The Patriot
Starring: Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Joley Richardson, Jason Isaacs and Tom Wilkinson
Director: Roland Emmerich
Running Time: 160 mins
Available to buy on DVD and Video
At the outbreak of the American war of independence in 1776, ex-soldier Benjamin Martin (Gibson) says he will not take up arms against the British. A lone father of seven children, he fears for their safety if he is gone. His eldest son Gabriel (Ledger) sees things differently however and signs up, against his father’s wishes. Things change when Gabriel brings the war onto his Father’s doorstep leaving Martin no choice but to take up arms.
From Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin, the director/producer of the big event movies “Independence Day” and “Godzilla”, comes an epic historical drama. Like Gladiator before it, this is again a big budget recreation of past events told through the eyes of those classically trained historical professors that is the Hollywood screenwriter. But this, like thee afore mentioned Gladiator, is a ripping good yarn. Ok so the British are the bad guys again, and we may or may not have been as brutal as this movie portrays, but it doesn’t really matter. We know that the British always make the best villains anyway; look at nearly every performance Gary Oldman has ever given. At over 160 minutes this will be the longest movie you will see this summer, but it does enough to keep you interested even in the more character driven moments. Mel is his usual screen presence and no one does aggression better that he does.
The only real problem I had with the movie was that the film was set over a five-year period and Mel’s children never aged, they still looked the same in 1781 as they did in 1776. This is a minor quibble that only never really distracts you from what is a really good movie.
2 Trailers, 4 Featurettes, Photos, Deleted Scenes (13 Minutes), Commentary From Director Roland Emmerich And Producer Dean Devlin, Filmographies, Stills Gallery Interactive Menu & Scene Access
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