A great, satisfying movie

Rating: 10/10 (24 January 2001)

I viewed The Patriot eight times on the big screen, and it was the first DVD I ever bought. For me, it is a great, satisfying movie-- exceptional in its depiction of colonial South Carolina upcountry family life and of 18th century warfare, not so successful in its minor ventures into romance and child psychology. It is a big movie with beautiful cinematography, the kind of movie that you can move into. Performances were overall very good, with Mel Gibson's portrayal of the farmer/father Benjamin Martin, who one day discovers the American Revolution on his front lawn, of Academy Award nomination caliber.
The Patriot makes no claims to be entirely historically accurate, but I can attest to the fact that it does capture the kind of fighting they did in the South during the Revolution. The British did attempt to discourage partisan activity by a campaign of terrorism-- threats, hangings and houseburnings. Jason Isaacs' Colonel Tavington is based on Col. Banastre Tarleton who lost a couple of fingers in a minor skirmish in 1781 two miles from my home. His name is still a hissing and a byword in this community. There IS a lot of flag waving in the film (were they thinking of the Olympics?), but that is no reason why this movie should be held to a higher standard of historical accuracy than any other studio product. Just lean back, imagine how you would react if a War suddenly descended upon you and your family, and enjoy this movie. I did (and do) very much.