Ridiculous.

Rating: 1/10 (8 May 2001)

Before entering the theater to see "The Patriot", I wanted it to be a good movie. Half an hour in to the movie, I wanted it to be over. A conscious effort was made to make the movie as contrary to actual history as possible. Why? The actual motives and actions of the people involved in the American War of Independence are far more interesting and noteworthy than the ridiculously over-dramatic characters hoaking their way through the too-long story-line and unfocused plot of this movie. Please understand, I respect Mel Gibson and I am very willing to overlook ahistorical cinema for the sake of a good movie. I enjoy "Braveheart", "Henry V", "The Last of the Mohicans", etc. However, none of these movies are interrupted by a ridiculous beach marriage scene that has nothing to do with the plot. I know everybody else likes "The Patriot", but as one of the characters says in that beach scene, "It's a free country."