We
all remember the Civil War or any other war. Hollywood will not
let us forget it with films like Gettysburg, Saving
Private Ryan and The Last of the Mohicans. Well, this
is a new Century so we need a new war movie. The movie is The
Patriot and it takes place in South Carolina in the year of
1776.
The
colonies are calling and searching for volunteers to join the
regular army. Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson), the legendary
"Hero of Fort Wilderness," doesn't believe in fighting
anymore so he can be more of a father figure to his big family.
His
patriotic son, Gabriel (Heath Ledger), joins the war with an
enthusiasm for the cause that Martin does not feel. Soon,
however, a battle occurs in the field on the Martin farm. When
in the wake of the conflict, Martin is found to have aided
wounded rebels (as well as injured British soldiers), his house
is burned to the ground. Gabriel is arrested and taken to be
hanged. Martin's second eldest son, Thomas (Gregory Smith), is
slain by the cold-hearted Col. William Tavington (Jason Isaacs).
This act of savagery brings Martin into the war with a fury,
accepting a command from Col. Harry Burwell (Chris Cooper) to
lead the local militia in guerilla-type attacks against British
targets.
Well,
The Patriot cannot be marked down as one of the greatest
war movies ever made, but it is an OK movie to watch. The problem
with The Patriot is that it's too long. They tried to
make it look too 2000 century. You can tell how they used
computer graphics for the fight scene with the cannon balls. In
one scene, the cannon ball is rolling on the ground and it looks
like a bowling ball. The ball was not going that fast and when
it hit one of the soldiers it took out a body part. I will not
say what part. You have to see for you self.
The
good part of the movie is the acting and action. The cast was
good with the exception of the villain General Cornwallis (Tom
Wilkinson). Mel Gibson shows us that he is a good actor in these
types of movies. Also, Chris Cooper, who can be seen in the
movie Me Myself & Irene, was good as Col. Harry Burwell.
Director
Roland Emmerich and producer Dean Devlin did a good job of
bringing The Patriot to the screen. They have brought
other good movies to the big screen, which include Stargate
and Independence Day.
Overall,
The Patriot was a good movie to see once. It's not a
movie that will win any Academy Awards. However, you will enjoy
it. Also, it may make you get out the old history books you used
to read back in school to refresh your mind on some old history
lessons.
