| THE PATRIOT |
2000 - USA
Director: Roland Emmerich - Reviewed by Kelly
This summer, Mel Gibson is back with his latest period drama The Patriot. With his usual intensity, he delivers an adept and entertaining portrayal as Benjamin Martin, a guerilla fighter in the American Revolutionary War. The story follows the life of Benjamin Martin, a veteran of the French and Indian War who has sworn off violence. Resistant to the call to arms by his fellow colonists, Martin refuses to join the conflict citing his belief that war is not an acceptable solution. But the war soon comes home to Martin and his family as his elder son joins the conflict and his younger son is needlessly murdered by a rogue British officer. Bent on revenge, Martin joins the war and emerges as one of its most effective fighting leaders. The Patriot is wonderfully filmed and full of believable, if brutal war scenes. Like Gladiator it takes advantage of computer graphics to recreate the time period with flawless and believable quality and clarity. Where The Patriot reveals its summer blockbuster lining is the very black and white view it takes of the Revolutionary War and its participants. The colonists are devoted and kind homemakers intent on personal freedom and a tax break. The British are goose-stepping pseudo-Nazis, with more in common with Hitler than King George, even lifting a church-burning scene that belongs more in an eastern European holocaust story than in colonial New England. But Hollywood rarely constructs its villains as multi-facetted characters with a rational agenda. If you can swallow the very flat portrayals of the British, the rest of this film is very much worth a viewing on the big screen. The cinematography is great. The CGI work is amazing and believable. The costuming and sets are also perfect. The score is a little heavy-handed. And if you didn't get enough nationalistic zeal during the 4th of July fireworks, well... here's your chance to make it up. Check it out for a matinee screening. |
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Every summer Hollywood sends out a barrage of
summer blockbuster films. You don't need me to tell you that a large percentage
of those end up being pretty bad. That said, in 2000 Hollywood seems to
have tried a little harder in the wake of surprise indie successes like The
Sixth Sense and Boys Don't Cry. And though The
Perfect Storm, Gladiator and The Patriot will not
inspire or change your life, they are a full grade up from previous years' summer
blockbusters. Fun to watch, exciting, and a testament to the power of
computer-assisted film making. So give credit where credit is due.