The Patriot

I remember that when I first saw this movie, the story and acting stood out to me the most but now I think that the scale of this movie also adds to its power. This is one of those movies that came in the wake of “Titanic” (pun not intended). While the movie has some flaws, I like it a lot because history is a big interest in mine. I am aware of the historical inaccuracies and I choose that word “aware” for a reason. When watching a historical film, I desire to be aware of any such mistakes. Almost always however, I do not make them the focus of my entertainment experience because then I will miss what is good about the entire film. As much as I care about accuracy, movies exist to entertain and documentaries exist to inform. “The Patriot” is a movie. I am a huge fan of “Independence Day” from director Roland Emmerich & producer Dean Devlin and I had a lot of fun with their movie “Godzilla” unlike other moviegoers. I am impressed that Emmerich and Devlin were hired to make this movie after the critical disaster of "Godzilla". I was equally surprised that they made this historical film because it seems outside their genre. Despite this, they did just fine. I find it funny that a movie about the American Revolution is directed by a German and has two Australians in the lead roles.

The Oscar-nominated screenwriter from “Saving Private Ryan” does a good job with this story in my opinion. He integrates actual problems and feelings of the era. The film well depicts the loving family that Ben has despite the absence of their mother. Their farm comes across as very appealing and it must for the sake of the story. One little problem I have is that this movie takes place over the course of five years and the children don’t appear to age very much. I am glad that they aged Susan but they could have done the same with the other children. In the legislation scene, it is fully established that Ben is against the war but that he is also a war hero and a patriot. I like an edit in this scene when Ben asks who would care for his children if he went to war and it cuts to Charlotte. The movie portrays two of problems that Americans had during the War of Independence. Ben illustrates the first problem in this scene. Many were opposed to taxation without representation and voiced their opinions but that is as much as they were willing to do about it. The war needed support but for a time, American citizens did not give it as much as they should have. This same problem is illustrated in the church scene where Gabriel asks for volunteers to fight. Ben however has a noble reason for not fighting: he is haunted by his past actions in war even though others praise him and he now as a young family. The family cares for the wounded from both sides of a battle as any good family would have done and they get punished for it. This establishes Tavington as heartless. This movie did receive some criticism for the portrayal of the British but the film is clear however that not all British soldiers were like that. It is not until Tavington arrives at the farm and is accompanied by foreboding music that we actually feel a genuine threat. Also, Tavington is ostracized from the rest of the British officers because of his cruel nature. Ben may have a noble reason for not taking action but Gabriel is right, he is hiding behind it. He loses his farm and Gabriel is going to be hanged but still Ben does nothing. He continues to delay taking action until the unthinkable happens. His son Thomas is killed and if Ben had taken action earlier, Thomas would not have died. As Ben later says: “I’ve done nothing. And for that, I am ashamed.” I remember when I first saw the scene in theaters when Tavington killed Thomas. The first thing I thought was: “Dude, you just messed with Braveheart! You idiot!! You don’t mess with Braveheart. Do you know what happens to people who do that? They die.” Gibson’s acting helped further this reaction I had. Also, this reaction would not have been possible without Gibson’s persona from his Oscar winning film. The subsequent scene where Ben & his sons kill all the soldiers and save Gabriel is quite well handled. We see why Ben is regarded highly for his fighting skills but I do have a problem with the final soldier he kills. It is extremely gruesome. I suppose that it has a reason however. We must be amazed that Ben took on the 20 soldiers that he did with his sons’ help but after it all, we have to see what affect it has on his sons who never saw this side of their father before. He fought for revenge and that is not noble. The dissolve edit that causes Ben to disappear foreshadows the ghost nickname that he will receive. The lighting and cinematography of the fight also reflect the ghost idea as we see what the soldiers are seeing. I love the shot after he shoots one soldier and as the smoke from the musket rises and clears, Ben is reacquiring his tomahawk with speed and then stands ready.

