Rating: 
Summary: A Full on Epic Tale
Review: This movie is wonderfully directed by Rolland Emmerich. He does a great job of setting the backdrop and showing the effect of the revolutionary war on America. Benjamin Martin, a retired war hero raises his family until circumstances force him to join the struggle and lead an group of mercenarys against British General Cornwallace. All historical innaccuracies aside, as a film, this movie is one of the greats, maybe not the calibur of Gladiator or Bravheart, but good none the less, I highly reccomend this film to any epic film fan.
Rating:
Summary: Liberty & Sacrifice
Review: This film gripped me throughout, reminding me constantly of the sacrifices made to win our amazing country and the individuals destined to pay the greatest of prices. I was moved, sensing the tragedy of the loss of not only family, but neighbors and friends; war so close that small, innocent children are exposed to terror within shattered lives and homes in an American context. The impact was powerful.I was frequently reminded that individuals may not have pristine reasons to justify their participation in the horrors of war but our reflection on their sacrifice, from which all Americans have benefited, elevates their actions to heroic proportions. It honors our earliest militia. The outcome seems almost secondary however to the focus on the individual efforts to live, love and protect. Hmmm, sounds like freedom to me. I loved it.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Darn O.K.
Review: I think I mentioned somewhere before that anything O.K. by Mel was O.K. by me. There are levels of O.K., however; for instance, there is Incredibly O.K., epitomized by films such as 'Road Warrior' and 'Lethal Weapon'; there is Pretty Darn Good O.K., for when you watch 'Braveheart' and 'Year of Living Dangerously'; there is Not Bad O.K., for 'Payback' and 'Ransom'; and finally, there is O.K., reserved for lightweight entertainment such as 'Air America' and 'Bird On A Wire'. The Patriot is pretty darn O.K. It has everything; action, romance, humour. It addresses questions: What, really, is patriotism? Do you sacrifice your family? How do you define it? Will you listen to the wisdom of one who has been there or take the energy and inexperience of those going for glory? The director, Roland Emmerich, manages to comment on these issues. I don't believe there is a parent alive who won't feel for Mel Gibson's character when his son, insisting on going to war, declares that he is not a child, and Mel cries "You're my child!" I think if you enjoy Mel Gibson movies there is no way you won't enjoy this. I also think if you like older period movies such as 'Gone With The Wind' you'll also appreciate this movie. Fans of the movie 'Glory', starring Mathew Broderick, and, I think, any Gary Cooper fan, should pick up this one. I hope this has been a help. Ciao.
Rating:
Summary: Good Movie
Review: I love history and I love movies so this movie was just about perfect. It's not completely historically factual, but then again it's a fictional movie. The characters were based off of real life people who did many of the same things in real life as their portrayed characters in the movie did. The action scenes were fantastic, and the story line was believable. I would recommend this movie to anyone, in fact I think I have recommended this movie to everyone I know.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't Enlist
Review: The photography was impressive, the film stupid. A typical "blockbuster" it's too busy assuming its audience is stupid to factor nuance into the equation. So, what you get is the cinematic equivalent of two+two in bubble letters. Oh the pathos! Some of the dialogue in this cliche-ridden mess sounded as if it had been lifted directly from "Caged Heat." Couple that with its unmistakable ambition and ponderous length and you've got a pretentious embarassment. Sorry folks, but that's the truth. Oh - as vapid eye/ear candy goes, it'll probably suffice. So, if you just want an escapist hoot of a film (even if the movie isn't self-aware enough to chuckle at its own shortcomings) with broadly brushed emotional peaks and valleys, this is your flick.
Rating:
Summary: Decent Movie
Review: I thought the movie was very good and was deffinity exciting. Mel Gibson does a good job through most of the movie portraiting a Patriotic American and loving father. However, in many battle scences the violence seems alittle glorified and makes me think of Braveheart whitch is why I gave it 4 stars. Other wise it was a great movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't expect another "Braveheart"
Review: This movie stars Mel Gibson leading men to war, but it is noteven close to Gibson's masterful "Braveheart." I know hedidn't direct this movie, and that may have been half the problem.There are no stellar battle scenes in "The Patriot," thekind that make you just shut up and take in the action. The scenesinbetween the action are many. Too many, in fact. The effect theRevolutionary War had on family life is interesting, but not enough tosustain 2 hours of story telling. The backdrop was good. Thecostume designers and set designers deserve attention, almost as muchas the set/costume designers on 2001. This isn't as bad as mostHollywood tripe, but with a few changes could have had been nominatedfor some major Oscars.
Rating:
Summary: "The Patriot" a Power Packed "Shenandoah"
Review: While I am not the movie connoisseur that some of the reviewers appear to be, I rate this movie a 5-star for adult entertainment alone. "The Patriot" appears to be a more energized remake of another enjoyable film "Shenandoah" that starred James Stewart. Southern state in the throes of war. Although the role of the father has now changed from Mr. Rogers to Rambo and, of course, the violence is now tenfold, the premise of the film is the same: A widower father's attempt at keeping his family neutral in the middle of the Revolutionary War. This sounds like a boring concept, but it makes a heck of a movie and you don't have to be a history buff to enjoy it.
Rating: 
Summary: Its length is admirably equalled by its conventionality.
Review: The only time I felt energized by Roland Emmerich's *The Patriot*was the sequence where Mel Gibson attempts to rescue his eldest son from a British squad intent on hanging him. Indeed, that scene is the centerpiece and showpiece of an otherwise conventional movie that's short on history, short on dilemmas, short on surprise, but long on derivative brutality. Not that I'm surprised by the result. Emmerich is, after all, the guy who directed *Independence Day*, a movie that is very nearly the ultimate mindless "summer blockbuster". Along with Emmerich's direction comes a screenplay by the guy (forgot the name) who penned *Saving Private Ryan*, which, if you'll recall, was dependent on the kinetic direction of Spielberg much much more than on the sagging script (does anyone remember what happens in the middle of that movie?). Throw in Mel Gibson, let him reprise his *Braveheart* role in trousers instead of kilts, and you get what suspiciously looks like a cynical strategy to make money rather than a good movie. The studio heads seem to have attempted to bring together a group of elements from previous "successes" with the idea of building an Oscar-friendly movie that might just earn $100 million at the box. Well, they might not get any Oscars (except for F/X, natch), but they certainly succeeded in raking it in. They succeeded in little else. [...] Notice how the most engaging character in the film is the FRENCH nobleman/mercenary. When the Frenchman's on the scene, you wonder why the film isn't about HIM -- he's so much more interesting than Gibson's gloomy "patriot". [...] Someday a good director will make a good Revolutionary War movie. *The Patriot*, babies, ain't it.
Rating:
Summary: I'm Proud to be an American!
Review: If you want a great action flick starring one of the greatest actors, this is a must see. Or even if you want a brush up on your history, this movie contains accurate details and focuses on real life characters in the revolutionary war. This is Gibson's best movie, topping RANDSOM, BRAVEHEART, AND LEATHAL WEAPON. The only possible flaw was that it is a very long movie. The point could have been made in less time, but the director gets all the elements of a good movie intact. Action, Drama, and Suspense, are all there so this movie should please fans of all types.
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