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The Patriot (Superbit Deluxe Collection) Customer Reviews (97 - 99 of 120 Reviews)

Acting was brilliant!!

A soldiers tale
This time period of American history is a favorite of mine i know a bit about it and how things occured. The Patriot takes place in South Carolina around the time after the french and indian wars and before/during the revolutionary war, its is geared to be of epic proportions with the games of cat and mouse and regimental style combat between the British and the Colonials. Mel Gibson plays a widower with children between the ages of 4 and 17 hise eldest son is a man whp believes in the cause of freedom and is willing to fight and or die for his convictions. Ben Martin (Mel) is a veteran of the french/indian wars and no longer wants to be the warrior, when war comes to his life again there is no choice but to fight. I liked the Patriot alot but i noticed that there are inaccuracies as far as historical content. The Patriot is rather long but worth the time you can sense the emotions those who fought must have felt so long ago. The lesson learned is that tyranny comes in many forms, one must always be on watch of it and resist it. Patriot stirs the patrotic soul in those who know the price of freedom. I would recommend this film to all but the very small.

No history lesson but
this film does have merit. For one it is entertaining, I like Mel Gibson and the other actors as well and IMHO believe they did a fine job of acting. Jason Isaacs in particular did a fine job.
For another it shows a large audience in the US that the war for independence was fought in other places besides Boston, Valley Forge, New York etc It also demonstrated the brutality of the war in the south.
And it is my hope that the film will spur people to pick up a book about this part of the Rev War. There are many, excellent books about it. May I recommend BRUTAL VIRTUE (dispels the myths about Tarleton), THIS DESTRUCTIVE WAR: THE BRITISH CAMPAIGN IN THE CAROLINAS, and a new book A GALLANT DEFENSE (which superbly details the battle to take Charleston SC).
Once you begin reading you will learn that the Brits were not monsters and the Patriots were not saints. If your entire knowledge of the Rev War in the Carolinas is from this movie then you will be either pleasantly suprised or sadly disappointed after you read these and many other fine books on the subject.
The movie, after everything is said and done, is nothing more than 2 hours of entertainment very loosley based on actual events.