Happy 4th of July fellow Americans from across the nation. America turns 250. As you know, the thirteen colonies separated Great Britain for a few reasons. Taxing basic necessities you know, “Taxation without representation.” Colonists forced to provide food and shelter for British soldiers in their own homes. The British refuse to approve the Colonists from moving to new areas. As a result, 56 delegates including Thomas Jefferson, John Hancock & Benjamin Franklin signed the Declaration of Independence. Thus, America was born. In honor of America’s 250th birthday, I selected a historical epic known as “The Patriot” starring Mel Gibson and the late Heath Ledger.
Released in 2000, (same year Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon came out) it received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics and movie goers alike. Despite divisive reactions, the film was a moderate box office hit. Besides honoring America’s 250th anniversary, I have two good reasons why I wanna review The Patriot.
- Mel Gibson will attend Fan Expo Dallas 2026. The three-day event will commence on September 11-13. He’ll only attend on the 12th. I’m planning on getting my photo with Mad Max himself.
- Angel Studios’ “Young Washington” is currently out in theaters.
Strong & Weak Aspects
Strong: Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Jason Issacs, Chris Cooper, Tom Wilkinson & Joely Richardson all did a terrific job for their respective performances.
Roland Emmerich did a good job directing.
Roland’s business partner, Dean Devlin served as a producer.
Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan, Falling Skies) mostly did a good job writing the script.
Action Sequences are intense and brutal.
John Williams orchestrated the soundtrack.
Cinematography’s shot in stable condition.
Costumes and Sets Pieces were crafted by decorators.
Benjamin’s chemistry with his oldest son, Gabriel and fellow soldiers serve as the main highlight.
Fun Facts
- Harrison Ford was considered for the lead role. He turned it down due to scheduling conflicts when he was working on “What Lies Beneath.”
- Heath Ledger looked up to Mel Gibson as one of his favorite actors. The latter was an acting mentor to him.
- Logan Lerman makes his film debut as one of Benjamin’s son, William.
- Benjamin wielding a tomahawk influenced Assassin’s Creed III’s combat system.
Weak: There’s some historical inaccuracies.
- Benjamin Martin is completely made up. He’s based on Francis Marion. A South Carolina militia leader who isn’t very nice.
- Lord Cornwallis is depicted as an older fellow. The late Tom Wilkinson was 52 in 2000. The real Cornwallis was born in 1738.he was 38 in 1776.
- Benjamin holds an American flag in battle designed by Betsy Ross. There’s no historical evidence of a soldier doing it.
- The British Army are portrayed as exaggerated villains like burning down a church. Especially Jason Issacs’ portrayal as William Tavington. The main antagonist is loosely based on Banastre Tarleton. Although, sources debate on his controversial views, but the real guy wasn’t a psychopath.
Pacing can be a pain. Sometimes it flows when the action gets good. Sometimes it loses some steam over talky talky parts.
After his wife died a few years ago, Benjamin marries his sister-in-law. Kinda disrespectful and icky at the same time. Doesn’t feel right.
The Final Verdict: B-
Despite inaccurate blemishes, The Patriot is an average action-adventure historical epic. If you’re looking for a top-tier historical epic, check out “Braveheart.” Happy b-day America.
Nickthemoviecritic.com 