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The Patriot is gorgeous. The uniforms are wonderfully
detailed and colourful, the battle scenes realistic and the
scenery eye-watering.
Most of the characters are believable, although the two main
protagonists - Mel Gibson's Benjamin Martin and Jason Isaacs'
Colonel Tavington - are painfully stereotyped. Martin, despite
his predilection for hacking bits off people with a tomahawk,
loves his kids, black workers and all things American. Tavington,
is an ice-cold brute who loves to kill all things American
- and barbecue them as well.
Australia's Heath Ledger does exceedingly well in the role
of Martin's headstrong No.1 son, and comes out of the movie
with his screen-hero-to-be image intact.
The other actor who really stands out is Tom Wilkinson, who
plays the top British commander, Lord Cornwallis. Wilkinson
plays his part brilliantly with an affectation that is so
well done it seems natural. His verbal and military jousts
with Martin add much-needed humour to the in-your-face action
of the movie.
The Patriot is no Braveheart, it is an over
the top US-flag waving movie that is unashamed of its schmaltz
and nationalistic vanity. It has to be said, however, that
most Americans would look at the flag - circa 1776 - and wonder
where the other 37 states' stars are.
It has episodes of excellence - usually sublime imagery or
bloody battle scenes - torpedoed by "moments" of
puke-inducing saccharine.
The image transfer of The Patriot on to DVD is of
a very high quality with only a few, very minor problems being
apparent. The sound, however, is excellent with speech and
sound effects coming through clearly and distinctly.
It is fair to say that The Patriot is, unlike Yorktown
- the final battle of the War of Independence, a missed opportunity
by Americans.
Conclusion: Movie 80%, Extras 85%
Continued:
DVD details at a glance >
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