The second problem the Americans had was that the Americans were not trained to fight the British. This is shown in the battle that Ben and Gabriel watch from the house. The Americans retreat rather than stand and fight. Later in the movie however, “The Patriot” shows how the Revolutionary War was more successful in the south. The Revolutionary War saw the use of guerilla warfare by American forces and this film depicts that very well. A big way for the Americans to win the war was by unconventional means. They had to use their home field advantage. Cornwallis is depicted as an antagonist rather than as a villain like Apollo Creed on “Rocky”. As represented through Cornwallis, the British knew that if they won the war (which they were certain they would), they would have to do it in such a way that the Americans would go back to the way things were. The British could not further the resolve of the Americans by mistreating them during the war. In real life, there were probably atrocities on both sides. If that is true, then the British atrocities did just what the British feared. I find it ironic how Tavington wants to further his situation through war but can only do so by Cornwallis' hand. The British system works against him just like those in colonial America. He fights against freedom but also against the British military system. Martin's militia coming together has some good moments in the film. When the reverend joins the militia, Ben’s men now strongly and ironically reflect Robin Hood and his merry men. I love the scene in the bar with Ben and Jean. I laugh when I wonder how Ben and Jean were allowed to come back inside in order to recruit. I like how during the recruiting of men, Jean is eating behind Ben. It is a nice, humorous touch. Another such moment is the shot that shows Ben surrounded by Cornwallis’s possessions in the middle of their swamp camp. Once John Billings showed up in the film, I felt the film got a sense of fun. Interestingly enough however, this character brings some drama later in the story. When Tavington is given permission to do what is necessary to find Ben, I don’t see Cornwallis as pure evil because of this. Tavington is using Cornwallis’ anger against him. The scene where Susan finally talks to her father brings tears every time because of the acting of both Mel Gibson and Skye McCole Bartusiak. The lines that Susan says are very touching, as she will say anything in order for her father to stay. Gabriel seems to be the voice of reason for his father. But after Gabriel’s death, Ben’s pain is so strong that he regrets his decision to go to war. It appears as though he will back out. He went to war in vengeance and to keep an eye of Gabriel and that has done nothing good for him. After Ben buries Gabriel and finds the flag, I bet he remembers what his son said after the telling of the story of Fort Wilderness. The cause is what makes him go back as represented by the flag that Gabriel mended. He stays the course. Ben has gone from being a vengeful man to being a man with a cause. In going to war for the right reasons, he gets his revenge. I like the use of the ruins during the climatic Battle of Cowpens. I also like the moment where it looks like Ben is about to be killed. He turns to see the Americans running into the sun with flags waving. This milks the idea that he is accepting death because at least he was on the winning side and had a big part in achieving victory. The unfinished house at the end of the movie is obviously symbolic. The country may be created but it has yet to be finished. The slavery problem appears to be the unfinished business of the United States. For me personally on a more positive note, the unfinished house represents the new world Gabriel talked about with various new ideals that the American country introduced such as the freedom of religion. Time would see those ideals spread throughout the world.

“The Patriot” has good and bad qualities. Mel Gibson is back to fight against the English. The script was written with him in mind and that is why Ben has so many children. I was very impressed with his acting. This film introduced me to so many actors who were in supporting roles such as future Oscar winner Heath Ledger and to future Oscar nominated actor Tom Wilkinson (later, both were in separate Christopher Nolan Batman films). Ever since “The Dark Knight”, I cannot watch Ledger the same way in any of his past movies. His grin sends little chills up my spine. It is very sad that he passed away so young. Wilkinson played the perfect Cornwallis and I like how later he would portray Benjamin Franklin on HBO. "The Patriot" also introduced me to another future Oscar winning actor: Chris Cooper. I had seen Jason Issacs in “Armageddon” but it was his performance in this film that planted him in my mind permanently. I had not seen this good of a villain since Gary Oldman’s character on “Air Force One”. John Williams does a lot to establish a period mood for this movie. The battle that Ben and Gabriel watch from the house really shows the stereotypical view we have of the Revolutionary War thanks to the inclusion of the British Grenadiers song. It is amazing that men died listening to that kind of music. The scale of this film is big and the costumes by the Oscar winning designer from “Titanic” are wonderful. I was bothered by some postproduction decisions. Sometimes the change of the frame rate throughout the movie is a real distraction, especially during Tavington’s lines as he is about to kill Ben. In that moment for example, you can tell that the scene was ADR’d and it takes away the sense of the reality of the movie. It looks different when you film a shot in slow motion as opposed to when you change a shot’s frame rate in postproduction. You must choose one or the other in order to maintain continuity. “The Patriot” failed to do so.

This movie was the last colaboration between Roland Emmerich & Dean Devlin until the sequel to "Independence Day" (I really wish that film had not been a let-down). Since the release of "The Patriot", I am sad and disgusted in a way by the choices in life Mel Gibson has made. Thankfully, he has made a comeback and he still have his works from the 90's to enjoy. The scale of this movie is interesting. “The Patriot” used digital technology but it is still an epic with the amount of extras and the location shooting. As a Canadian, one might wonder why I like this show but the truth is that I don't hate America. The Revolutionary War indeed changed the world including mine. As a fan of history, I enjoy any well done movie that depicts events that I cannot witness otherwise. “The Patriot” deserved its Oscar nominations for Sound, Cinematography and Musical Score. It is one of my favorite historical epics. You have an entertaining story, good acting and an intriguing feel.

4 Stars