Rating: 
Summary: Try to tug the heartstrings a little less obviously please
Review: I had a strange feeling of deja vu while watching this film. No, not because of its superficial similarities to "Braveheart" (a better film than this one), but rather because it seemed to throw in every tool and trick of Hollywood's trade to try to make me care. In many ways watching this film was like riding a roller coaster that loses its impact after too many predictable bumps and dips, leaving one with a detached feeling of having wasted both time and money. The trite convention of sequentially killing off family members to engender (repeated) feelings of rage in the protagonist was a little too heavy-handed in my opinion. Just because it seemed effective in "Braveheart" (father/wife), was no excuse to beat it into the ground here again (son/son.) The sickly attempt to address the spectre of racism in Colonial America by the changing reaction of a white revolutionary to the presence of an otherwise token African-American character was both predictable and nauseatingly pat in the end. On the other hand, the epic nature of the film - with its great costumes and the requisite cast of thousands (real and computer-generated) - was visually quite impressive. Truly a Hollywood flick. Pity it's not one of the better ones.
Rating: 
Summary: An American Classic
Review: It is one of the Most touching movies i have ever seen. It Truely made me proud to be American. I would recommend it to all my friends and would watch it over and over again.
Rating:
Summary: All around touching film
Review: The Patriot made me laugh and cry. It made me angry and happy all at the same time. when I saw the previews I thought, another barveheart. Boy was I wrong, I'll admit it did have a bit of a ressembalence to Braveheart, but it was its own movie. Mel Gibson once again goes to war with the english, but only because he was settling a score. It turned out he kept fighting because he began to believe in the cause. Heath Ledgar played the part of Gabriel perfect. He hid his Ausstralian accent like it was nothing. He looked and acted very much the part of a son who was going to do what he thought was right. The cast couldn't have been chosen better. The script couldn't have been written better, and the cinemetography was great. This was the best movie I've seen in a while. It's a must see for every American. It is however a fictional movie so don't believe everything you see. But go see the movie!
Rating:
Summary: Possibly Mel Gibsons Best!
Review: It is my favorite movie i have ever seen it is worth every penny it is such a great film it is sad but it has lots of action at the same time. Mel Gibson does amazing in this film! And once again good triumphs over evil. It has some very sad and emotinal scenes though at the end it all pays off this movie is sure to become an instant classic amongst Mel Gibson\Drama fans this movie is great!
Rating: 
Summary: Gibsonized Version of the Revolutionary War
Review: . . . is not quite as good as the real thing, but comes close to bringing the Spirit of the Revolution alive for a generation that barely remembers Vietnam. My son, Tom, has been involved in Revolutionary War reenacting since he was 10, and his first experience with film-making was as an extra in The Patriot . . . Look for the drummer with the bloody bandage on his head and the flag waving gloriously behind him as he marches across the screen on the way to the final battle. He thoroughly enjoyed the experience, although as a history scholar he had much to say about the film's shortcomings when it comes to historic detail. Nevertheless, it caught the spirit of those times in a broad-brush approach that was more than slightly overdrawn for dramatic effect. One major example: the British did not torch a bunch of villagers in their local church. That incident was borrowed from a more gruesome time: the Nazis in World War II. The British in the Southern campaign engaged in enough brutality to warrant our scorn, but why falsify history to make a point? Nevertheless, The Patriot does capture the courage and determination of the American patriots who fought to make us free -- often in spite of the indifference and hostility of many others who preferred to cast their lot with their British oppressors. (The Irish got a taste of British military barbarity a few short years later, but unfortunately, they lost.) The film's attempt to deal with the issue of slavery is done a little too slickly, although few Americans today are aware that before, during, and after the Revolution, slavery was a source of major controversy -- and, indeed, the long march toward abolition had already begun. In the South, it remained entrenched and the wounds of that division are with us still. If you are looking for something closer to authentic history, try the History channel. But if you want one hell of a story about a period in our history that most Americans have nearly forgotten, The Patriot is worth seeing. And remember to look for the drummer with the bloody bandage on his head. The Patriot is a film he won't forget.
