The Patriot is a tale about America, but it also very much an American tale. It's a story of the good, the bad, and the ugly, set during the Revolutionary war, a time when reference to Washington referred only to the General and not the city or the state. The good are the South Carolina militia, led brilliantly by Mel Gibson as Benjamin Martin. The bad are the British, led by Tom Wilkinson as Lord Cornwallis. Pompous and proud, he wants to oppress the rebels, but as long as it's done within the code of gentlemen. Then there's the ugly, personified by Colonel Tavington, who is a British officer, but without qualms, conscience, and worst of all, without personality.

The story, then, is about the good fighting the bad. The bad look like winning, so the good have to get very very crafty to gain the upper hand. Enter the ugly to sniff out and kill the good. Which, in the end, has to end up with a one on one grudge match between good and ugly, while bad hang their well-clad heads in shame.

Now that might be how history happened, but I doubt it. Much of the story feels more than a screenplay than an historical tome. And in particular, a spectacular Hollywood screenplay that includes story elements as a vehicle for special effects designed to appeal to the masses.

And appeal it does. The combat scenes are as bloody as any in recent epics, complete with heads, legs and other body parts being blown off by canon balls. Then there's a strong and quite effective male bonding theme that portrays the inter-connection of men regardless of race, class, nationality, or age. Then there's the softer side of the movie, that focuses on scenes between Mel and his seven children, which leads to some obligatory tear jerker scene when he has to leave them. Finally, there are some comic moments to keep us totally engaged with Mel as the all American hero.

Now, while I'm critical of certain components of this film, I quite liked The Patriot. I thought Mel was wonderful, although the role is hardly a stretch for him. It's the American Mad Max Braveheart, but he's still awfully good. And when the camera zooms in on his furious blue eyes filled, you know that Mel will get his man.

I also very much liked Heath Ledger as Gabrielle, Mel's oldest son. A fellow Australian, the two work well together, and the love hate relationship of father and son is one of the few believable segments of the movie.

But the bottom line is that this movie is far too violent for general consumption, and is more about storytelling than history, and any factual information about the Revolutionary war is almost incidental. Still, it's a great tale of heroism that captures the romanticism of American heroism.


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