While countless films have focused on the American Civil War, both World Wars and the Vietnam War, relatively few have done so regarding the Revolutionary War. Whether that's due to the vast passage of time since then or is simply an unconscious reaction to the ceaseless drumming of such related information into our heads during school isn't certain, but filmmakers and moviegoers alike seem to have had little interest in seeing such matters on the big screen.
The 2000 release of "The Patriot" didn't seem to change that despite being a box office and mostly critical success and with the film opening over the 4th of July weekend that year, much like the previous effort of the writing, directing and producing team of Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin, namely 1996's "Independence Day."
This time, however, it's not Will Smith, Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum saving the entire planet from hostile, invading aliens. Instead it's Mel Gibson "getting medieval" once again on the British for messing up his life and ticking him off. Yes, viewers will no doubt see similarities between Gibson in this film and his character and performance in "Braveheart," where analogous catalysts spurred him into rebellious action and conflict with his land's oppressors.
While not quite as good or enjoyable as that Oscar-winning picture, "The Patriot" is nonetheless an entertaining - if brutal - and epic film filled with just the right amount of action, drama and even humor to appease viewers looking for some historical drama or just a good bit of escapist entertainment.
Easily the filmmaking duo's best combined effort to date (their others films include "StarGate" and "Godzilla"), the picture is grand in scale, sports mostly topnotch production values, and features a good cast that delivers entertaining and mostly credible performances.
Where the film falters a bit is in length (at around 165 minutes or so) as director Emmerich doesn't always manage to maintain its forward momentum and occasionally allows the proceedings to get a bit unwieldy with too many superfluous characters. Then there's the fact that the film, its characters and their related action and dialogue occasionally feel a bit too contemporary for the setting and historical context.
While I'm certainly no expert on the history or style of the period, and the resultant effect isn't as jarring as was the case in "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" (where Kevin Costner repeatedly went in and out of his accent), at times, certain behavior, speech patterns and the choice of wording doesn't always seem to jive perfectly with the period.
Although some viewers either won't notice or care about such incongruities, others will probably agree that certain parts of the film don't feel quite right. As a result, such moments unnecessarily distract and/or pull the viewer out of the proceedings, thus further disrupting its rhythm.
Beyond that, and for the most part, the film works rather well. Of course, those looking for complete historical accuracy or the portrayal of major characters and events of the War might be a bit disappointed as the screenplay - penned by scribe Robert Rodat fresh off his Oscar nominated work on "Saving Private Ryan" - focuses on Gibson's fictitious character who's an amalgamation of various historical figures.
The plot, while also obviously fictitious to a large degree, does stick with the basic underlying historical events of the War and unfolds in a credible enough fashion for those who didn't major in the subject. Much like "Ryan" and even "Braveheart," Rodat's script also throws in a few surprises - some of them tragic - that serve to give the film a feeling of a bit more depth as well as keeping viewers guessing about the film's outcome and who might be there to participate in it.
Overall, the performances are also rather good. Portraying the torn protagonist with a troubled past, Mel Gibson ("Chicken Run," "Payback") delivers a commanding performance, notwithstanding the comedic moments he's occasionally saddled with that work but often feel a bit forced. Few actors can play the troubled but capable hero better than Gibson (think of the Mad Max and Martin Riggs characters in "The Road Warrior" and "Lethal Weapon" films), and he certainly fulfills his quota of playing a revenge-based character bound to please the vigilante in all of us.
While Gibson occasionally looks, sounds and behaves a bit too much like Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger ("10 Things I Hate About You," "A Knight's Tale") near perfectly sinks into the role and becomes his character. Playing the eager and ambitious young patriot, Ledger delivers a winning performance, is absolutely believable, and plays well off Gibson and his character.
Portraying the polar opposites of British officers, Jason Isaacs ("Armageddon," "Event Horizon") and Tom Wilkinson ("Ride With the Devil," "The Full Monty") are good in their respective roles, with the former making a believable and worthy adversary - notwithstanding the enjoyable and seemingly purposeful chewing of the scenery -- to Gibson's reluctant, but heroic character.
Supporting performances from the likes of Joely Richardson ("Return to Me," "101 Dalmatians") and Chris Cooper ("Me, Myself & Irene," "American Beauty") are good, but Tcheky Karyo ("The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc," "Addicted to Love") easily steals the show as the humorous French officer assigned to help the rebel militia.
Although the film's highlights - its battle scenes - are somewhat similar in nature to those found in Civil War based films, they are well-staged and executed, and the guerilla-style warfare and hand-to-hand combat scenes are clearly designed to get the viewer's adrenaline pumping (and they do). That, coupled with the clear and historically and politically correct delineation of good guys and villains turns the film into a rather enthralling and entertaining experience (unless, of course, you're British and don't like such characterizations).
Despite that possibility, the occasional other problems that arise, and the fact the film is bucking the trend of ignoring the Revolutionary War, "The Patriot" is a rousing, grand scale, epic film that should please most viewers.
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