Epic 'Patriot' Fuels Fire For Freedom

Mel Gibson's Is Summer Must See

Jon Stone, Staff Writer
June 29, 2000, 7:54 p.m. EDT

"The Patriot," starring Mel Gibson, is going to be a tough competitor against any other release this summer.

The film offers in full what the previews gave audiences a taste of: solid navigation from director Roland Emmerich ("Independence Day") at the helm with a team of experienced producers and players. "The Patriot" easily matches "Titanic" or "Gladiator" in delivery.

The story centers on Benjamin Martin (Gibson), who owns a plantation in South Carolina in 1776. The spirit of the America Revolution is beginning to brew and Martin sympathizes with the colonists' movement but does not want to partake in the violence because he feels it can be settled peacefully with the British government.

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After the redcoats bring the fighting right into Martin's frontyard, he is driven over the edge and joins the battle against the British.

The battle scenes in the film are choreographed to fantastic realism, making the viewer feels as though they are in the battle itself. The sound system mix bounces back and forth through the theater with shots and explosions.

The violence is excessive but a realistic portrayal of the Revolutionary period. Historically, the film is also accurate in respect to what the Revolutionary troops had to go through: Little medical treatment and inconsistent supplies were the standard; most of the militia's (common citizens) fighting forces were farmers and 90 percent of the population lived in rural communities fighting against a strong oppressive world power with little or no pay.

Gibson is in top form in "The Patriot." You feel for his character and his portrayal of tragic events are so realistic that there were many teary eyes in the audience.

One scene has Martin taking out his aggravations on a defeated wounded British soldier, reflecting back to "Braveheart" in its graphic depiction. but even this extreme scene mixes in with the film as a whole.

At well over two hours, the film flows like fine brush strokes. This reviewer did not look at his watch once.

"The Patriot" is a must see for the summer season.

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