The Patriot **** (2000, Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Jason Isaacs, Joely Richardson) – Classic Movie Review 1139

In director Roland Emmerich’s grand, glossy, epic-scale 2000 American War of Independence adventure drama, Mel Gibson plays Benjamin Martin, a peace-loving American reluctantly swept into the American Revolutionary War when his family is threatened. It’s shamefully unhistorical, a travesty, and xenophobic too, but as a entertainment movie, it’s full of all the action and emotion required.

Benjamin is a battle-weary, retired soldier, now a planter in rural York County, South Carolina, who decides not to join up when the British arrive in 1776. But his two hot-headed eldest sons, Gabriel (Heath Ledger) and Thomas (Gregory Smith), can’t wait to enlist in the newly formed Continental Army.

Yet later, when his son Gabriel enlists and is captured by the enemy, Benjamin pitches in to try to save him and finds himself battling an evil, sadistic British officer, Colonel William Tavington (Jason Isaacs). Then Benjamin sparks an American guerrilla rebellion that plays a crucial part in destroying the Redcoats.

Gibson is his usual gung-ho self, Ledger enjoys a career-making role as his son and Jason Isaacs is outstanding as the villain. The film is superficial and manipulative – and at odds with historical facts – but it’s still stirring and impressive. Caleb Deschanel’s great cinematography and John Williams’s pounding score help to keep you awake through the long running time of 164 minutes.

It’s a pity there’s more Hollywood Brit bashing, though, just like Gibson did before with 1995’s Braveheart. It was nominated for three Oscars, including Best Score, Best Cinematography and Best Sound, but there were no wins.

Joely Richardson, Chris Cooper, Tcheky Karyo, René Auberjonois, Lisa Brenner, Tom Wilkinson, Donal Logue, Leon Rippy, Logan Lerman, Trevor Morgan, Mika Boorem and Adam Baldwin also star.

In the screenplay by Robert Rodat, who wrote 17 previous drafts before this one, Benjamin Martin is a composite figure based on four real American Revolutionary War heroes: Andrew Pickens, Francis Marion, Daniel Morgan and Thomas Sumter. The Benjamin character is given seven children, like Gibson.

As with Braveheart, there was rightly much controversy over its fictional portrayal of historical figures and atrocities. Professor Mark Glancy, teacher of film history at Queen Mary University of London, said: ‘It’s horrendously inaccurate and attributes crimes committed by the Nazis in the 1940s to the British in the 1770s.’

(C) Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Film Review 1139 derekwinnert.com