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The Patriot Customer Reviews (4 - 6 of 119 Reviews)

Great Movie
Mel Gibson's performances in "The Patriot" and "Bravehart" were outstanding. Not wanting to be involved with the revolutionary war, Mel Gibson is drawn in when the British invade his property and home. Then the real action begins!
This (as with "Braveheart") is not for anyone who cannot tolterate seeing on the screen what violence of war is about.

Huzzah for the 4th of July!
As we get ready to celebrate another national birthday, I'm preparing the DVD player for another round of holiday movies. Along with "1776", and "Yankee Doodle Dandy", we watch "The Patriot" every year. Yes, I know TP is NOT the most accurate portrayal of the RevWar, but as a feel good movie about the birth of this nation it can't be topped.
I must also confess that I agree with previous reviewer that this movie rates as a guilty pleasure for the fabulous performance of Jason Isaacs as "that man we love to hate" Col. William Tavington. Whenever I see that scene by the creek I "go over to the dark side". Tom Wilkerson, and Peter Woodward look dashing in those red coats as well. Those Brits make me proud of my British hertitage as well. Several years ago at a 4th of July parade I found myself next to an English tourist, and we got to talking about the holiday. He was feeling a bit awkward about the big celebration of declaring our independance from GB, and I found myself explaining that a lot of colonials were loyalists so not all Americans were anti-british even at that time. And of course now most Americans consider the British our staunchest friends and allies.
As well as watching TP every year when we watch the fireworks from our front yard we put the soundtrack in the CD player. John WIlliams rousing score is the perfect background to the show in the sky. Have a great 4th, and Happy Birthday America!

There are two reasons to watch this movie.
The beautiful setpieces and the amazing Jason Isaacs. The movie, itself, is something of a dud. It's incorrectly named, for one thing. Benjamin Martin is not a patriot. He is not motivated by love of country or dedication to an ideal. He takes up arms for the simple purpose of revenge. He's basically a vigilante.

As for the rest of the movie, it's a little too maudlin and a little too politically correct for my taste. Fortunately, it's beautifully staged and shot, and even more fortunately, Jason Isaacs acts the holy hell out of the villain, Col. Tavington. He's an ambitious, morally-bereft man of violence, but he's also played with such elan that you just can't help but relish his every appearance on-screen.

And it doesn't hurt that Jason is absolutely stunning in the Green Dragoon uniform. Or partially out of it, for that matter.

The scenes between Tavington and Martin (except the final death scene, which is just awful) and the scenes between Tavington and Cornwallis (played by the marvelous Tom Wilkinson) are the best scenes in the movie. The DVD also includes a couple of deleted scenes between Tavington and Cornwallis that are well worth seeing.

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