Rating: 
Summary: Not one of Mel's better movies ...
Review: I think I'm one of the few people who found this movie incredibly boring, cookie cutter, and lacking imagination. I got up several times during the movie, left the room, and came back, to find that I didn't seem to miss much at all, except some pretty poor dialogue. I'm sure the actors did the best they could with what was given them, but the writing was just awful.
Rating: 
Summary: Is It Worth Seeing?
Review: The Patriot may not be the best Revolutionary War movie because the story and characters are fictitious. However, this film not only meets the qualifications for a great action movie, but it also is a magnificent portrayal of the experiences an individual may have encountered during the Revolutionary War period.
Rating:
Summary: Mel Gibson vs. the British...again
Review: What did the British ever do to Mel Gibson? This film may be a rehash of "Braveheart", but there is one important difference...this one is entertaining. Enjoy it as an exciting adventure film with a good cast and some great action scenes, but be forewarned: if you have strong feelings about the misrepresentation of historical fact, you will not like this film. It is definitely "History for Dummies", with black hats on one side and white hats on the other.
Rating: 
Summary: A Warning, I found this film to be atrocious
Review: Do not be fooled by the other's enthusiastic reviews. This movie is the corniest, most cliche'd film I have ever seen. I saw it in the theater, and walked out close to the end. I had wanted to walk out earlier but the person I was with insisted that I stayed. From the first minute this filmn goes down hill. You get a look at the low quality of the film from Mel Gibsons first attempts to make us laugh by repeatedly building chairs that break when he sits in them. Its hard to share the feeling I felt when I first saw this, but it was increased by the pathetic seens that followed. First is the fact that this film makes no attempt at realisticly representing the period in which it takes place. We are constantly bombarded by political correct statements about the silliness of rascism, and how it is triumphed in the end when a white man appreciates the participation a black man contributes in the army. This was not only totally unrealistic, but also just plain silly that an "epic" film would expend effort into telling us what is right and wrong. Another annoyance is the array of fresh adolescent actors whose only contribution is the way they look, and simply don't know how to act. Then there's the two dimentional charecters. The british are represented in a fashion typical of amnerican chauvanism and ignorance, either as stark evil or limp wristed and silly. And then there's the corn. This movie is the corniest movie I ever had to sit through. In all this film is simply an insult to the intelligence of fans of the art media of film.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Movie!!!
Review: Mel Gibson stars as Benjamin Martin in The Patriot, directed by Roland Emmerich of Independence Day and Godzilla fame (as well as Stargate). Most critics and movie goers compared this film favorably to Braveheart, which I can understand. However, I think this is a mistake which dismisses a film which is excellent in it's own right.The character of Benjamin Martin is haunted by the memory of his action in the French and Indian War almost two decades prior to the film. He has vowed never to fight again, and therefore, when the Revolution begins he (understandably) decides to sit it out. I like the fact that there is an undercurrent in this film about anger and the price one must pay for not controlling it. Similar to Homer's the Illiad, anger must be controlled and this lesson is played out through the movie. Gabriel, the eldest son, will pay the price for his inability to learn this lesson. There are many other subtle plot lines running through out the movie, such as the bigot who reforms and the building of a new nation from the ashes of war. The historical background is quite accurate and the editing and cinematography are impeccable. This film was under-rated and certainly a fine addition to anyone's collection.
Rating: 
Summary: The Patriot excels where Braveheart fails
Review: My, my, my...Forget the critics and Braveheart fans who know nothing of Scottish history and thirteenth/fourteenth century politics. I admire Randall Wallace's writing--though Man in the Iron Mask, his artful take on Dumas's work, was much better than Braveheart--but he relied, i think, too much on expectation and people's wishes (especially Marion Braidfute's character, who was really only one of Wallace's many female acquaintances). The movie set a tone for epics, and too many people use it as a criterion for their film ethics. The Patriot is a much more personal movie, revolving around a man of simple entertainments and a family(chair-building). The wit in the writing, I think, merited Academy Awards. But people are, I'm afraid to say, idiots many a time. I see no relation to Braveheart, lest it be in the nature of the conflicts. But that is war, and it must be so. The villain was extreme, but provides a nice foil to Benjamin. Forgive my severity. But I grow weary of empty plots and lies in movies. Andrew de Moray, in truth, was Wallace's greatest ally--almost as great as Wallace himself. And the Bruce, king of scots, was the one with the leprosy. Still, Braveheart perseveres. It simply lacks some of the acting elements that the Patriot contains. Let us move beyond Bravehearts and embrace the Gladiators and Patriots as better directed, written, and acted films.
