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Benjamin Martin (Gibson) vowed he would never fight in another war, but after the British army arrives at his South Carolina home and threaten what he holds most dear Benjamin decides that fighting may be his only option. His son Gabriel (Ledger) has already enlisted and he makes sure that he fights alongside his son. Benjamin leads a group of brave men into battle against the English Army
This film has a well structured plot and the dialogue is very well written compared to most films of this nature. The early portion of the film has a bit of humour, but ultimately this film is a very dramatic. Most films of this nature, lose their ultimate focus around the mid way point, but this one does not. It stays rigidly structured to the original reason Martin joins the conflict in the first place. There are three or four subplots that build around this, and all of them get the proper treatment they deserve as well as conclusions that help set up the final shots of the film.
When you look at the cast of this film, your standards are immediately set. It is impossible not to set high standards. Films that do this can sometimes let you down, because when you set unbelievably high standards no film can live up to that. However, both Gibson and Ledger live up to the hype, Gibson trying to keep quiet in the beginning but ultimately letting his emotions get the best of him as the film goes on. Ledger is fantastic the whole way through as well, you can see his characters bravery all the way through, he is young and wanting to make a difference. Gabriel’s subplot of falling in love just allows Ledger to show his youthful charm. The rest of the cast as well including Jason Isaacs and Tom Wilkinson played their respective roles wonderfully. They all made this film a little deeper and all of these performances drew in you and grabbed your attention.
A film which grabs your attention by its thrilling performances as well as the epic war scenes that are presented, The Patriot is one of the better war films in the past decade. There was some over the top violence as well as some violence that sent chills down your spine. The Patriot goes beyond where it needed to go in order to keep the audience engaged. The scenes of violence were as mentioned a tad explicit, but they added the substance that most films lack. When you watch the soldiers go all out to win the war and you watch the violence you get a feel for what went on. The reason these films must have one or two scenes of unnerving violence is to help you realize the ruthlessness of some people involved in the war. These filmmakers don’t add gratuitous violence just to see how many people will squirm, but they do it to add depth and emotion to a story that has already captured many peoples attention.
There were scenes in this film that had grabbed my attention because of their dramatic effect and there were scenes that had my attention because of their ability to lighten the mood in a film that was intended to be dramatic. There are scenes where Ledger is able to play up the comedy a bit, especially since his character of Gabriel is full of youth and full of energy. The best scenes are the interaction among the characters. Yes the war scenes capture the essence of what is happening, but the most powerful scenes come from emotional interaction between the characters. Benjamin and Gabriel were always away, and when they came back to be with their family or even got a moment to talk together, you were instantly paying attention to their thoughts and feelings that are left unexpressed during their long war scenes.
The Patriot is a solid film from start to finish. Watch it, Mel Gibson is fantastic and so is Heath Ledger.
8/10
