No Braveheart but still is enjoyable

Rating: 6/10 (18 May 2005)

The Patriot is yet another war-epic by acclaimed acotr/director Mel Gibson. Set during Revolutionary War, Gibson portrays fictional militia leader Ben Martin driven to war by the loss of a son by British soldiers. Now, Martin will stop at nothing to defeat the invading British and save the young country.
The Patriot is not exactly original. It follows the same reasons for a man going to war as Braveheart did with Gibson in the lead. Gibson isn't bad, his character isn't exatly an easy one to play but he's played it before so it comes naturally. He is able to portray a lovable father and military man at the same time which is often hard to do.
Jason Isaac's plays the British colonel responsible for Martin's son's death. He is superb. he's cunning, he's full of hate, and is easy too hate. You are able to relate to the hatred felt by Martin very easily. He does by far the best job of the actors.
There are some problems to the film. The innacuarcies are numerous whether it concerns the battles represented or characters in general. What bothered me the most are characters not taking enough things serious. For example the militia destroy the vessel outside of Cornwallis' estate and Colonel Tavington just drinks up watching it even though the colonial militia is right outside their door. There at war for God's sake.
However even with the inaccuracies and the characters being a bit too one-dimensional it does give an excellent story to its audience. The battle scenes are visually stunning and suspenseful. The film shows us the 'honorable' way of fighting in lines of men facing each other and firing until either line retreats or is destroyed. It is quite interesting really to watch the old style of fighting and compare it too war of today. The film, in the end, portrays the message of taking war-fare to far and freedom. The drama is very good and villain is top-notch. Hopefully it's entertaining for you, it certainly was for me.
The Patriot. Starring: Mel Gibson, Jason Isaacs, Heath Ledger, Chris Cooper, and Tcheky Kayro.
3 out of 5 Stars.