Rating: 
Summary: Coming soon from the makers of Godzilla and Independence day
Review: I cannot comprehend how many reviews, undoubtably written by gullible jingoist Mr Middle America, commend Mel for his patriotism in this film. The irony and contradiction of this, and the title of the Film itself, is clearly apparent. How can Mel(And i use Mel instead of the characters name because really it's hard to tell them apart) be considered noble and patriotic when he refuses to fight for his beliefs, but instead goes on a merciless killing spree out of revenge? Personally I blame the British. Silly Limeys, they should have watched Lethal Weapon, Mad Max, Braveheart, Ransom, Payback, or just about any other Gibson flick, and seen the consequences of messing with such a kind, caring man. The historical innacuracies, and bordering on racist depiction of the British barely needs mentioning as many people here (there are some people with the ability to think clearly Thank God) have already done so. For pure comedy value my favourite scene was where Mel and his two brave young sons, managed, with a coupla of old rifles, to massacre about 20 (evil, nasty) well trained Pomms. That Mel sure is great. Whats next, a single handed defeat of the Viet Cong (no doubt brought about by the death/kidnapping of a cherished family member)
Rating: 
Summary: A mediocre look at an excelent setting
Review: It's interesting to look at what sells in movies. World War II has about ten movies set in every front, from the king of war films, Saving Private Ryan (German front) to the subpar Windtalkers (Pacific). Vietnam has about two movies for every month it was fought, and that wasn't even technically a war. But the American Revolution, the war that created the United States-what great movies have been made about that? What happened to the films telling about a man who left his girlfriend one day to die on Bunker Hill? Why isn't there a Boston Massacre thriller? Where is the Benidict Arnold bioepic?The Patriot, it seems, tries to help those of us with an itch for cannon, muskets, and dead Brits. Mel, as often is the case, plays a widower (Gibson loses a lot of wives. The one movie, to my knowledge, that he ends married is Lethal Weapon 4). Mel forbids his son, Heath Leger, from fighting in the revoution; surprisingly, the son enlists in the colonial militia at his first chance. Then there's murders, raids, massacares, betrayals, laughs, ruthlessness, revenge, and a love intrest between Mel and his sister-in-law. Wait... was that plot recap to fast for you? Well, to be honest, I don't feel like saying the entire thing; it's rather dull. The villain, a dragoon colonel by name of Tavington, is shown as ruthlessly evil, through and through, just wanting to kill people to win the war, and get some land - and although fully evil characters are fine, he wasn't enough fun to do fully evil well, and he lacked the motivated evil that would allow him to be dull. Someone - I believe it was General Cornwallis, who has the unfortunate duty of not only surrendering his sword to the Americans (which he gave to a lower officer) but also delivering a god-awful monolouge at the finale about how farmers had defeated him, and the whole world is going to hell - has been told that in return for keeping America, the crown will spilt the colonies with him fifty-fifty, and he offered to give Tavington a substantial portion. This being an action movie in dramatic masking, let's look at the fighting. It's decent, but sometimes it seems like a video game more then anything else. Sure, one guy killing a few brits with no backup other then his twelve year old sons seems possible, but here Mel kills about thirty redcoats without taking a single wound, missing a single shot, or forgetting a single solider. That's only realistic in Medal of Honor, and even then you need a scope to accomplish it. We see cannon taking off legs, but they seem, somehow, less dangerous then those of The Last of the Mohicans. Maybe, however, it's just that Mohicans is a much better movie then the Patriot. The scenes are often colorful in an unrealistic fashion; the best example of this is when the Heath Leger character goes to the window of a house he had entered, and we see an army being routed beneath a sky given an ungodly blue. It's almost as jarring as the fact that this battle is right next to the house, but they hadn't heard the fighting until they got inside it. Or something; I don't remember exactly all the ways the scene was bad. Is The Patriot a bad movie? No, it has some redeeming qualities. More importantly, it covers a war that needs to be covered, and rarely is; I encourage other directors to go out and show Washington's famous Christmas raid against the Hessians in 1776, or "The Shot Heard Round the World" at Lexington. But as it stands, if you want a good movie in the age of old style cannon, you've got Gettysburg, Glory, or the Last of the Mohicans as good picks; leave this one on the shelf.
Rating: 
Summary: Star Spangled Schmaltz
Review: Only the talent of Mel Gibson rescues this movie from being completely forgettable. The scenes of him holding his dying sons in his arms are particularly powerful. He is the only one who seems to be able to breathe any life at all into the terribly trite dialog, which is mostly on the level of a bad elementary school play. Most of the characters are so thinly drawn that they are nothing but cardboard cutouts. They're dropped into some rather nicely photographed scenes of an idyllic colonial America that looks way too much like Disneyland. I half expected to see Ben Franklin out flying a kite and George Washington chopping down a cherry tree. There are some nice special effects and the 5.1 soundtrack is very good, but this is mated to cornball dialog and way too many predictable plot elements. I found myself cringing at how bad some of it really is (i.e., the white bigot who comes to see the error of his ways), while at the same time marveling at how wonderful an actor is Mel Gibson. Sappy dialog and historical inaccuracies mixed with some scenes of undeniable power and beauty. This is a real mixed bag.
