Good, not great- melodramatic but tense and action filled.

Rating: 7/10 (29 June 2000)

Roland Emmerich has been known to bring to the screen such films as Independence Day, Godzilla and The Thirteenth Floor. While these films are good in the sci-fi action sense, he has never done drama or war (I never thought he would do war). But he does here, and he brings a 18th century/revolutionary war film that hasn't been matched (in my eyes) since Barry Lyndon. Mel Gibson is the perfect choice in the role as Benjamin Martin (he has his second soldier role here, the 1st was in Braveheart) as he embodies drama, action and goodness in one big whollop. If you know history, you already know half the plot in this movie before even seeing it.
The other half shows a veteran of the war in 1763 who doesn't want to be apart of the Revolution, but is pulled in by revenge and payback (and for the clause). Great entertainment, as another example of war and it's horrors is shown here. One of the better films of 2000. A-