Mad Max meets the Terminator - American History per the WWF

Rating: 3/10 (4 July 2000)

I enjoyed the first part of this film. As the story unfolded, it presented incredible potential for plot development (as well as a lot of period eye candy). A man torn between family security and convictions. A community torn by conflicting allegiances. A man haunted by a past mystery. The eternal enigma of the justification for going to war. A youth's illusions of martial glory. An honorable officer's conflict between his own convictions and the orders of a superior. All followed by an incredible combat scene - and not one ending nobly. ...and finally, children having to cope with premature exposure to killing.
But for all of its potential to develop into an incredible historical epic, "The Patriot" simply spirals into a "Mad Max" vs. "The Terminator in a Redcoat" WWF grudge match. Even down to the public, verbal, pre-match threatening.
From a promising start, "The Patriot" evolves into a TV movie with a big special effects budget. Instead of expanding on any of the solid plot teasers thrown out in the beginning of the movie, the film resorts to tried and true cliches. The human issues of war so carefully crafted into the film's beginning are ignored. The complexities of the war in the Carolinas, loyalty to family, loyalty to King, loyalty to personal convictions, bitter dissension within a community (and families), obeying orders vs. moral obligations, etc. all disappear into a two dimensional, jingoistic, politica lly correct, cartoon.
As entertainment, "The Patriot" works. But on the same level as professional wrestling. We cheer the good guys. The good guys are good, the bad guys are bad.. really, really bad. We don't have to know, or care why. And then, there are some really good special effects....(if only the WWF could figure out a way to simulate decapitations and flying limbs)
And historical accuracy? as one group puts it... "If this isn't the way it really was, it should have been."
Oh well... that's Hollywood.