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"I have long feared that my sins would return to haunt me, and the cost would be more than I could bear."

2000 R / War Action Directed by: Roland Emmerich Starring: Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Jason Isaacs

Tagline

Before they were soldiers, they were family. Before they were legends, they were heroes. Before there was a nation, there was a fight for freedom.

Summary Capsule

This SUMMER, Mel GIBSON will teach those darn, dirty BRITISH a thing or two about WEARING RED after Labor Day!

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Justin's Rating: Oh say do you see... by the dawn's crappy light...
Justin's Review: If I had a dollar (forget lousy nickels or dimes) for every time anticipation of a movie mounted over a seemingly perfect mix of can’t-lose elements and then managed to disappoint when finally released… shoot, I’d have enough money to make my own lackluster blockbuster like The Patriot. This is one of those big event movies that quickly lost popularity in home theaters and will be mostly forgotten, while smaller and better films of the year went on. What’s far more regrettable than a waste of resources is that this is a supreme waste of opportunity.

"Emmerich’s cheeseball tactics to make his films appealing to the brainless masses are well documented."

The can’t-lose elements of The Patriot included: Mel Gibson, Mel Gibson fighting the British (hey, wasn’t that in another movie or something?), the large scope of a war not much featured in film up to this point, and the glamorous banner of "patriotism." But when all was said and done, even a high-profile movie about the Revolutionary War had as much to do with patriotism as J. Edgar Hoover had to do with really being a woman. A much better title for this film would be Mel Gibson’s The Revenger, because those are the only two items that interested Hollywood in the least: the brand name of Gibson, and the always-excitable theme of Getting Even with bad guys.

For all of its 1776 setting, with the colonial armies fighting — and mostly losing — to the overwhelming British armies, director Roland Emmerich (you might remember him from such mortal classics like Godzilla and The Day After Tomorrow) could've easily transplanted this story into any war at any time. The setting is just an excuse for a few recreationists and costume designers to fulfill their dreams, and for the public to grossly mistake this as a patriotic message of sorts. Absent is any larger focus of the war — why the colonials were fighting, other than petty vengeance; what Washington and his cadre were up to; what the politics were of the time — as the core center of the film is merely one psychotic bad guy with a small army going toe-to-toe with one psychotic good guy with a small army.

Emmerich’s cheeseball tactics to make his films appealing to the brainless masses are well documented. Slow motion action and swelling music for manipulating emotions. Ripping off story ideas from other, better movies and not even trying to disguise them. Giving little attention for "accuracy" and "common sense" when an opportunity presents itself to just "look cool". And, possibly the most egregious of his sins, blatantly throwing in as many sappy family moments and politically correct (and historically inaccurate) messages wherever suits him, whether it fits the scene or not. I have no respect for this man or his films, as the highest compliment I can give his works is that the special effects made the first viewing passable. But only the first viewing.

The biggest fault in The Patriot is that Emmerich goes entirely too far to give his characters — Gibson and Heath Ledger in particular — motivation to fight the British. Not that I’m an expert on Revolutionary War history, but I’m pretty sure the colonials fought the British for ideals and reasons beyond "that big British meany killed my [friend, family member, pet frog]". Mel Gibson’s character doesn’t really want to fight in the war, and gives his reasons for it… but that ain’t patriotic enough for us, so he’s practically bullied into the conflict by the director staging numerous and ridiculous scenes.

