My Movie Review on The Patriot (Reconstructed & Re-Analyzed)

On July 4, 2019, I reviewed this movie specifically to celebrate Independence Day. Then, at the same time of year in 2023, I gave a critique of the film’s extended version after discovering the existence of it.

Today, to celebrate Independence Day 2024, I’d like to give you all a completely reconstructed version of my review on “The Patriot”. 

Unlike the last ones I did, though, this’ll basically be a review combining the thoughts I gave on both the theatrical and extended versions of the film, which would end with a recommendation over which of the versions is the most preferable and why that is. There will also be a lot more grammatical corrections involved, as well as more in-depth thoughts on the film.

Take a look:

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Yo, what's up, you guys?

Your friendly film and TV show reporter is once again in the house, and I'd like to start by wishing everyone a happy Independence Day!

Sound the trumpets! Light the fireworks and firecrackers! Wave the American flag! Roast the marshmallows!

Anyway…

Today, for my first review to celebrate this momentous occasion with, I’m gonna give you guys my analysis of "The Patriot".

Here's the summary of it:

Benjamin Martin is a lone father of seven children: Gabriel, Thomas, Nathan, Samuel, William, Margaret, and Susan. He is also a former soldier of the French and Indian War. With the Revolutionary War on the horizon, you'd think he'd be willing to join. However, a complex past, reputation, and temper are ones he doesn't wish to repeat, and so he declines from joining the fight against General Cornwallis.

But, after finding that he won't be able to avoid the war forever, especially when one of his sons is murdered by the monstrously bloodthirsty commander of the Green Dragoons, William Tavington, a vengeful Martin decides to join the fight alongside the Continental Army. There, he’s promoted to colonel, and assembles a militia unit to weaken the British forces and cause disarray amongst the enemy.

The only question is…

Can Benjamin keep himself from getting consumed by his anger and thirst for vengeance? And will his efforts make a difference for this war considering the British seem to have the upper hand?

(Fun Fact: This is the 2nd R-rated film I've reviewed, my 1st being "Free State of Jones").

Before I begin, I'd like to be upfront by saying that I'm proud to be showing you all this review in honor of Independence Day. The concept of it, which involves the Revolutionary War, is precisely why I wanted to post this review today, because it depicts what Independence Day is all about: the colonies' fight against the British for freedom, and their victory in defeating the British building America into the independent nation it is today.

Outside of this, “The Patriot” is a perennial favorite amongst my family and I. We would watch it on occasion whenever we wanted to see something that’s about American freedom, and looking back…this was also the very first R-rated movie I ever saw.

Even now, “The Patriot” is a movie that I believe delivers in every way. It’s a true masterpiece.

For instance, the direction by Roland Emmerich, and the story that was written by Roland Rodat, were all-out astonishing.

Looking back, “The Patriot” is perhaps the #1 best movie Emmerich ever directed. I loved how he was able to visually capture the film’s 1770s time period through not just the sets and character costumes, but with Caleb Deschanel’s cinematography as well. It helped bring a greater sense of authenticity, and despite the film being made in 2000, Emmerich and Deschanel managed to help the film not feel like it was a product of the early 21st century from just the mere sight of it. Rodat’s writing also proved to be of great benefit for Emmerich, that’s for sure. Rodat created a story that tied everything together perfectly, and for a film that’s nearly three hours long, it paced itself naturally & didn’t lag in any parts.

Combined together, Emmerich and Rodat were even able to create a film with a balanced tone. It carried a powerful emotional resonance & heart, and as a war film, the filmmakers incorporated tons of scenes that were sad, intense, dark, and dramatic. They didn’t shy away from showcasing how horrifying war can be either, or how much it can impact both soldiers and civilians alike. And yet, in spite of how gloomy things would get, Emmerich and Rodat didn’t refrain from incorporating moments of humor, light, and wit, which were perfect for helping audiences relax & have fun after the depressing ordeals.

Along with this, the music by John Williams was stupendous.

Next to so many of his other works, such as the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises, the score Williams did is one of the very best of his career. It was amazing how his melodies both captured the film’s timeline and elevated everything on an emotional level. Every melody he created for the action sequences was strong enough to get one’s heart pumping, and whether there was a moment of sadness or delight, the music further displayed how the characters felt and what they were going through. There was even an added sense of passionate patriotism, which marvelously reflected the Americans’ fight for freedom from the British.

Lastly, the acting, casting, characters, and character development were awesome.

Every character was memorable in the best way, and the cast members who played them fit their parts like a glove. The good guys in this film were especially lovable and fun to hang with, no matter the personality; and they certainly weren’t without high-class character growth either.

