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Rating: Null/10 (4 September 2003)

The Patriot is Mel Gibson doing his Braveheart bit all over again, this time in the 18th century. Given that this is by the creators of Independence Day, Stargate, and Godzilla, I knew I shouldn't have gone to the theater with high expectations.
Good thing I didn't because this is Braveheart redux. This time Mel is stuck being the politically-correct hero fighting the "evil, merciless villains" of our forefathers, the nasty 'ol redcoats. By the end of the movie I was waiting for some non-flag waving, somber moment with some intellectual stimulation in it. I found none. Roland Emmerich just isn't that swell of a director and this movie is nothing great.
Overall, skip this. Someone want to count up all the times Mel Gibson has played a widower in his films? Mad Max, Lethal Weapon, Signs, this, Braveheart, etc. Are the studios trying to tell us something? 1.5 out of 5 stars.