A long film which may play with one's emotions at times, but for no good reason

Rating: 5/10 (21 September 2008)

Since this 2000 film features Mel Gibson in the starring role, and is set long ago in a time of war, with Gibson's character fighting against the English, it's obviously hard not to compare it to the 1995 blockbuster, "Braveheart". However, Gibson also directed and co-produced that film, whereas his only part in "The Patriot" was the starring role. Anyway, I learned lot about this movie, reading both praise and criticism, before I rented it just yesterday. From what I had read about it, I could have been reasonably impressed, I could have been somewhat disgusted, but for me, it turned out to be somewhere in between.
Set in South Carolina in 1776, during the American Revolution, Benjamin Martin was a hero in the French and Indian War, and now lives as a farmer. He is still deeply tormented by some of his actions during his past experience in battle, and wants nothing to do with the war against Britain. When South Carolina enters the war, Benjamin's eldest son, Gabriel, quickly signs up to participate, without his father's approval. However, Gabriel eventually returns home wounded one night, and soon after this, the cruel Colonel William Tavington, from the British side, captures him and plans to have him hanged! When Thomas, another son of Benjamin, tries to free his brother, he is soon killed, and the house is burned down by British forces! After this, Benjamin finally decides to join the fight against the British, leading a militia into battle for the sake of his country.
One thing many people bash this movie for is historical inaccuracy, saying the vast majority of it is fiction. I'm no history buff, but I can believe that. It seems clear that it's filled with fictional characters, including our hero. However, I tend to find that any film I see based on historical events, no matter how popular it is, I'm bound to learn about significant use of fiction in it, so that's not my main complaint. What are my main complaints? Well, first of all, the beginning seems a tad sudden, and probably could have used more of an opening narration to introduce the characters and setting. Those who watch it with no clue what the story is about beforehand could easily find themselves lost around the beginning. Before I watched the film, I read about it being very one-sided, and that's definitely true. Basically, the story is saints vs. savages. I'm sure a lot of brutality came from the British side, but that doesn't mean every single one of them was equally bad and nobody who fought on the American side ever did anything wrong. When historical films are made, inaccuracy seems inevitable, but when the story is this simple, it can be a problem. I did find tension in this film, and some parts are supposed to be moving, but I didn't find them as much so as they're supposed to be, such as Benjamin's youngest daughter, Susan, suddenly begging him not to go as he's leaving to fight, after hating him and refusing to talk to him. Scenes like this seem thrown in just to play with one's emotions, without much effort. I guess another example of this is a scene where British forces lock innocent townspeople in a church and burn it down, which apparently didn't actually happen. The Nazis did this in World War II, but if such an event didn't take place during the American Revolution, then the church-burning scene in this movie is useless. Yes, it may bring out emotions in viewers, but what for? I will also point out that the film is long at over 2 1/2 hours, and may drag at times, an example being the tedious battle sequence towards the end.
I certainly can't exactly say I was bored the entire time when I watched "The Patriot", with quite a bit of tension and perhaps some mildly heart-wrenching moments, but overall, I found the feelings the film gave me to be worthless, as it was probably just trying to get the best of me. Also, late in the film, although it may have been hard to turn it off early, for me it was like, "When is this going to end?" I knew why some have been absolutely revolted by this action blockbuster before I saw it, and after seeing it, I'm not part of that crowd (I'm pretty much indifferent to the film, I guess), but I can understand the points of these people, and I guess I can understand the praise for it as well (after all, much worse has been done). If you want a long melodrama, "The Patriot" might do, but if you want a deep story with moments that could stir your emotions for a good reason, you could feel cheated by this film.