It's a movie, not a history lesson

Rating: 7/10 (5 February 2008)

I will never cease to be amazed by the criticisms leveled at films for their historical inaccuracy. To this I have two suggestions: go read a history book on the time and place depicted in a film or sign up for a history class! I love history, but have never watched movies to get a history lesson.
Movies exist for one reason and one reason only - to entertain. In this regard, The Patriot does a fine job. The acting is excellent, and all the characters were well cast. The pacing was good, and I was never bored. The battle scenes were exceptionally brutal, which must be typical of combat situations throughout the ages. Most war films depicting the American Revolution are fairly sanitized or rely upon drama and acting to carry the story. Not so with Patriot - I'm surprised they didn't try to depict the carnage that undoubtedly resulted from firing grapeshot or cannister shot.
Although realism is not typically a word I would choose for any film, I felt that the depiction of combat here was probably much more realistic than most such movies. Many history books will try to teach us that warfare in the 18th century was a bit of a "gentleman's" competition of sorts, where quarter was given if asked, and honor was observed in such matters as the beginning and end of conflict, prisoner exchanges, and the like. This may have sometimes been the case between fully professional forces like those of England and France, but such countries seem to have held a different opinion entirely of rebel forces. These were apparently regarded not only with disdain, but outright contempt. Afterall, those guilty of treason have traditionally been treated much more harshly than other enemies.
Patriot seems to take this probability and run with it. The colonists who fought against England in the American Revolution were regarded as traitors, and were likely treated very harshly if captured or engaged in battle. The British in general were portrayed as pompous and at times villainous, but this is certainly not out of line for the way they undoubtedly felt about the rebels. Concurrently, I'm certain that the colonists who took part in the rebellion had a great deal of contempt for the British as well, but particularly for the Loyalists, or those colonists who remained loyal to and fought for Great Britain.
My criticisms revolve around the flow of the movie. There are many, many tragic scenes that were obviously a plot device to hammer home the horrors of war. I felt that one or two would have sufficed to make such a point, but instead we receive multiple such scenes. Some chopping would have definitely been appreciated.
Overall, Patriot is an intense, interesting take on a theater of the American Revolution that is not often depicted in film. I would recommend it to those who appreciate the genre of historical drama.