However, if I were to choose which cast members that I believe gave the best performances, it’d be Mel Gibson as Benjamin Martin, Heath Ledger as Gabriel, and Jason Isaacs as Tavington.

Portraying the part of Tavington, Jason Isaacs gave the character a classic-villain demeanor and personality. It was particularly interesting how, despite Tavington clearly being loyal to England, Isaacs further translated him as a cold and heartless person who nevertheless had a three-dimensional depth. Tavington himself had dynamic development throughout the movie, in that 

Likewise, Heath Ledger was amazing in the part of Gabriel Martin. “The Patriot” was the very first movie I ever saw starring Ledger, and even on that ground, I could tell that it was a perfect showcase for why he’s considered one of the best actors around. His appearance gave Gabriel a sense of long lasting youth, while his performance...gave the character a sense of maturity, wisdom, purity, and patriotism. Gabriel is someone who wants to stand up for others and do what's right no matter what, which are definite traits of a true hero; and throughout the film, he grew in more ways than I could expect.

And Mel Gibson…

Man, he was amazing in the part of Benjamin Martin!

It was clear from the beginning that the role was one Gibson was born to take on. He portrayed Martin with a tremendous emotional depth and personality that made the character so human, and his comedic chops were spot-on funny. With Martin being a character who’s constantly trying to keep his inner demons at bay, which particularly make themselves known when he's angry or fighting the enemy, Gibson literally killed it with further translating the struggles. Martin himself had exceptional character development throughout.

Other performances that I particularly enjoyed were Joely Richardson as Charlotte, Tom Wilkinson as Cornwallis, René Auberjonois as Reverend Oliver, Tchéky Karyo as Major Jean Villeneuve, Trevor Morgan as Nathan Martin, Skye McCole Bartusiak as Susan Martin, Leon Rippy as John Billings, and Jay Arlen Jones as Occam. Each of the characters in question weren’t without compelling developments of their own, that’s for sure.

Now if there’s one thing I’d like to be honest about, it’d be that the extended version of the film is significantly better than the theatrical cut. It’s longer by merely 11 minutes, and the scenes that weren’t included in the theatrical cut aren’t more than 1 or 5 minutes long, but the footage was welcomingly beneficial for the movie as a whole. They helped the editing be less choppy, and they cleared up certain plot deficiencies that the theatrical version may have presented.

Scenes that notably helped give the narrative a more natural flow include the following:

• In the T.C., Colonel Tavington meets up with a badly-wounded British soldier who was the only survivor from the attack by Benjamin Martin, Nathan, and Samuel to rescue Gabriel. Most people may find this befuddling because it seemed like every soldier escorting Gabriel to be hanged was killed, and it's hard to tell which soldier he was.

In the E.V., the soldier who fell in a small creek after being shot is shown watching Benjamin before he seemingly disappears into thin air. This openly confirms that he's the wounded survivor, and it really brings into perspective what was going on from his point-of-view.

• In the T.C., there is an offscreen voiceover of Captain Bardon reporting to Tavington that Cherokee scouts found the wounded soldier.

In the E.V., Tavington is first shown watching fireflies until he catches one with lightning fast precision. And as he closely inspects the insect, Captain Bardon comes up behind him before giving the report, with two Cherokee Indians standing a few feet away from Bardon. This addition openly provides a steadier ease into the scene where Tavington meets with the wounded soldier.

Other scenes that weren't included in the theatrical cut were ones that I believe provided excellent buildup to certain parts in the story, especially to where things wouldn't seem too random or sudden. They even gave the characters more opportunities to naturally develop.

Examples include these:

• In the E.V., there are more scenes featuring Benjamin and Charlotte together in the first act. Each of them gave a greater glimpse into their overall chemistry and relationship, and they helped build up towards the two characters becoming a couple later on.

• Between the moments depicting the British victoriously taking a field & Benjamin and Gabriel later walking amongst wounded Continental soldiers, there's a scene where Tavington visits General Cornwallis in a tent as he's celebrating the victory with the other generals. The interactions the two shared in that scene gave a great first look into the tension between them, and brilliant buildup towards their first confrontation at the fort. The scene itself also gave greater notice of the animosity between Tavington and General O'Hara. That, and it provided an early introduction to Cornwallis's Great Danes: Jupiter and Mars, who’d later be taken in by Martin around the middle of the film.

In the long run, the point I’m trying to make is that the extended version of the film is far more preferable than the theatrical cut. If no one wants to be left confused by anything, I highly recommend the E.V. more.

In conclusion, though, "The Patriot" is a masterfully-crafted Hollywood gem. Everything about it is too enjoyable to pass over, and while it may not be the most historically accurate film, it does give a realistic picture of what life during the Revolutionary War was like.

So, I rate "The Patriot" a solid five out of five stars.