[Caution: Entering Spoiler Country]

First, Gibson’s home and farm are burned, because he helped tend some wounded. Then his "freed" slaves are taken away and impressed. Then his eldest son is taken away to be hung as a spy. Then his youngest son is shot and killed for barely nudging aside a British soldier. Then the fun really begins, as Emmerich couldn’t put brakes on the revenge machine he set up — loved ones, friends, main characters are axed right and left to provide more motivation for Gibson to fight the British and us to cheer him on. Mr. Emmerich, in Braveheart Gibson merely needed the murder of his wife to wake him up to the oppression of his people and to fight from then on out. That’s it. One poignant, well-done scene, and subtle reminders from then on out of why he kept fighting. You, sir, figure that if Gibson doesn’t have someone close to him die every ten minutes, then he’ll get bored with it all and wander off to play shuffleboard. I mean, for pete’s sake, you slaughter an entire town by burning them alive in a church! Was "no taxation without representation" too abstract of a concept to try to represent on screen that you had to stoop this low to get our sympathies for the colonial cause?

This was honestly the best story they could drum up for the entire scope of the War of Independence? A tale so flimsily connected to the conflict that I could easily change the setting to make it about a bunch of cops fighting a mob war in 1930’s Chicago and not really lose any of the major elements?

What a mess. What a waste. "Passably entertaining, quickly forgotten." Those will be the four words engraved on this director’s tombstone. If anyone actually bothers to visit it to read it, I mean.

Go ahead. Use the American flag as a spear. I'm sure nobody minds. "My lurve for you is like a midsummer's day... full of hay fever and sun poisoning." Due to the frigid winters, spooning was common in the Continental Army

Didja Notice? [some sources: IMDb]

• Aunt Charlotte's house is the same one used in Forrest Gump, with slightly different interior paneling. The stone hedge visible in Forrest Gump is camouflaged with bushes in this film.
• One of the "redcoats" (actually dummies) that is floating face down in the river after the trap is a dummy of John Travolta.
• When Tavington is searching for the child hiding under the table his boots are clearly visible and certainly of the "Left-Right" variety. Boots were made on straight lasts until the 1800s.

Is It Worth Staying Through End Credits?

Goodness no.

Unnecessary Background [some sources: Wikipedia]

The American Revolutionary War (aka "The War of Independence" or "Hal just went nuts and started firing his gun and everyone sorta just joined in") ran from 1775-1783 between the British (who also hired German mercenaries) and the Colonials (who received help from the French, Spain and Netherlands). The war was mostly sparked due to colonial outrage of British taxes and other financial laws. For the bulk of the war, the Colonials were on the run, defeated numerous times in battle, and badly equipped. The British used their navy to blockade ports and captured Boston and New York City, but they could never quite squash the rebellion. Finally, the Battle of Yorktown in 1783 forced the British to surrender (although they would be back for revenge in the War of 1812).

Intermission! [some sources: IMDb]

Heath Ledger performed his own stunts.

When teaching Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger how to shoot a muzzle-loading rifle, technical advisor Mark Baker gave them the advice to "aim small, miss small", meaning that if you aim at a man and miss, you miss the man, while if you aim at a button (for instance) and miss, you still hit the man. Gibson liked this bit advice so much he incorporated it into the movie, just prior to the ambush scene.

Screenwriter Robert Rodat wrote 17 drafts of the script before there was an acceptable one.

Mel Gibson's character was originally scripted to be the real historical figure Francis Marion, "The Swamp Fox", but after historians informed the filmmakers of some of the more sordid aspects of Marion's life (slaughtering Indians, raping his female slaves) they decided to create a fictional story and a more likeable hero.

Groovy Quotes

Benjamin Martin: Before this war is over, I'm going to kill you.
Colonel William Tavington: Why wait?

Benjamin Martin: Aim small, miss small.

Benjamin Martin: I have long feared that my sins would return to haunt me, and the cost would be more than I could bear.

Benjamin Martin: This battle was over before it begun.

Lord General Cornwallis: [referring to a replacement formal coat] It's a horse blanket.
Colonel William Tavington: Oh I don't know my Lord; it's really, quite nice.
General O'Hara: Very nice my Lord.
Lord General Cornwallis: Very well it's a nice horse blanket.

Reverend Oliver: A shepherd must tend his flock. And at times... fight off the wolves.

If you liked this movie, try these:

• 1776
• Independence Day
• Godzilla