Hugely Entertaining, Historically Accurate

Rating: Null/10 (26 August 2000)

Mel Gibson is the evil ringleader of a bunch of retarded, violent thugs in this highly watchable war of independence epic. Mel and his militiamen use despicable sneaky underhand tactics against the British - who find their more gentlemanly and thoughtful approach to 18th century warfare hopelessly inadequate.The Brits consequently turn to progressively more inventive methods to counter the genuinely sinister Mel and his henchmen. I'm not sure how American audiences would have reacted to seeing their ancestors portrayed as mindless, violent, flag-waving knuckleheaded buffoons, but I enjoyed this movie. The film ends with nasty Mel triumphing. As he returns to rebuild his life, I was left with a distinct impression that a sequel was in the offing. Be nice to see Mel as the good guy next time round. After modern classics such as'Independence Day' and 'Godzilla', Roland Emmerich is surely deserving of his long overdue Oscar for 'The Patriot'.