Rating: 
Summary: Unoriginal, pandering and predictable
Review: Because the focus of this story is really Mad Mel taking on an English Nazi, 'The Patriot' almost reduces the American war of independence to a simple revenge tale. But this isn't the biggest problem. Directed and produced by the same pair who masterminded some of the worst films in years, this loathsome endeavor sponges off the formulas of half-a-dozen other war films but exchanges reality with half-baked PC propaganda. The fact that they used the war of independence for their PC agenda gives an extra twist to the knife in our backsides. Political correctness taints everything, at times running rampant over established historical attitudes. There's a token black slave, whose innate nobility causes him to stay and fight after he has earned his "freedom". Roland Emmerich makes sure that every scene with our "fetchit man" has a serious point to make about race. Don't you hate it when movies make politically correct points about race in an effort to ignore the racism which existed in that time? A much better film which dealt with the racial card in as honest a way as any film in recent years is Ang Lee's slow moving but ultimately effective Civil War drama 'Ride With the Devil' - a movie far deeper than 'The Patriot' could ever be.
Rating:
Summary: horrible movie
Review: The American Revolution was about making sacrifices for principles greater than self. Benjamin Franklin said, "We can either hang together, or we can hang separately." Then why make a movie about the American Revolution in which the hero, played by Mel Gibson, REFUSES to get involved until events become so personal he is more a vigilante than a patriot? Gibson's character says "It's not my fight" all through the movie, forbidding his son to join up. Finally, when events get so far along that he is personally, affected, he goes on a war path of personal revenge. Thank God all the Founding Fathers didn't subscribe to his version of Patriotism. The only thing worth seeing in this boring movie are a few of the battle scenes of British warships pounding a harbor. Otherwise skip it.
Rating: 
Summary: couldn't be better
Review: i thought this movie was moving, historically accurate, and quite entertaining. this is not for those weak of stomach or those who do not like to see blood, and heads and legs being blown off by cannons (even though that IS what happened to our forefathers). this is for those who are interested in our struggle for freedom and "the pursuit of happiness". bottom line, GET THIS MASTERFULLY PRODUCED MOVIE.
Rating:
Summary: Great Historical Drama - Not a Documentry
Review: The brutality of the British was not over played in this movie. Granted, there is no known episode of the Redcoats burning down a parish church with all the townsfolk inside ala Waco. But a careful reading of "Lives of the Signers" and other period historical pieces exposes the barbitry which was common to the British. From the Prison ship Jersey to the summary execution of pastors in the "Black Regiment" the spirit of this film captures what the Colonists were up against. Of course, no one but Washington himself saw as much action as the Martin character. But most reasonable people are willing to view this story as a composit of the war in the South rather than a tedious documentry. As historical drama, this is a top notch film which adds to the corpus of period warfare films. Put this one on the shelf with Braveheart, Last of the Mohicans, Gettysburg, and Glory. This film will offend Brits who refuse to look at the valid grounds for the American complaint. It will also offend liberals who despise the notion that remonstrance, resistance, and revolt against tyrants are principle civic duties of free men. Gun control nuts will grind there teeth over the scene where children rightfully shoot down government agents. Those who know and love America and the Cause of Liberty, will be moved to tears by the powerful imagery of this truly great movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Could have been better
Review: I purchased this movie because I am a fan of epic-saga movies, I like Mel Gibson as an actor, and am interested in the War of Independence. If you don't share the same interests as me I couldn't recommend that you buy this movie. The effects were excellent insofar as the cannonblasts, and the story was able to hold me. The acting was a bit below the standard for an epic, but not as bad as some out there. All in all, this makes for a good friday night on the couch movie.If you liked Braveheart then I think you should make this movie a part of your collection...if you didn't, then you shouldn't.
Rating:
Summary: Historical accounting of the American Revolution
Review: This movie is excellent in historical aspects. It brings to life the Revolution like nothing before it. Although there is some violence in it, I think that this movie is something that children (12+) should watch with their parents. It is graphic in some points, but it helps Americans understand just what it was like for the Revolutionaries in America. The DVD has a lot of extras on it. Mel Gibson has outdone himself again. I had heard a lot of negative reviews of this movie, but they are wrong. If you are at all interested in the War that created the United States of America, this movie will not disappoint you.
