One of my favourite war films

Rating: 10/10 (25 August 2013)

I loved this film, I don't care if it wasn't historically accurate, it was accurate in the sense that it depicted British brutality, and people rising against it at all costs. The battle scenes were great and the cast was brilliant.
The scene where Mel Gibson and his two sons take out a whole British patrol is one of my all time favourite shooting scenes.
What was most impressive however was that the film concentrated on the American militia, and the influence they had over the war of independence. That was something original that I haven't seen done before.
There was a lot of melodrama in it, but i thought it was good melodrama. It was simple and it always underlying. To people who dismissed this, at least it wasn't totally in your face like the love story in Titanic. Seriously, I had to sit through that whole cringe fest which wasn't accurate in any sense, yet I know people who think the romance was the best thing about that film. It wasn't, it was the sinking scene, thats why it won Oscars.
Also, to people who are offended by the depiction of British brutality, this film had some pretty esteemed British actors. I'm pretty sure the likes of Tom Wilkinson and Jason Isaacs knew what they were doing when they took up their roles.
Overall I can understand that the film has its flaws, and it oversimplifies some of the issues and the general political situation of the US during that era. However, the battle scenes and strong performances override that for me. I loved it.