Rating:
Summary: Give me nonsense or give me death
Review: From a historical point of view, this movie is claptrap made worse by the grotesque superimposition of late Twentieth Century movie morality on the American Revolution.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad for a formula
Review: If a major star hits box office gold, studios usually try to find a formula to guarantee themselves another hit. That being said, this Mel Gibson film of the American Revolution feels a lot like "Braveheart." Here, as there, the reluctant hero joins the war to fight back a brutal military and oppressive government. Leading a band of fighters thought to be of no consequence, the hero accomplishes the improbable. This movie has quite a bit of gore. Since this does concern a war, it is to be accepted, and the movie does not romanticize the violence. Be prepared to see wounds caused by guns and cannon. Unlike some formula films, this is an engaging movie. I don't think you would be wasting your time watching this. There are bits of romance and humor to keep the film from being too dark. I would recommend watching this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Love, Hope, Anguish, Joy, Fear, Revenge - The Faces of War
Review: Released: 2000
Running Time: 165 minutes
Director: Roland Emmerich
Main Cast: Mel Gibson as Benjamin
Heath Ledger as Gabriel Martin
Joely Richardson as Charlotte Selton
Occam as Jay Arlen Jones
John Isaacs as British Colonel Tavington Color: Closed-caption, Dolby, NTSC Sound Mix: DTS/Dolby This film is a drama that takes place in the late 1700's in South Carolina. Benjamin Martin, portrayed by Mel Gibson is a farmer and father in the Revolutionary War ear. He had previously been a barbarous soldier of the French and Indian War, and because of his experience in those wars, he relinquished fighting forever to raise his motherless children in peace. When Benjamin eldest son Gabriel, portrayed by Heath Ledger, finds out that a friend of his had joined the militia, Gabriel joins as well without his father's permission. When Gabriel becomes wounded in the war and finds his way back home, the British show up and accidentally find information belonging to the militia. The British Colonel Tavington, questions the family about where the information came from. Gabriel acknowledges that he is the one who had the information. The British then take Gabriel to be hung for treason and they also burn down Benjamin's house. Before the British leave with Gabriel, Benjamin's younger son Mark, jumps the British soldiers and tries to stop them from taking Gabriel, when this happens Mark is shot by the British Colonel Tavington and dies. At this time the story takes a turn and Benjamin decides he needs to fight. He sends his remaining five children to live with their Aunt Charlotte and he joins the militia. The story continues on with the militia and the British continuously fighting each other till the end. One of the best scenes of the film is when Benjamin, the leader of the militia, negotiates with British General Cornwallis. The overall movie focuses on Benjamin's anguished quest for revenge against the ruthless redcoat Colonel Tavington, and the rise to manhood of Martin's eldest son, Gabriel, whose battlefield honor exceeds even that of his brutally volatile father. This film involves some comic as well as emotional scenes. I truly enjoyed watching this film. The worst part of the film was the war battles that were played out in an open field. If this film is a true account of how the war was actually fought during this time, it is sad to think that the men would be foolish enough to line up in an open field, facing each other, then killing each other.
Rating: 
Summary: A heartwrenching tale of war and fatherhood
Review: "The Patriot" released in 2000 is based on the American Revolution. The director Roland Emmerich focuses on a father's revenge when his son his murdered by a redcoat, Colonel Tavington (Jason Isaacs). Mel Gibson portrays Colonel Benjamin Martin a widow and father of seven children. Colonel Benjamin Martin had been in the French and Indian War and was a war hero. He never spoke of his experience and was quite content with his life as a farmer and father. His oldest son Corporal Gabriel Edward Martin (Heath Ledger) enlists in the army to defend the new nation America. Gabriel was a messenger and in an attempt to deliver a message he finds himself in trouble and lands back at the family farm where his father and siblings protect him. He is found out by the redcoats and is taken hostage. His brother instantly goes to protect him and is murdered at the hand of Colonel Tavington. The redcoats take off with Gabriel and Benjamin Martin takes off after them along with his two younger sons. The "Ghost" Benjamin Martin and his two sons ambush the redcoats and save Gabriel. Gabriel once again chooses to live the life of a soldier and takes off again to do his duty. This prompts Benjamin Martin to join the fight himself. He sends his children to live with his wife's sister. Benjamin becomes the leader of a makeshift militia and they begin their crusade. Many other events occur, including the negotiation with British General Cornwallis. Gabriel takes a bride and in one of the more heart wrenching scenes a church is burned to the ground with innocent civilians inside. It truly gives a look at what these soldiers are going through and how innocent people were impacted by these events.
Rating:
Summary: A fine movie about an underrepresented subject
Review: This movie is a must-see for anyone who enjoys war flicks, or who has an interest in the American Revolution. It is not a perfect movie, but its strong points overwhelm the relatively few week ones. Mel Gibson does his customary stellar job, and the acting overall is pretty good, and the story is very good indeed. An unabashedly pro-American movie, but then again what's wrong with that? It is still legal to make the odd movie that happens to celebrate American patriotism.
The thing I liked best about the movie is that it really did convey a sense of what it might have been like to live in American revolutionary times. It was a long war and a hard war, and ideals had to have been what kept the outgunned and outmanned patriots going. The Brits are portrayed as the bad guys, but not, except for one villain, as bad guys. I get a kick out of recommending this movie to my British friends.
The story keeps going, there is a beginning, a middle, and an exciting ending. That's more than can be said of most movies nowadays. A keeper and a must for any DVD collection.
Rating:
Summary: one useful lesson
Review: Any American wondering why much of the world despises this country should perhaps watch this film.
Rating:
Summary: A decent movie on the American Revelution
Review: This was the first major movie on the American Revelution. The character Mel Gibson plays was actually Francis Marion "The Swamp Fox". The British commander Col. Tavington was actually Bannistre Tarleton, The Loyalist commander in South Carolina. The movie was inaccurate in some ways in its depiction of slavery, The role of African-Americans in the Continental and British armies, The non-existent role of Native Americans (particulry the Cherokees), and the role of Generals Gates and Greene. It did not cover the battles of Kings Mountain and Cowpens, which broke General Cornwallis' Western flank and drove him into North Carolina. It was a major accomplishment to bring this era on film.
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