Rating: 
Summary: Ok, it's not Braveheart
Review: But Mel Gibson did a fine job in this movie. If I am correct, he didn't direct this movie, so it's lacking in that respect. And it is a little long. Unlike a lot of critics, I really enjoyed this movie. If you are a history buff, this is one movie you can sink your teeth in. I enjoy watching historical fiction because it is a trip down a history lesson. Not all men were noble like Gibson's character was, but they did believe in the war against the Brits. The Brits shouldn't be whining about how badly portrayed they were in the movie ~~ the Redcoats weren't there to be nice, they were there to keep the States under their thumbs. Fortunately for the rest of us today, they didn't succeed. Though it may not be the best Revolution movie out there, but it's pretty darn close to it. And for the women, there are plenty of love scenes too, so keep a hankie close by! I rate it 4 stars and just watching Mel Gibson up there is worth it. Too bad it wasn't any better than Braveheart.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining yes, accurate no, supremely manipulative
Review: Director Emmerich of ID4 infamy has again given us an action movie that insults one's intelligence. My fear is that younger viewers will view the British largely as proto-Nazis, the same British who sacrified a generation in WWI before we finally closed it out at the end, who virtually saved western civilization in WWII through their RAF, and are our staunchest allies today. Here we see an incredibly vicious British officer (played convincingly actually by Isaacs) upon whom Gibson, so capable of subtler, touching acting, yet whose acting here leaps over the top, wreaks predictable vengeance. Yes, there are shocking scenes worthy of good action adventures, but when the film depicts the burning of a church full of innocents, which never happened, the viewer must realize he has been had. And this by a director who clearly seeks nothing but commercial cache. And I'm certain Emmerich has earned it by now. Richardson and most of the cast are fine. The cinematography is almost magical, capturing the time, place, and feel of 1776 Charleston. If only we could have seen the truth, which was horrible enough and yet at once noble, this might have been a historical epic. As it is, it degrades our freedom winners and foes alike, and, dangerously, may be taken as the truth of the Revolutionary War.
Rating:
Summary: History is bunk
Review: One must ask whether Mel Gibson has some pathological hatred of the Brits - the combined bodycount from Braveheart and Patriot is approaching levels of mass genocide. Anyone expecting, as I was, a good old fashioned epic with action, heroism and romance as well as a good dose of history should stay away. This film does not contribute anything to understanding the US War of Independence other than showing us the many different and colourful ways people killed each other in the 18th century. The hero and villains in The Patriot are like comic characters. The villain, the obligatory posh Brits with sadistic tendencies, have no redeeming features, whilst our American heroes, folksy and wholesome farmers are purer than white..... ...there is of course only one problem with this... slavery (something, of course, that the evil Brits were pioneering opponents of). The depiction of pre-independence slavery is dangerously misleading and attempts to put a gloss of saccharine over a rather more depressing reality. The single attempt to put a put of depth in the heroes background, through suggestions of a dark past is ripped straight from Clint Eastwood (Unforgiven) and is dealt with clumsily here. Please do not think that this is an "all the way USA" kind of film where we see a heroic Yank defy the odds to build a great nation. This is a vehicle for Mel Gibson (an Aussie who claims to dislike violence in movies) to look good...nothing more.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, a good film!
Review: With a spade of bad films like "There's Something About Mary", "American Beauty", "The Blair Witch Project" and many others being passed off as "great" films, this movie stands out like a gem among charcoal briquettes. I think people have forgotten what a good movie is like, which explains the bad reviews you may see about this film. Ignore those. Yes, Hollywood used to make great films; I guess that's why people mean by "cliché" when they erroneously describe this work of cinematic art. It's a throwback to the good old days of when films were good. The movie chaps the hide of a lot of "PC liberal" types who protested the movie's release for such things as children firing weapons. Well, children DID fire weapons in the Revolutionary War! Before people who know nothing of history dismiss the film as impossible, they should be made aware that the film is in fact based on real people and actual events. Yes, a girl could speak out in church and rebuke the men for fighting. Mel Gibson plays Benjamin Martin, a father struggling for his family's survival. Martin is a composite of various Patriots: Colonel Daniel Morgan, who fought the brutal Colonel Banastre Tarleton and Lord General Charles Cornwallis at the Battle of Cowpens; Francis Marion, the "Swamp Fox," a guerrilla fighter from South Carolina's wetlands; Elijah Clark; Thomas Sumter; and Andrew Pickens, all renowned freedom fighters. We forget sometimes what are founding fathers went through to win our independence, sometimes losing everything. Sorry if history bothers some of you out there! This is a good, high budget, high production movie with casts that would make Cecil B. DeMille envious. Realistic costumes, great acting, great story. Some parts are graphic, but not as much as "Saving Private Ryan". It's a story of honor and revenge. If you like old-fashioned saga type films they used to make like "Gone With The Wind" or "Ben Hur" this is the film for you. If it doesn't win at least one Oscar, they should burn down Hollywood and start over!
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