Rating:
Summary: See this for the patriot in you!
Review: While this is not a strictly historical account of the revolutionary war, I feel that it does everything and more to represent this time in our national history that Saving Private Ryan does for the WWII era. I have seen this production twice in the theater, and would see it again if it were still here in my town. If you want to experience all of the angst, dispair, turmoil, and exhilaration of the times with gave birth to our great nation, then this is a must see for you. If you live in the United States of America, and this is of no interest to you, then you are living in the wrong country.
Rating:
Summary: A moving and monumental performance!
Review: I think that the Patriot is one of the best movies of the summer, it had heart and wonderful performances by Mel Gibson and newcomer Keith Ledger, if you loved Braveheart you'll love this "Revolutionary" Film!
Rating: 
Summary: Terrible
Review: This is a story about a revolutionary called "The Patriot", hmm...The photography is impressive and especially the first battlefield is breathtakingly pictured. Here the sheer stupidity of warfare is shown, as well as the reason for why regulars were considered more reliable the militia (better discipline). All the little details are in place, the red coats, the "sleeping bag" for the soon to be married as well as references to various historical persons. The action is usually well co-ordinated, in particular the scene were they describe by pictures rather then words why Gibsons character is a man people used to fear. However his berserk rage cools quickly and he once again becomes the calculating guerrilla officer. The actors fill their parts, Gibson is greying but still strong and honest, the son is handsome, and his love chaste and the rest (of the American part of the cast) have endearing features, even those that are somewhat unwashed. So far the film comes together well, the first quarter or so is entertaining, then it falls apart. It really does not matter if you have all the details correct when the big picture is completely out of focus. That the only person in South Caroline who seems to own a slave is described as a despicable exeption to the norm, as well as the prejudice filled soldier who in the end comes to terms with his black brother in arms, comes across as somewhat false. There would be another war before black rights within the US were begun to be addressed and a hundred years from that conflict there were forms of segregation in many American states that had been outlawed in Britain before the start of the war for independence. The French aid (not only of a fleet, but also of supplies and troops) is downplayed and the sole Frenchmen is there more for comic relief then to be a hero. In all this rewriting of history (only a few examples give here) the fact that the colonists are portrayed with many very modern views and are nothing like the people I studied when I read about the period is almost to small a detail to mention. This is a film about a war that were the start of a on the whole very positive thing, the United States, but the director seems afraid to say anything that might appear damaging to the "heroes" of the era. Instead they have created a fairytale story about a war fought on one side by heroes and on the other by scum and idiots. There are entertaining parts but on the whole it is only depressing. I could not help but think of ID4, especially the president's speech ("...today we celebrate our independence..."). The film is like that speech, only more the two hours long with only the occasional break for action. If you like "On Dangerous Ground" (Steven Seagal) because of its realism, "The Postman" (Kevin Costner) for its great story and think John Wayne the greatest actor ever to have lived this is a film for you. Otherwise hitting your head against a wall is more pleasant then living through this spectacle.
Rating:
Summary: It ain't Braveheart
Review: The first time I saw this film, I was somewhat bored. The second time I saw it, I allowed it to be what it was on its own terms. I enjoyed it more the second time. My biggest irritation is the climactic battle scene when the director kept jerking the speed of the frame this way and that. Mel used the slow motion effect to great advantage in Braveheart, but this cheesy bit in Patriot made the "the big pay-off" play like a cheap kung-fu scene. Is it worth owning? I suppose so. I will probably get it; but mostly for all the extras. Don't get me wrong, the film has a lot of great stuff in it, but it could have been more than it was if only the director had asked for Mel's advise.
Rating:
Summary: A Great American Patriotic Movie!
Review: This is the first film in a long time that I've seen that isn't an apologetic mis mash of American history. It's a wonderful spectacle depicting the fierce hand of the British and the gallant stand of one man who inevitably leads thousands in the final battle. Wonderful family movie, and one that should make you proud to be in the U.S.A !
|
