William Wallace, my eye!!!

Rating: Null/10 (1 July 2000)

I had the pleasure of viewing this film at a private screening in Hollywood, 06/27/2000. To those of you who say that, "The Patriot is Braveheart: 1776", I say, "Welcome to conformity!" The only people that have actually said that to me have a.) not seen the film and b.) said it because someone else said it. Also, to those who said "Civil War films usually do not do well, dude!", I say, "The movie is about the American Revolution, dude!"
Anyhow, getting back on track here, I was very impressed with this film. Roland Emmerich and Dean Devlin have out done themselves. They've opened the playing field for Centropolis Entertainment by doing something outside the realm of Sci-Fi. The cinematography was just beautiful, the cast was "right on", and altogether, the film makes you loose track of time. "That was 3 hours? No way!" I heard some people of my generation outside the theater say that the movie was too long. The people of my generation have a short attention span, folks. I think we've passed "Generation X" and went strait to the "A.D.D. Generation." This film was not too long, nor was Green Mile for that matter! You can't get the overall point of the film in an Mtv "Buzz Clip" format.
Mel Gibson does a fantastic job (of course), and Heath Ledger is well on his way to becoming a huge success in the States, as well as world wide. Watch for him. Seriously! Lisa Brenner was a nice addition to the silver screen as well. Aside from the fact that she is just CUTE, she can win your heart with a smile and her big eyes! She didn't get too much film time in The Patriot, but she will, and it will be worth it!
Brief description: As I'm sure you all know by now, Mel Gibson plays Ben: a widower and a father of 6 or 7 children living in South Carolina in 1776. He used to be a "Red Coat", but has since then retired due to a dark secret plaguing him. Despite Ben's vocalized opposition to war, his oldest son Gabriel, played by Heath Ledger, defies his father's demands and joins the war against England. After many tragedies suffered by Ben's family in this time of war, he joins his son in the war to protect him. Although I wish to stop here and not give you the entire film, I will tell film is more than just about Ben and Gabriel. The movie runs much deeper than that. I will leave you to find your own truths.
To sum up: Good script, good acting, and good time! Any one who even remotely enjoys films, should see this one. Don't wait for video. You will be sorry you missed it on the silver screen!