The Patriot (Special Edition)

Buy This Item The Patriot (Special Edition) by Sony Pictures  Available from Amazon  $8.49  on 8-27-2008     Aimed directly at a mainstream audience, <I>The Patriot</I> qualifies as respectable entertainment, but anyone expecting a definitive drama about the American Revolution should look elsewhere. Rising above the blatant crowd pleasing of <I>Stargate</I>, <I>Independence Day</I>, and <I>Godzilla</I>, 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 <I>Saving Private Ryan</I>. 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.<p> 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, <I>The Patriot</I> 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 <I>Braveheart</I> with an effectively brooding performance. <I>--Jeff Shannon</I> Reader Reviews Actors Mel Gibson (Lethal Weapon saga), Heath Ledger (10 Things I Hate About You), Tcheky Karyo (The Core), and Rene Auberjonois (Odo from Star Trek: DS9) lead all star cast loosely based on the American Revolution in the states of Virginia and the Carolinas. Mel Gibson plays Benjamin Martin, a former leader in the colonial militia who fought in the French Indian War. The captain of the militia tries but unsuccessfully to recruit Martin in the Continental Army. Tragedy strikes when a brutal British Colonel kills one of Martin's young sons. Martin then joins the Continental Army to lead and take revenge for what Colonel Tavington (jason Isaacs) had taken from him. Watch as the French aid the colonists both with ships, soldiers, and able-bodied French officers (one is played by Karyo). All in all this is a great war movie. While it's not truly historically accurate, it's a great movie set in a time period that I love the most; The colonies and the Revolutionary War. I'm not going into a highly detailed analysis and knitpick every scene. I see it for what it is worth: A movie! This movie has great battles, great acting, some comedy, a lot of limb loss and cannonballs "flying" everywhere, making this a good addition to anyones DVD collection.

The Patriot (Special Edition) Available from Amazon Price: $8.49 Updated on 8-27-2008.

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