Rating:
Summary: Braveheart goes forth (or, the 1st Independence Day)
Review: Ben Martin ("Mel Gibson") is a scarred vet of the French and Indian War who, at the outset of the Revolutionary War, resists the urge to fight for any side. A happily settled widower in Carolina, he stays aloof of the revolutionary cause, mostly because of his distaste for any government (serving a tyrant 3000 miles away beats serving one ruling from down the block) but also because he's still haunted by the brutalities of the older war. The war comes to him, hot on the heels of his fiery and son-turned Continental soldier. Although the British forces in the Carolinas are led by sage and otherwise humane general Cornwallis, the Tories' brutal side is embodied by one charachter - the sadistic Colonel Tavington. In his first confrontation with the colonel, Martin's eldest son is captured, while the youngest is cruelly shot. That's right - Braveheart goes revolutionary, with muskets and sabers replacing the claymores and pikes of that other film. Martin joins the revolutionary effort, amassing a scraggly horde of swamp fighters who pick the redcoats off from behind trees while the Continentals' army struggles vainly out in the open against the superior might of the redcoats. The revolution's only hope is to keep the enemy forces in Carolina - which numbers, weapons and Cornwallis on its side (Martin judges the General a genius, having forgotten more about war then any of their allies have ever learnt) - from linking up to the British Army in NY and choking Washington into defeat. The French have promised a blockade and their own military support, but nothing materializes quickly. Martin doesn't play by the rules, refusing to line up his meager and swampy forces as cannon fodder. Martin's early successes galvanize the Colonial's hopes, but also rouse the British, and soon invite more personal tragedy for Martin and his family. Col. Tavington doesn't play by the rules either. Realizing his military tactics (which include annihilating whole towns suspected of abetting the Continentals' guerrilas) will prevent him from returning to England, he sets on a path that will give him his own fiefdom in America ("let's talk about....Ohio"). With the Continental's position improving and becoming more desperate at the same time, the stage is set for a climactic battle where Martin will not have the swamp to hide behind. "The Patriot" follows "Braveheart" very closely, but the story does go its own direction at times, and there's more of a story to the bit players - tough guerrila soldiers who find themselves quite emotionally vulnerable when their families are victimized, or other white soldiers who learn that black soldiers can be just as valiant as themselves and should be free. The British aren't the uniformly snearing and evil crew that faced the scots in that older film. While patriotism is upfront, the film doesn't come off jingoistic. All-in-all, good for a night when you're in the mood for an epic, but nothing great is on.
Rating:
Summary: Much better than most people said!
Review: This was a very bloody, intense good movie. My wife thought it was one of the better films of last year. We saw this movie the same day we saw the perfect storm. This movie is much better than the Perfect storm. Lots of great action and a pretty good story. I can see why a lot of people compare this movie to Braveheart. There are a lot of similarities. The villain in this movie is top notch. You really grow to absolutely hate this person. To me, one of the more important things in a movie is a good villain. He is really good. The soundtrack is also quite good, music by John Williams, who has done quite a few other great films. Mel Gibson and his son fight throughout this movie about fighting in the war. That gets a little old. All in all, I didn't think this movie was too long, I thought it was very entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: DVD review
Review: This film makes a great follow up to 'Last of the Mohicans' which takes place in the years before the Revolutionary War. A lot of the battle scenes in 'The Patriot' reminded me of the ones in 'Mohicans'. Overall a very entertaining epic. This isn't a movie about the war, but a movie about revenge that happens to occur during the war. Very much like 'Braveheart' it that respect. The commentary was okay, but not as interesting as I had hoped. The director and producer did point out some interesting little known facts about the war. The featurettes where decent and combined would make a nice little documentary. It was surprising to learn how many of the effects where digital. In the commentary they refer to some scenes that where cut and/or outtakes. It would have been nice to have these included. If you like the above-mentioned movies you will probably enjoy this movie. The 'Special Edition' labeling tends to up the price that for the extras you get may not be worth it, but I enjoyed the epic enough to add this one to my collection.
Rating:
Summary: This is a great Movie
Review: Mel Gibson does a good job and about five minutes in he is Benjamin Martin not Martin Riggs. The Blood is up and everyone is up for War. Benjamin is not and warns that this war will be fought around us in our homes in our towns. The rest of the movie showes how true that is. There is hard sad times but in the end it is a feel good movie. The English Goverment protested how England was portrayed in the movie. That only made it better for me. The sounds of war are in this movie from approaching canon to actual combat. It would be a mistake to miss this movie.
|
