It's no Braveheart . . .

Rating: 8/10 (28 June 2000)

It's no Gladiatior either, although all three movies share a suspicious amount of plot points . . . peace loving father, loses loved ones, seeks revenge, lots of close combat fighting . . . It's also a little too complicated at times, some of the dialogue is way too cheesy, and a few of the lulls in the action are a bit too long (especially the last one).
But you know what? It may not be as good as Braveheart or Gladiator, but Braveheart is one of the best movies - if not the best - of the '90s, and Gladiator is one of the best movies of the last few years, so not being quite as good as those is hardly a major strike.
Despite the lulls in the action, and despite just a few too many minor plot lines, The Patriot has some marvellous battle scenes, memorable characters, and at least one plot twist that surprised me. Finally, the intense patriotism and quite literal flag waving was done tastefully and honorably, although I doubt that the British would see it that way. Don't expect this one to score big overseas, but I think it's a great film for the Fourth in this country.