A Rousing and Exciting, if perhaps a bit shallow, film

Rating: 7/10 (11 July 2000)

First, I would like to point out that I liked this film. I liked it despite its many failings (and there are many). I enjoyed myself, I felt compelled by the action and moved by the emotion (despite the inherent smarminess of some of the 'emotion jerking' scenes). I would recommend the film to anyone looking for a reasonably good summer action film.
However, I was a bit disappointed by the fact that this movie did not rise above the normal summertime conventions. I was hoping for a Saving Private Ryan or a Braveheart, but instead got Lethal Musket 4. Even the scenes that were intended to bring out the 'character' of Benjamin Martin did little but use exploitive camera shots and overly emotional music rather than relying on story and acting (not to dismiss Gibson's acting, which was quite good and convincing). I lay much of the blame on Emmerich, who I feel could have done a much better job with the material he had to work with.
The one scene in the film that I was particularly moved by was at the beginning, when Martin sets off with his two youngest sons to rescue his oldest son from the British. I felt that this scene communicated well the pain and distress of a veteran who had been forced into a violent confrontation that he did not want (my own father was a Vietnam vet, and the scene did resonate a few chords with me). This was an intelligent, disturbing and moving scene.
However, the rest of the film had a difficult time deciding what it wanted to do, and how it wanted to do it. The battle scenes were somewhat exciting, but far too clean (especially considering the technology of that period), this was not a war film. The romance was underdeveloped and confusing, this was not a romance. The history was highly inaccurate and overly dramatic (which I do not have a problem with, per se), so this was not an historical re-enactment. So what was this film?
Essentially, it was a bunch of action scenes and politically correct niceties tied together into a fun summer film package. The movie seemed to have wanted to be taken seriously, but never became serious. This is unfortunate, but not tragic. The Patriot is a film worth seeing (particularly on the big screen), but don't go expecting SPR or Braveheart, you will be disappointed. I did not go expecting that level of film, and I was pleasantly surprised. Enjoy.