Beautifully made war epic

Rating: 9/10 (9 July 2000)

"The Patriot" is a sweeping war epic that takes place during the Revolutionary War in 1776. Beautifully directed by Roland Emmerich ("Independence Day") and well written by Robert Rodat ("Saving Private Ryan"), "The Patriot" stars Mel Gibson in one of his best film roles as Benjamin Martin, a widowed farmer who's taking care of his seven children. Martin had fought in an earlier war, and doesn't want anything to do with the Revolutionary War. That is until a terrible incident happens to his family, and he is forced to fight against the British. Gibson gives a powerful performance here, and he should get an Oscar nomination. Also giving a good performance in "The Patriot" is Australian newcomer Heath Ledger (who starred in last year's "10 Things I Hate About You") as Gibson's oldest son Gabriel, who joins his father in action. The other roles in the film are good, but the performances by Gibson and Ledger are the ones people will be talking about. The film also works on a technical level. The action scenes are brutal as you would expect from a war film, but very well done. The beautiful look of the film is also a plus. And there are some comic moments thrown in for good measure. I only had one minor complaint with "The Patriot" and that it's overlong. The movie runs 2 hours and 40 minutes, and it drags a little here and there. If it had been 20 or 30 minutes shorter, it would have been better. But other than that, "The Patriot" is for the most part a terrific war film, and far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far, far better than Al Pacino's 1985 disaster "Revolution" which was also about the Revolutionary War.
***1/2 (out of four)