Mel Gibson as Forefather

Rating: Null/10 (30 June 2004)

I am reviewing the movie "The Patriot." It is written by Robert Rodat and directed by Roland Emmerich. It stars Mel Gibson as Benjamin Martin. Martin is a widowed father who deals with many fights in his life. He fights to deal with personal tragedy. He is an ex-soldier who fights to overcome a memory at Fort Wilderness, and a militia leader who fights for what he believes in during the Revolutionary War.
The critical intention of this movie is shown in a way we can all understand. The message is to make us see what the brave men of the colonies did to win our freedom from England for all of us. If it was not for the French getting there at the end, we may be a part of England today.
The acting in this movie was superb. The looks of the faces and in the eyes of the actors made me feel they were actually living their roles. The camera work was up close and personal. I felt as if I were on the battlefield along side of the soldiers. All of this lead to graphic pictures of a head being blown off by a cannon ball; a second soldier loses his leg the same way. Stab wounds looked amazingly bloody and life like. The dialogue was easy to understand even, though the actors used accents such as French and King's English. The music was a dynamic force rallying me to fight with the militia.
"The Patriot" is an entertaining movie that made me proud to be an American and gave me a new respect for my forefathers.