Rating: 
Summary: I love America!!!
Review: Sweet! This movie tells it as it was. No one owned slaves, the movie said that they worked the land freely. Sweet! Now I don't feel bad for black people anymore! And what about those British! They're so evil! No wonder Radiohead is so bad.
Rating: 
Summary: Dangerous movie making.
Review: As a British person, watching this movie was actually quite disturbing. The movie itself is entertaining, well acted and the cinematography in particular is excellent. The problem ( unless you're American ) is that this movie portrays every British character as the embodiment of evil and every American as a heroic freedom fighter. The British army kill indescrimanately , set fire to a church with women and children inside it , and generally are portrayed as being the most inhumane people possible. Ask anyone who has studied the American revolution and they will tell you both sides committed some horrendous acts of war.Here history is completely rewritten.This movie is dangerous because it will be seen by a lot of people and many of them will believe it to be fact.The script writers took the easy way out, they knew the movies main market was the USA, so it was necessary for the American characters to be heroic. I know I am not the only English person to be very disappointed by 'The Patriot'. The final insult is to black/african americans, in real life history a major reason for the war was the British authorities decision to abolish slavery and there american counterparts unwillingness to go along with this , here the black characters are shown to be fighting for 'the cause'. What cause was this ? To be enslaved for another hundred years ? To any Americans reading this, I love the USA and it's people,the vast majority of you I know are intelligent enough to see this movie for what it is but movies such as this one do not help transatlantic relations.I don't think I am the only person from the U.K who is sick and tired of our nation being portrayed in such a negative light. Some people could call it racism, I won't , I'd just ask any american reading this how they would feel about this movie if they were British ?
Rating: 
Summary: A Great War Movie
Review: Mel Gibson stars in this dramatic, fake, Revolutionary movie. Full of action and suspense, this would fit right in to your DVD collection. The scenes are very well shot, the graphics are wonderful, and like all Mel Gibson's movies, there's good acting. Sure, it features gore, but then again, it is a war movie! And they at least don't over-do it, either, and if you've seen Braveheart, you know what I'm talking about.What I meant by "fake" is it's made up. Historical Fiction's what it's called. It's based on true event, but the way it's made isn't exactly the way it really happened.I reccomend this to anyone looking for a good war based drama.
Rating:
Summary: Don't mention the War
Review: Contrary to an earlier review we over on this side of the pond have quite recovered from being defeated in the American War of Indepence.I am quite surprised by how a US history professor seems so insecure in his nations vicory to have to prattle on about it, trying to make us Brits out to be to be obsessed with this war. Actually most of his facts were wrong and he should know it, we were outnumbered in most of the engagements, and fighting the Franch empire (along with the spanish) did not help us at all. He might want to consider that the continental US colonies were less inportant than the west indies to many of us, and this was reflected in the way troops were deployed to the western hemisphere. Most Brits are angry with the depiction of us as murderers, because of the church burning scene, as well as the other actions of the lead british villain. Depicting hanging of actual or suspected "rebels" and burning their homes as punishment (as was standard practice for most armies at the time) would have been more realistic and less offensive than portraying the Brits as simple minded Nazis. Most of us are much more familiar with WW2 and the sort of mass slaughter of prisoners portrayed in this film was witnessed first hand by many of us, perpetrated by Hitlers thugs (one of my own relatives was a POW in crete, the germans lined his unit up then shot every second man dead after they surrendered). These strong memories from a terribly dark time in our history cause us to become infuriated when we are compared to the aggressors of WW2. Many US writers in these reviews also forget that their ancestors butchered a considerable number of POWs themselves, starting with those captured at Lexington Green. Perhaps portraying slavery a little more honestly in this film would also have helped.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining if you view it as a tall tale, not history
