The Patriot Movie Review
"The Patriot": An Inaccurate Account of the Revolutionary War
After viewing the movie "The Patriot" I'd like to write a review. The movie is notorious for its historical inaccuracies regarding the Revolutionary War. This movie was filled with drama, suspense, and action from start to finish. It mainly covered the adventures of a South Carolina militia and the leader's family. By the end of this movie, the viewer will have a newfound sense of patriotism.
The Patriot is a Revolutionary War movie. It takes place in 1776 South Carolina during the days of the British colonies. Tensions were high between the colonials and the British. Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) was the father of 2 boys ready to join the Continental Army. Although reluctant to do so, he allowed his eldest son to join. Martin was not a fan of the war himself. Soon enough, Martin acquires an animosity for the British and their cruel tactics, especially William Tavington(Jason Issacs). Benjamin Martin begins to fight the British because of the harsh acts committed against his family. He gathers a militia and begins his campaign against the British.
The protagonist in this movie is Benjamin Martin, played by Mel Gibson. He is a father and a plantation owner ran by his family and a few slaves. This is one of the first mistakes we see in the movie. In South Carolina, slaves accounted for a huge percentage of the entire population. There would not be a handful of slaves on plantation is South Carolina, there would be a myriad of them. Mel Gibson does an excellent job in this movie. He shows what the true meaning of loyalty and patriotism truly are. One of the best moments of this movie is when Martin decides to fight in the Battle of Cowpens. As the front line marches to their presumable death, Martin emerges on horseback carrying an American flag. the militia rally around him before the extremely important battle. Mel Gibson shows a wide range of emotions from extreme sadness when tragedy strikes his family or pride when they beat the redcoats in the battle of Cowpens. Meanwhile, the antagonist is William Tavington played by Jason Isaccs. Tavington is a British officer notorious for brutal tactics against the Continental Army and even the citizens. This never happened during the Revolutionary War. If a British officer ever committed an act such as burning down a village full of civilians, his family name would be shamed for eternity. Tavington is very cutthroat, bold, and ambitious. He is based off the British officer Banastre Tarleton. Tavington often disregards orders and plays by his own rules. Actor Jason Issacs does a good job of portraying this mindset.
After viewing the movie, I had a sense of patriotism that I usually do not feel, and I enjoyed this very much. This may be attributed how Benjamin Martin triumphed over the evil William Tavington. The character that Tavington is based off of was not evil, and this is where my problems with this movie begin. The movie is incredibly inaccurate. The reason we feel so good at the end of the movie is because the evil British lost, but the British were not evil. An officer would never kill anyone innocent. Tavington is quoted as saying those helping the colonials are enemies of the British, and that is false.
There are plenty of lessons or themes that "The Patriot" expresses. One of them is loyalty. Benjamin Martin is a war hero from the French and Indian War. After that, he is not an advocate of fighting. He is actually against the Revolutionary War, and thinks it can be solved in a different matter. This all changes after his family is threatened. Benjamin Martin brings together a militia to fight the British. The guerilla tactics the militia used in the movie were the same as the ones used by certain militias during the actual war. Benjamin Martin joins the fight to protect his family. He has pride for his country too. He knows that colonials are being treated poorly, and during the war, they're being treated even worse during the war. Benjamin knows that his countrymen deserve better and that is why he joins the fight.
I think anyone with a sense of patriotism would enjoy this movie. Anyone who likes action movies or movies where the good guys win would also like this film. Historians on the other hand will not like this film. The historical inaccuracies are plentiful in "The Patriot".
Overall, I enjoyed this movie. It was action packed and filled with patriotism. I'd give the movie 7 stars out of 10.
The Patriot is a Revolutionary War movie. It takes place in 1776 South Carolina during the days of the British colonies. Tensions were high between the colonials and the British. Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) was the father of 2 boys ready to join the Continental Army. Although reluctant to do so, he allowed his eldest son to join. Martin was not a fan of the war himself. Soon enough, Martin acquires an animosity for the British and their cruel tactics, especially William Tavington(Jason Issacs). Benjamin Martin begins to fight the British because of the harsh acts committed against his family. He gathers a militia and begins his campaign against the British.
The protagonist in this movie is Benjamin Martin, played by Mel Gibson. He is a father and a plantation owner ran by his family and a few slaves. This is one of the first mistakes we see in the movie. In South Carolina, slaves accounted for a huge percentage of the entire population. There would not be a handful of slaves on plantation is South Carolina, there would be a myriad of them. Mel Gibson does an excellent job in this movie. He shows what the true meaning of loyalty and patriotism truly are. One of the best moments of this movie is when Martin decides to fight in the Battle of Cowpens. As the front line marches to their presumable death, Martin emerges on horseback carrying an American flag. the militia rally around him before the extremely important battle. Mel Gibson shows a wide range of emotions from extreme sadness when tragedy strikes his family or pride when they beat the redcoats in the battle of Cowpens. Meanwhile, the antagonist is William Tavington played by Jason Isaccs. Tavington is a British officer notorious for brutal tactics against the Continental Army and even the citizens. This never happened during the Revolutionary War. If a British officer ever committed an act such as burning down a village full of civilians, his family name would be shamed for eternity. Tavington is very cutthroat, bold, and ambitious. He is based off the British officer Banastre Tarleton. Tavington often disregards orders and plays by his own rules. Actor Jason Issacs does a good job of portraying this mindset.
After viewing the movie, I had a sense of patriotism that I usually do not feel, and I enjoyed this very much. This may be attributed how Benjamin Martin triumphed over the evil William Tavington. The character that Tavington is based off of was not evil, and this is where my problems with this movie begin. The movie is incredibly inaccurate. The reason we feel so good at the end of the movie is because the evil British lost, but the British were not evil. An officer would never kill anyone innocent. Tavington is quoted as saying those helping the colonials are enemies of the British, and that is false.
There are plenty of lessons or themes that "The Patriot" expresses. One of them is loyalty. Benjamin Martin is a war hero from the French and Indian War. After that, he is not an advocate of fighting. He is actually against the Revolutionary War, and thinks it can be solved in a different matter. This all changes after his family is threatened. Benjamin Martin brings together a militia to fight the British. The guerilla tactics the militia used in the movie were the same as the ones used by certain militias during the actual war. Benjamin Martin joins the fight to protect his family. He has pride for his country too. He knows that colonials are being treated poorly, and during the war, they're being treated even worse during the war. Benjamin knows that his countrymen deserve better and that is why he joins the fight.
I think anyone with a sense of patriotism would enjoy this movie. Anyone who likes action movies or movies where the good guys win would also like this film. Historians on the other hand will not like this film. The historical inaccuracies are plentiful in "The Patriot".
Overall, I enjoyed this movie. It was action packed and filled with patriotism. I'd give the movie 7 stars out of 10.
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