STARS: ***
DIRECTOR: Roland Emmerich
PRINCIPLE CAST:
Mel Gibson
Heath Ledger
Joely Richardson
Jason Isaacs
Lisa Brenner
Finally, the film I have been waiting for has come along. This year has been filled with mediocre and nearly classic films, and finally here comes The Patriot. This is more than just another big, summer action-film. The Patriot is a sweeping epic filled with powerful action sequences and heart-tugging moments.
Mel Gibson portrays widower, Benjamin Martin, a colonist driven to war against the British when his large family is thrown into the middle of a battle he tried to keep out of. He loses his children because of war and decides to strike back with a vengeance. He takes his old hatchet out of his burning house and finds it in his soul to �stop hiding behind his family� and fight for the greater purpose. This film could easily be considered a new Braveheart (lets see: a pacifist fights the British for the freedom of his country after he loses a family member) but it truly holds on its own. Like Braveheart, however, this film has heart and soul, and that is what makes it such a great movie.
Though Mel Gibson gives a truly award-worthy performance in this film, I must give snaps to Heath Ledger. After doing the traditional teen-film, he decided to truly show his talent and take on this epic� and he does it incredibly well. His performance is another from this film that I will be looking to get some Oscar notice when the awards are announced early next year. He brings charm and an essence to his character that I could not see does as well by anyone else.
So, the character that Ben Martin was based upon wasn�t really such a likeable man. So, the British colonel wasn�t really this evil. So, everything did not really happen the way it was portrayed. So what? This is a movie, a truly great movie, and it does have the right to some dramatic license. It tugs at the emotions like it should and entertains like it meant to. This is a sweeping film of epic proportions and, in my eyes, the best film of the year, so far.
