This film needs to be watched by every American citizen!

Rating: 9/10 (4 January 2001)

Never have I been more proud to be an American than after watching The Patriot. The American population should really appreciate this film for how it portrays our early settlers. The Patriot shows just how much the opportunity to be free from the British meant to the colonists.

Mel Gibson is wonderful as Col. Benjamin Martin, the leader of the militia that single-handedly defeated the advancing British legions one by one. Gibson is by no means a newcomer to period movies such as this, but in my opinion he did a far superior job this time around than Braveheart. He is more convincing in The Patriot, and he really shows his emotional side on several occasions with one of his daughters. I couldn't imagine anyone else playing this role, and quite frankly, I'm glad I don't have to.

Heath Ledger plays Col. Martin's son Gabriel. I must admit that I didn't particularly like Ledger in this role. He seems more of a wimp, than a great hero for his family. He never comes across as the strong, revengeful type that needs to be portrayed in his role as the son that goes to fight for his newly formed country, then turns personal when the `enemy' kills his brother.
Upon first review of this film, and I use the term film very loosely for this film is more than that, it should be referred to as an epic, I thought it to be put together very well, very free flowing with no holes or slow parts. I was conversing with a friend of mine about this film, and it was his opinion that it was filled with everything that we ever heard about this period, and they might have thrown too much into its 2 ½ hour running time. I don't necessarily agree with him on that, but I do believe that not enough was said about Col. Benjamin Martin's time spent fighting before the movie starts.
All in all I believe The Patriot to be a great epic film about our early beginning here in the United States of America, and I feel that it was a convincing portrayal of the moral of the early settlers early on. It most definitely deserves my 10 stars, and should be considered for Best Picture come this March.