special effects in the battle scenes.
Rating: 
Summary: Historically More Accurate than Reviewers Thought
Review: For an excellent description of this DVD see Tom Reynold's very well written review on the Amazon site. My review is just a postscript. Many movie critics lambasted this movie for being another in a long series of Hollywood movie misrepresentations of history (notably Mel Gibson's "Braveheart"). The reality is that this movie is considerably more historically accurate than most critics thought. The Revolutionary War was fought very differently in the South (Mel Gibson's character is reminiscent of the real Francis Merion, aka The Swamp Fox). In the South the Patriots didn't fight the traditional military battle. They fought more like guerillas, and the British responded accordingly. There is one major scene in The Patriot that I believe is totally fictitious, and it must infuriate British people, but the essence of this movie is more truth than fiction and it's a great piece of movie making. It's a bit over long, and the final fight drags on too long, but overall it's emotional, beautiful, and thrilling. I've watched it three times and will watch it again.
Rating: 
Summary: As inaccurate as Braveheart
Review: I was very, very disappointed by "Braveheart" - magnificent as a piece of cinema, but a disgraceful mangling of the real story of my country's greatest hero. But "Patriot" takes the biscuit - Gibson confuses the 18th C. British Army with the Waffen SS!One star is one too many.
Rating:
Summary: Historical fiction taken to near percfection
Review: If you are looking for 100% historical accuracy, this is not your movie. If you can't handle the images of the gore of war, this is not your movie. Other than that, this movie is awesome! This movie made me proud to be an American and reminded me of the price that was paid for our freedom. The characters were great, the scenery was great, the plot was great. It does go over the top in some of the battle scenes (i.e. the dying man tossing his loaded rifle to the hero as he falls to the ground so that the hero catches it and immediately fires), but not to the point of ruining the movie. The battle scenes are very bloody and disturbing ... as they should be. War is ugly and costly and the only currency it accepts is blood. The moral of this story is that war should only be the absolutely last resort. If politics were medicine, war would be amputation without pain medication. Once it is started, however, it must be seen through to the end, regardless of price. As a veteran, it was amazing to see the reluctance of this veteran to enter a war. Having seen the cost of victory to self, to family and to country, he seeks ANY other alternative. But when the war is brought to him and all other options are taken from him, he walks the mile regardless of cost. You can feel the emotional toll on Mel Gibson each step of the way.
Rating:
Summary: Brings U.S. history to life
Review: This excellent film would make excellent required viewing for all Americans. It gives emotional depth to the all-too-dry history lessons of our nation's birth. A man with a violent past, who has settled down because of the now-deceased wife he adored, is asked to join the revolt against Britain. He wants nothing to do with it, but soon finds that remaining neutral is not an option. The film is sometimes tear jerking and gut wrenching, but with enough comic relief to keep it balanced. The costumes, scenery and cinematography are beautful and it has a fantasic musical score. I purchased the sound track right after seeing the movie for only the second time in my 40+ years. Why this film didn't get more Oscar nominations is a mystery.
Rating:
Summary: typical hollywood extravaganza
Review: This film, THE PATRIOT, by director Roland Emmerich, is a fair example of your average Hollywood movie; There's a lot going on on the surface, but there's nothing underneath. The film is just one cliché after another, cloaked in huge spectacle and scenography (which is in itself a cliché). Five minutes into the film, you'll allready have figured out where things are gonna end as well as all the major twists and turns in the plot. The characters in the film are two dimensional. I just love the fact (from a sarcastic point of view) that all Americans are portrayed as great guys, while foreigners are dirtbags; Even the French, whom the Americans would never have won the war without, are bad guys in this film. Plus, there's also the problem with Mel Gibson's character and his "free workers". This is just plain stupid. The only reason this made it into the scripts is because the producers were afraid to offend anybody, and that could mean less money at the box office (and that's pretty much what Hollywood is all about). If the filmmakers had made it so that Gibson's character had kept slaves, then they could have made a point out of the patriot's desire for freedom versus their inability to see the slaves' desire for freedom. I agree with director Spike Lee when he accused the film of not being true to history. If you like films that actually have something to say, then you'd better stay clear of this.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding
Review: By now, most people have seen this outstanding film. If you haven't then you should. It's a true pleasure to watch. Many "War Stories" are just that, war stories - fun, exciting, no real substance other than the thin story line that barely holds it together. This film goes much deeper and tells the story of a reluctant hero and his family. One minute all is well on the farm. Our hero (Mel Gibson) has put his time in for God and Country in past battles and now just wants to be a craftsman making a living and bringing up his kids the best way he can. The next minute, cannons are blasting right in his own back yard and people are literally dying on his doorstep. Chick-flick? Hardly, although I actually know someone who called it that because there was *gasp* a love story intertwined throughout. True, there are some side-stories to the main tale, and these stories are touching and target the softer personalities, but that just makes the movie all the more well rounded and worth owning. I love it. It's not a true "drama", it has several humorous moments, it's entertaining, it puts some of the Revolutionary War era into perspective, and brings the reality of battle on our home soil right to your own back yard.
Rating: 
Summary: Over-hyped
Review: This film is shallowness itself.
Take a measure of historical inaccuracy, add some banner waving, a touch of over-acting and mix well with a predictable story and script. Next add a villain who would not be out of place in a Victorian music hall skit, and finally a huge amount of sentiment - until it drips out the sides preferably. The result is a movie like this.
It has nothing new to offer, nothing new to say.
It's only redeeming feature is that it was nicely shot (which is what the makers should have been ;-) which is why is gets 2 stars. If you want originality, look elsewhere. If you want a film made to a formula that amounts to little more than eye-candy, this is for you.
Rating:
Summary: Sad but inspirational
Review: Of course the story of a family in the middle of the American Revolution is going to be both sad and inspirational. It can't help but being sad in that it is going to inherently going to have death and a profound loss of life. You see people that you become attached to die throughout the movie. At the same time you see the strength and perserverance of the people who fought the war that made us free. It can't help but inspire all Americans and help them realize the blood that was shed to allow us to live in the country that we live in today. A free country. The story is incredible and heart-breaking. In the end though, it's definately a must see.
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