Review: To paraphrase Charles Dickens, The Patriot is the best of movies and the worst of movies. Visually, it ranks with Gladiator as one of the great movies of 2000. The story has power because, like Gone with the Wind, it brings home the horror of war, in this case The American Revolution, by focusing on its effects on one family. The element that makes it the worst of movies is its historical perspective. The movies generally make bad history teachers. Their primary purpose is to entertain. Still, there have been scores of pictures which have successfully approximated the historical period they were set in without sacrificing their entertainment quotient. So what are we to make of The Patriot? My suggestion is that the viewer enjoy its epic story and remember that it is just a well told tall tale, just a lavishly produced fable. Col. Benjamin Martin [Mel Gibson] fought in the French and Indian Wars. While hailed a hero, he is racked with guilt over a grisly incident that occurred during his command. He is now a farmer in South Carolina. Recently widowed, Martin must also raise his seven children who range in age from three to seventeen. The revolution has begun in the northern colonies. Martin supports the cause of freedom from British rule, but he stops short of advocating war, much to the chagrin of his two oldest sons. When Gabriel [Heath Ledger] disobeys his father and enlists, Martin is saddened but determined not to bloody his own hands again. When another son is killed in front of him and his other children, Martin's mind is changed. He is forced once more to become the warrior. The visuals truly are impressive. The digitally rendered backgrounds, such as Charleston harbor, blend seamlessly with the actors in the foreground. The battle scenes are immense in size, very well choreographed and intensely dramatic. The many costumes are elaborate and colorful. The photography has especially vibrant hues. Having lived in the area of South Carolina where many of the exteriors were filmed, I have to add that it is one of the most beautiful areas in the country. Mel Gibson gives his usual workman-like but enthusiastic performance. As Gabriel, Heath Ledger, raised like Gibsonin Australia, seems more like a young man having a blast making a movie than one enmeshed in bloody revolution. Still, he is apt to become a star in his own right. The female leads, Joely Richardson and Lisa Brenner, both do a good job, but in several scenes they are required to wear makeup that is strictly 21st Century. Martin's younger children are the usual adorable types that exist as a group only in the movies. There is one remarkable performance, that of Jason Issacs as Col. William Tavington, a British officer, Martin's nemesis, and one of the best villains of late. Issacs sinks his teeth into the role. The Patriot is moviemaking on the grand scale, and if you can disregard its historical mistruths, it can be grandly entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Reinvented Revolution
Review: "The Patriot" is a fictional Revolutionary War almost-epic about an ardent pacifist (Mel Gibson) doing a 180 after his young son is murdered by a sadistic British officer (Jason Isaacs). Accompanied by his idealistic oldest son (Heath Ledger) and a motley militia of Yankee Doodles, Gibson reinvents himself as "The Ghost", a one man army who makes mince meat out of British soldiers, and sets out to avenge his son's death, being a veritable thorn in the side of British hierarchy, in the process. While splendidly filmed and acted, "The Patriot" attempts to foist emotional manipulation on us as an epic story. Scene after scene, The Ghost's family and friends become the victim's of atrocites by the British officer Colonel William Tavington (Jason Isaacs in a role that makes Ralph Feinnes portrayal of Amon Goeth in "Schindler's List" look like Mr. Rogers!). If it is not enough that one of his younger sons is callously murdered, we have to witness The Ghost's eldest son stabbed to death, and his son's beautiful young wife and innocent townspeople burned alive in a church. The sole purpose of this carnage is to engender in the audience a strident hatred of Tavington, an effect that is both superficial and manipulative. The film never gave me a sense of meaning. Do not expect "The Patriot" to be a history lesson, either. The film demonizes the British army, portraying them as nothing more than snobbish bad guys. And the watered down depiction of slavery is shameless. Even John Williams' score is a disappointment (sorry, John). "The Patriot", with all its faults, is quite entertaining if you except it for what it is--a well made Revolutionary War action film with good acting and a comic book caliber plot.
Rating: 
Summary: Mel Gibson With Another Hit...
Review: The Patriot is a movie that takes place during the Revolutionary War period. The battle scenes are very cool (and I guess accurate?), but sometimes graphic. Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) starrs as the father of a family in South Carolina. One day, the canons are coming near with the British. Benjamin and his family are forced out of their homes by the British. Soon, Benjamin's son, Gabriel, leads a militia into battle against the overwhelming English army. This movie can get a little boring at times, and it is a little too long for me- 165 minutes. Also recommended: Braveheart, The Gladiator There are sooo many neat features on this DVD and they include:
Digitally Mastered Audio and Anamorphic Video
Widescreen Presentation
Audio: English 5.1 (Dolby Digital)
French 2- Channel (Dolby Surround)
Subtitles: English, French
Director Roland Emmerich, Producer Dean Devlin Commentary
Visual Effects Interactive Featurette
Battlefield Featurette- "The Art of War"
The True Patriots Featurette
Conceptual Art to Film Comparisons
Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary by Filmakers
Photo Galleries
DVD-ROM Weblink*
Theatrical Trailers
Talent Files
Interactive Menus with Animation
Production Notes
Scene Selections with Motion Images I recommend this movie to people who like to see war movies and fierce, battle scenes.
