The Patriot

Starring: Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Joely Richardson, Jason Isaacs, Chris Cooper, and Tchèky Karyo

Director: Roland Emmerich

Rating: 3

I originally wrote this review a day or so after seeing The Patriot in the theater, as is apparent in the very first sentence of the review. This review was originally written for and posted on the Wedge Estrogen Brigade, a Star Wars themed site. The only changes made to this review from the original were to clarify certain things a little more for those who aren't as familiar with Star Wars. So, without further ado, on to the review!

This weekend I went and saw The Patriot starring Mel Gibson. I was thinking that I was going to get to spend 2-3 hours doing something that would clear my mind of Star Wars. 1700's America seemed a good way to do that.

Think again! A bunch of rebel farmers taking out an Imperial regime in battles that appeared hopeless until near the end? I should've known better than that! If that doesn't sum up the plot of the original Star Wars trilogy in one sentence, I don't know what does.

Unlike Star Wars, however, the movie was very long and very depressing. It got to the point where I began wondering if the war was ever going to end. If the purpose of this was to illustrate just how long and drawn out war can be, they were successful.

Actually, this movie was very reminiscent of Braveheart. Mel Gibson gets drawn into a personal war against the British when they kill someone in his family. The battles are very bloody and very realistic looking, and he ends up in charge of a bunch of people. They end up winning the war at the end, and the viewer is given the impression that without him, the war would've been lost.

Warning: Spoilers follow for the end of The Patriot and the end of the book Dark Tide: Ruin follow.

There was a moment that seemed like it was taken straight out of a Star Wars novel, however. The last battle of The Patriot was very similar to the battle between Corran Horn and Shedao Shai at the end of Ruin. Mel Gibson is fighting a hand to hand, bayonet to bayonet battle with the man responsible for killing people very close to Gibson. The moment came at the end of the battle, which ended exactly like Corran's did in Ruin. "Owie, owie, I'm hurt, oh, wait a minute, he's within my guard, now I can easily just turn around and ram something straight into this guy's stomach!"

I'd have to say, though, that if you liked Braveheart, you will probably like this movie as well, since there are lots of similar things. If you are squeamish, you may not like this movie. If you don't like the thought of grade school kids shooting guns and killing people, be warned.

Reviewed June 2001 by Kelly M. Grosskreutz.

Back to Kelly's Critiques page.
Back to About Me page.