you've got to see it...

Rating: Null/10 (15 January 2002)

Undoubtedly, this film brings to life a very interesting period of our history, and as a Brit, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie.
Two notably ridiculous scenes though need mentioning. First, where Mel Gibson (as Martin) singlehandedly ambushes and kills an entire column of British Redcoats; and second, where Mel Gibson whistles for General Cornwallis's dogs to follow him from the fort. These scenes are Hollywoodisation gone silly.
Other than this, the film is great. Good cast, good score, good pace, & good scenes. Two characters that were under used in my opinion, are Tom Wilkinson as the British General Cornwallis and Peter Woodward as British General O'Hara. But the performances we see from both these men, for me, stand out.
By the end of the film, I felt 100% admiration for the 'American' men who decided to stand upto us colonial Brits, all those years ago. But I also felt a sneeking admiration for the Brits of the time, who as a small nation showed admirable ingenuity & remarkable ambition...even though our methods weren't beyond criticism...the movie made me ponder for a while what America would be like today if things had gone our way....maybe you'd all be drinking cups of tea!!!