Rating: **
Cast:
Benjamin Martin: Mel Gibson
Gabriel Martin: Heath Ledger
Colonel Tavington: Jason Isaac
Colonel Burwell: Chris Cooper
Directed by Roland Emmerich
As my comment on the main page suggests, I did not like this movie. Far from it in fact. I found that this movie was just drenched in Manifest Destiny and melodrama; biased up the wazoo. Perhaps it can be said that most of the audience who will view this movie are American, but why can't there be an unbiased account produced at least once without the bullshit that's in this movie.
The Plotline: Quite simple really; The year is 1776, an ex-army colonel named Benjamin Martin lives tranquilly on his farm with his seven children and servants... that is until he is called to attend an assembly for the levy of troops for the Continental Army to fight the British. Martin votes against the levy, because he's tired of war, while he son joins up. Later on, his son shows up wounded, closely followed by the British. The British are intensely evil in this movie, and so they burn down his house, and shoots his 15 year old son. This turns the previously peaceful Martin into a white-hot revolutionary soldier.
From there, Martin rejoins the army and fights partisan action against the British, who resort to every evil trick in the book in order to get Martin. We all know how the movie ends, and will end: with the victory for the American Army, so I don't need to say anymore about this plot.
Before I get into my real criticism of this movie, I would like to say what I liked about it. The battle scenes, fighting style, and costumes were superb. I think the Roland Emmerich did a great job in coordinating these battle scenes - both big and small. He does them so well, that I'm inclined to forget for a second just how inaccurate muskets were in the 1770's, and how the good guys couldn't possibly hit everything they aimed at. But that's reality, and as we all know, reality and Hollywood are rarely best friends. I also liked the fact that for the most part, the acting was really good (even if I was strongly reminded of Bravehart). I think Gibson did a good job in this movie, as well as the other protagonists.
However (and here comes the part I've been waiting for, although you may not have been). I have huge problems with this movie. The melodrama is enough to make me sick... The British are archetypically evil, the American disgustingly good. Neither side are historically accurate in the least, because the British did fight honourably, and the American were treacherous (they don't say in the movie that Americans would commonly raid British camps and night and kill whoever they found in their sleep, or the terrible things they did to Loyalists to the British cause). But again, this is reality creeping in here. I was also incredibly annoyed by the love plots in this film. The love story is almost exactly like the ones from Bravehart. Come on Mel and Roland! Give us a break and come up with a more original love plotline.
Speaking of plotline... I don't mean to say this movie was predictable, but.... it was. I could tell five minutes before what would happen, because I've seen this dribble spit up in many movies before. I KNEW that the dastardly British cavalry colonel would die by Gibson's hand, and that Gibson would live (oops, I gave something away... although if you watch any action movies at all, you'd understand this).
I may as well add this here: I am not a big fan of the United States. I know why this movie was made: trumped up nationalism. It was a proclamation that the United States had to fight to gain their independence against the most powerful empire upon earth and won. Good for you. As a Canadian (whose nation chose a peaceful path and is now a million times nicer to live in), I find the reasons for making this movie disgusting. Americans are already full of themselves as it is, do they really need anymore. I'm sorry if you're an American and reading this. I don't have a problem with individual Americans, as long as they don't propound Manifest Destiny, or try to tell me how bad my country sucks. If you are one of those two types that I dislike, perhaps you should consider something: Britain in 1775 was roughly equivalent to the United States today. Perhaps its Americas turn for a fall
Ok, that's enough for now. I do not recommend watching this movie. I paid $5.50 to rent this movie... I wasted my money, but at least I can warn people against it. - K.R