Ingenious American Revolutionary War spectacle

Rating: 9/10 (24 October 2015)

Directed by Roland Emmerich, this ambitious war drama set in 1776 in South Carolina during the American Revolution stars Mel Gibson as Benjamen Martin, a widowed French- Indian war veteran haunted by his past experiences in the the war and roots to live a peaceful life with his children: the youngest Susan (Skye McCole Bartiask), Samuel (Bryan Chafin), William (Logan Lerman), Margaret (Mika Boorem), Nathan (Trevor Morgan), Thomas (Gregory Smith), and the eldest Gabriel (Heath Ledger), wanting to take part in the war against the British military. However, his oldest son Gabriel goes against his father's wishes and joins the continental army himself. When the British army led by the sadistic Colonel William Tavingtom (Jason Isaacs), launches an attack on Martin's family and murders one of his children in cold blood, Benjamen finds himself pulled into the war to protect his family and exact revenge on the British army.
This is second war film with Mel Gibson who starred in the critically acclaimed 1995 hit Braveheart. There is no doubt that to say that director Roland Emmerich does an spectacular job with his movie. The performances by Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger are nothing short of fantastic, and the script does an magnificent job on portraying the grim atmosphere of the revolutionary war. Most of the characters are beautifully written and quite likable, especially Heath Ledger's character. Jason Isaacs makes an impressive (and scary) on the main antagonist Colonel William Tavington, who leads the British Red Coats against the continental army. When we first introduced his character, he is extremely unlikeable with his cruel and sadistic demeanor against Mel Gibson and his family, committing some of the most horrific acts against the American civilians including shooting them at point blank range, burning down their houses, burning down churches, etc. The only thing that may upset viewers is the depiction of the British Red Coats. This is best demonstrated in the scenes when a Catholic family is locked in a church which then burned down by Colonel Tavington and his army, and the scene when Benjamin and his family's houses are set in flames. While these scenes are powerful and put the story in motion, they are sadly over dramatized. The film tries to inaccurately portray the British army as German Nazis from World War II. However, unless you are big history buff, it may there is a good chance you will let this slide. I wasn't particularly bothered by this.
The Patriot is one of Mel Gibson's best films behind Braveheart and We Were Soldiers, the acting was great, the story and atmosphere is very well done, and the battle scenes are portrayed quite realistically. Now as this is a war film, it does get a bit intense at times and very emotional, though not on the line of films like Saving Private Ryan. Nonetheless, this film is a must-watch for all.