Once Again Mel Gibson Hits the Mark

Rating: 10/10 (9 July 2000)

Although I am not an avid movie watcher, I am an avid lover of excellent movies. Mel Gibson has always been one of my favorite actors, and as with many, Braveheart would have to be one of my favorite movies. Once again, Gibson has given a role such realism, humor, character, and gentle charm, to make The Patriot the must see movie of the summer, if not the year. Mel Gibson was not the only person to make this movie great.
The directing was superb, beyond anything I expected, and everything I hope to do someday. Nothing in the movie, factual or technically, caused the viewer's concentration to be broken. The costumes and props were amazingly accurate, and all fit the plot of the story perfectly. The plot itself was realistic and contained many facts accurate with the war itself, causing me to feel as if I was actually witnessing a real event as it took place. Violence, the reason the movie received an R rating, was abundant, but not overly used. Although much bloodshed was shown, and gruesome "hospital" scenes were included also, they were strong enough to remember, but brief enough not to be overdoing it. A testament to the excellent directing is the amount of superb performances by all characters.
Every actor played their role beautifully. Each performance was real, and plausible. From the son to the slaves, all performances added to the story and brought their own little piece of realism to the movie. Not one performance in the movie took away from the story, all were acted with great emotion and beauty. Although, Heath Ledger's performance is perhaps as strong as Gibson's, and definitely advanced the story with great emotion and realism. My praises also go to the editors, and the writers.
Clean, I truly enjoyed the cleanliness of this movie. I was not distracted from the plot by abundant and crude language, nor were unnecessary sexual scenes included. So often good movies are spoiled by distracting sub-plots and unrealistic uses of vulgar language. The language that was used at times fit the era, but was not over-used even then. Thank you for writing a story that is so tight historically, and truly engulfs the viewer in some of the most heroic and tragic times of our country.
To anyone, of any nationality, I would recommend to see this movie, at no point is it portrayed that the British are completely a cruel nation, rather that one man over-steps his boundaries. For anyone this movie is a testament to true courage and perseverance, and is an inspiring and enjoyable movie to watch.