Much worse than I thought it would be. (and I didn't have great expectations)

Rating: 3/10 (5 July 2000)

Going into the Patriot, I didn't expect much, except to see an Aussie playing an American hero. From the first scene forward, the predictability of this movie was pathetic. The most obvious conclusion to every scene occurred, from (SPOILER) the chair breaking in the opening scene, to the mano a mano fight at the end. Never mind the fact that the protagonist and the antagonist happened to find each other in a field of thousands of men.
The sad attempts at humour only added to my malaise, as I found myself moaning a lot more than I was laughing. The only part of this movie that I found mildly interesting was the symbolism of the dead son's lead figurines being melted into bullets. And true to form, the last one of those bullets shot the villain, although it didn't kill him.(As they need the mano a mano fight to close this book of cliches.) I also think that British audiences might disagree with the portrayal of the Red Coats, but that's just me.
Although not as bad as MI:2, the Patriot is right up there with the worst movies I have seen this year. Just another reminder to myself of why I avoid big budget Hollywood blockbusters.