Rating:
Summary: For all prideful Americans
Review: While this movie recieved massive criticism for being an American "Braveheart" I think that criticism is unfair. Any epic movie will have a similar plotline, the lowly character becomes the hero etc, etc, but the only true similarity I see in this to Braveheart is in the final battle scene. The majority of the film is exsteremly different in plotline, twists and characterisations. The juxtiposition of historical characters is cleverly done, and the British are not vilified...a particular Briton is villified, and well done too! This is a must see for all "Patriots" and epic film lovers.
Rating:
Summary: THE BEST FILM-THE BEST DVD!
Review: Now I know there have been a lot of people on here who won't agree with me on this, but I wan't to be perfectly clear when I say: This film is the best movie I've ever seen! A great story of country, family, and vengeance set against the backdrop of the American Revolution. I think this is DEFINITELY Mel Gibson's best performance. Who else could pull off a performance as a man with a dark secret who must leave his peaceful life behind and join the American Revolution in order to protect his family? Tom Cruise? Never! Tom Hanks? Maybe! Mel Gibson? Perfect Fit! The film's got great storytelling, fine visual effects, and superb acting from all involved! And the DVD is AWESOME! The featurettes are amazing, and the commentary track is exceptional! The rest of the DVD is awesome! It is a must-buy! I guarantee it! Grade: A+
Rating:
Summary: Mounting a
Review: It is true that this movie isn't for everyone (or anyone, apparently, who claims English nationality...makes me wonder what treatment they gave "Gandhi" when it was released). ...
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I will admit that I wouldn't want to pass a history exam based on wholly on the content of "The Patriot"...however, it is quite a bit more historically accurate than "Braveheart", a film to which it is often compared. However, I would like to list in detail the aspects of this movie that WERE done correctly, either theatrically or historically.
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1.) The idea of going to war with England for independence was hardly a unanimous feeling throughout the Colonies. Just as there are people who live within English territory today who feel loyalty to the Crown (Rangers fans in Glasgow, for instance), so were there loyalists (Tories) within the colonies who happily considered themselves to be British. Such voices aren't often heard in other film productions depicting this subject; in that aspect "The Patriot" was spot-on in its depiction of Colonial politics.
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2.) Contrary to many negative (read: British) reviews of this movie, the British army in general and their officers specifically are not portrayed as murderous Visigoths. It is true that the "lead villain" role is seen as exceptionally loathsome in his conduct, but I failed to see his conduct as being condoned by other officers within his chain of command; indeed, there are many times when his actions are equally questioned (and scorned) by his own subordinate and superior officers. I feel that the director was trying to personify the horrors and depravities of war (surely found in any number of the multitudes of men who have commanded troops since the dawn of warfare) within the single, easily identifiable form of one man (Colonel Tavington; the fact that the actor portraying Colonel Tavington did such a fantastic job with the character and by doing so caused the viewer to paint the British with a rather broad brush in forming such a negative opinion is more of a positive reflection on the actor's work rather than the result of the film's director attempting to show the British as 18th-Century nazis). The same goes for Mel Gibson's heroic character Benjamin Martin; no one man did as much to much to win any war (with the possible exception of Achilles in Homer's "Iliad") as Gibson's did in this movie...but in the same sense that the dark side of man must be personified in one character, so must the heroic and uplifting aspects of good.
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3.) Like "Braveheart", the battlefield scenes (and the obligatory "M*A*S*H"-inspired "post-battle triage" scenes) in this movie are brutally realistic and not for the faint-of-heart. Besides the battle scenes themselves, which are memorable, the set designs and costumes are fantastic...I believe, based on my own historical studies, that this movie did accurately present the aspects of life within Coastal Colonial Carolina in the late 18th Century.
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4.) Slavery is, of course, the most notorious memory that remains of America's first two centuries. It should be noted, however, that the institution of slavery was not widespread among the general population. Only those wealthy enough to own the amount of land necessary to require a salve labor force could afford the slaves by which the land could be worked; landowners of lesser means (such as Benjamin Martin) would acquire his labor force the old fashioned (and far more enjoyable) way of excessive procreation.
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In summary, this movie definitely isn't for everyone. Like the "Miracle On Ice" story of the 1980 Winter Olympics ice hockey tournament, it probably helps to be an American to gain full enjoyment of "The Patriot". There are moments within the movie that are legitimately touching and heartfelt; and there are aspects of this movie which some will simply find too intolerable to allow for any enjoyment. My opinion is that is a Hollywood production that is (somewhat) factually flawed, but a very entertaining movie otherwise. If you're an American and/or a Mel Gibson fan, you're going to really enjoy this. For those from "the other side of the pond" who hold a grudge even after all this time, I daresay this won't quite be your cup of tea.
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