World Famous Comics: The Patriot (Special Edition) Revolutionary War
The Patriot (Special Edition) Revolutionary War
Starring: Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Joely Richardson, Jason Isaacs, Chris Cooper Directed By: Roland Emmerich Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Special Edition, Widescreen, NTSC Label: Sony Pictures Number of Items: 1 Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen Region Code: 99 Release Date: October 24, 2000 Running Time: 165 minutes Theatrical Release Date: June 28, 2000
Product Description: When the British arrive at his South Carolina home, French and Indian War hero Benjamin Martin takes up arms again to protect his family after swearing off violence and fighting. Genre: Feature Film-Drama Rating: R Release Date: 6-MAR-2007 Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com: Aimed directly at a mainstream audience, The Patriot qualifies as respectable entertainment, but anyone expecting a definitive drama about the American Revolution should look elsewhere. Rising above the blatant crowd pleasing of Stargate, Independence Day, and Godzilla, director Roland Emmerich crafts a marvelous re-creation of South Carolina in the late 1770s (aided immeasurably by cinematographer Caleb Deschanel), and Robert Rodat's screenplay offers the same balance of epic scale and emotional urgency that elevated his earlier script for Saving Private Ryan. Unfortunately, Emmerich embraces clichés and hackneyed melodrama that a more gifted director would have avoided. Instead of attempting a truly great film about the most pivotal years of American history, Emmerich settles for a standard revenge plot with the Revolutionary War as an incidental backdrop.
On those terms, the film is engrossing and sufficiently intelligent, especially when militia leader Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) cagily negotiates with British General Cornwallis (Tom Wilkinson) in one of the most rewarding scenes. For the most part, the story concerns Martin's anguished quest for revenge against ruthless redcoat Colonel Tavington (played with snide relish by Jason Isaacs), and the rise to manhood of Martin's eldest son, Gabriel (Heath Ledger), whose battlefield honor exceeds even that of his brutally volatile father. At its best, The Patriot conveys the horror of war among innocent civilians, and the epic battle scenes, while by no means masterful, are graphically intense and impressive. And although Ledger's love interest (Lisa Brenner) is too bland to register much emotion, the focus on family (which frequently relegates the war to background history) provides a suitable vehicle for Gibson, who matches his achievement in Braveheart with an effectively brooding performance. --Jeff Shannon
Mel and co engage again with the British with blood & guts This film coming a few years later after "Braveheart" was one of the first films in which I saw the late Heath Ledger--and he was impressive to say the least. Mel Gibson plays a farmer who is an ex-guerilla fighter who is reluctant to take up arms against the British until a tragedy occurs in his family that forces him to take a stand. Critics of this film have liken this to a Mad Max film but his re-transformation back into the warrior mode is plausible. Of course, there are some dramatic licenses taken here since Gibson's character is a composite of many of the types of American heroes like Francis Marion aka "The Swamp Fox" and also depicted in Disney film years ago by I believe, Leslie Nielsen before he descended or risen into his famous comedy mode (The Naked Gun). The Blu-ray transfer of this extended version is excellent and a special mention should be made of the excellent acting of Jason Issacs as the villainous British officier who forces Gibson's hand in a pivotal moment. Also Tom Wilkinson as Cornwallis, Chris Cooper as a Federalist and Tcheky Karyo as a French compatriot are excellent too. Recommended for war buffs and action fans alike!!
Worth a watch I love the movie and have the DVD, but just wasn't motivated enough to watch it again. This is a chance when you change your stock to blue ray, you do want to watch them again and appreciate them more. After all the movie looks more stunning than ever.
Formula plot, but well played and acted. The plot of PATRIOT follows the formula of the reluctant warrior who is forced to fight by circumstances--see SHENANDOAH and others. True to the formula, once he enters the war, he is unstoppable. Even though it is strictly a formula plot, Mel Gibson and an excellent cast pull it off. Heath Ledger is excellent as the son who must fight despite his father's warning, and Jason Isaacs is wonderfully mean as the brutal British officer.
What happened to historical accuracy? Visually impressive but Gibson reprises his sensitive hero shtick. In the movie the British kill injured American troops, Gibson offers to free the slaves if they will fight for the Revolution and the British burn civilians in a church. HOWEVER, in reality the only documented massacre of injured soldiers was BY the rebels OF loyalist troops, the British offered to free the slaves, a move received with outrage among the slave owning rebels (including Washington and Jefferson)and the burning of civilians in a church by British troops never took place (although the Germans did do this in France during the Second World War).
Patriotic Americans While the movie of course was a hollywood creation it was never the less pretty historically factual. It depicted accurately the horrors and hardships the Carolinians suffered in order to achieve America's independence. My great grandfather was one of them.
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