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The Patriot Customer Reviews (19 - 21 of 119 Reviews)

"the patriot" is a very good film about a very important time
"the patriot" is ,if not always true to history, a very fine film about the american revolution. mel gibson is a man who has fought before and has no wish to do it again. after his family is attacked and his home burned by english soldiers he turn to the american cause and begins to fight back against the english. this is a very bloody film and not for the kids but like "saving private ryan" written by the same man it takes a vast story and brings it into a small group of people and lets you feel what they feel. not many movies are made about this war so it's nice to see this fine film .

Quality Entertainment
You can say it all you want - The Patriot can never be compared to Saving Private Ryan or Black Hawk Down or Glory or Platoon or Braveheart and any other classic epic war films...however, it is a rousing action film that does hit deeper than cannonball decapitations and slow motion battle scenes.
We know the Revolutionary War was not quite like this. The British are depicted as merciless redcoat bastards, with utter disregard for the rules of engagement (sort of like Benjamin Martin's ragtag bunch)...but it's for a reason. We need somebody to root for. I have no doubt that in most cases, the Brtish were fairly well-behaved with reasonable manners and delightful accents (maybe), but that leaves no room for Col. Tavington's deep-seated vileness that makes us want to slap him upside the head ourselves for being such a jackass. Roland Emmerich's film is really about the family and what happens to a family when it is torn apart by war. Mel Gibson's character does all he can to prevent it from happening, but having two older sons itching to fight makes it inevitable. And once one of his sons is shot and killed by the dastardly Tavington (sorry to those who haven't seen it), Benjamin Martin is propelled down a path of revengeful violence. The slaughter of the British caravan may seem ridiculous and over the top, but the pain on Martin's face is so visible as he digs the tomahawk out of a redcoats back.
Any parents who view this film will probably connect more with the family drama than the epic war scenes (and they are indeed epic). I still tear up at the part when Martin's youngest daughter, who up until this point has never spoken a word to him, yells for him to come back, "don't go, i'll say anything you want, just don't go." The actress is adorable and does a phenomenal job in the scene, making a potential very cheesy moment quite powerful.
That being said, the war scenes are amazing. The sweeping camera shots and bright colors, combined with the graphic special effects convey the realism. This was the Revolutionary war movie I had been waiting for. I had grown tired of seeing dumb re-enactments and History Channel specials where the actors just fall over and play dead. The Patriot doesn't spare the viewer. We hear the "thump" of musket balls striking flesh, see the blood spatter from the impact, and witness the horrible devastation of cannon fire. Besides the final fight scene between Martin and Tavington with too much slow motion and shots of Mel Gibson contorting his face in pain ( I would have appreciated a real time duel with a more realistic finish), The Patriot accomplishes two goals. 1) Gives us a nice (if not entirely accurate) taste of American history, and 2) Succeeds in making the scenes about family just as important as the battles. For that, I'll give 4 stars anyday.

Some sorry home-truths about America
Britain lost the War of Independence, that's true. However, long after Britain had abolished it's own slave trade and ownership, America was still at it. We then exerted our awesome naval power (best in the world, thank you very much) into arresting and preventing American ships from trading for slaves with Arabs on the African coast.

And King George was not an evil war tyrant! He suffered from porphyria, a maddening disease, in later life, but not during the American revolution. The war cost Britain dearly, so I don't know what this N. Graf guy in the review below me is mouthing off about.

You want an evil war tyrant? George Bush! His campaign in Iraq is spiralling downward in an endless cycle of death and destruction. Just leave Iraq already! It's pointless! However, two wrongs do not make a right. Don't get me wrong. I have nothing but contempt for the insurgents and their atrocities, but innocent Iraqi civilians and good American soldiers are being massacred. Swallow your pride and leave already!

What I find the most delicious thing of all is the idea that some Americans own guns "to keep the King of England out of their face"! Pathetic! Oh, help! The British are coming! The British are coming!!!

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