Wow!

Rating: Null/10 (14 November 2002)

Kudos to Mel Gibson, he had me hooked from the start with his realistic portrayal of American Revolutionaries. I know very little about the American War of Independence because the English School system does not place great emphasis upon it but I can see that he has perfectly captured those who valiantly fought against the English. Why, from the opening sequence I can see that this is a perfect portrayal. A pacifist man and his children (who can all read and write whilst working on the sizeable farm) along with his freed African-soontobeAmerican workers all go off to fight the demonic English with only four racists Americans in sight (all minor parts. I won't try to count the racist English). Gibson's character is perfect, a bit angry at times but perfectly well adjusted to modern society. No less than a miracle for a man supposed to have lived about two hundred years ago.
The portrayal of the Americans is wishful thinking and the portrayal of the English is point-blank racist. But that doesn't matter because they're English with their bad teeth and besides you can't be racist to white people. This villifying of the English in this film is typical not just of Mel Gibson's work, nor of that of American cinema in general but of the entire American culture. The only English character's that are portrayed in American celluloid are either there to be mocked, killed or play the part of Kato to the American Green Hornet.