Red, White and Braveheart

Rating: 6/10 (29 June 2015)

It becomes clear quite early on in director Roland Emmerich's (yes, *that* Roland Emmerich) 'The Patriot' that the blueprint is Mel Gibson's Oscar winning epic 'Braveheart'. As if to put an exclamation point on it, 'The Patriot' stars the aforementioned Mr. Gibson as said Patriot.
'The Patriot' is a sumptuously photographed and well acted film that finds itself drowning in a sea of clichÃ©s and bogged down in the hubris of a nearly 3 hour running time. Kudos must be given for its unflinching portrayal of war and its collateral damage, but by the end it starts to feel less courageous and more exploitative.