In The Patriot, America is on the cusp of the Revolutionary War. Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) is a widowed, peaceful farmer who is left to care for his seven children. He is hesitant to go to war with Britain because of his own past life as a soldier, but also for the safety of his children. Benjamin's 18-year-old son, Gabriel (Heath Ledger), sees his father's hesitancy as an act of cowardice and joins the war effort against his father's wishes. The war wages closer to the Martin household, where British Colonel William Tavington (Jason Isaacs) shoots and kills Benjamin's second eldest son, Thomas. What follows is a revenge story for the ages.

The Patriot isn't perfect, but it is rousing and very entertaining. The score was created by the legendary John Williams, and if you pay close attention, some "Jurassic Park" seems to come out a little. The cinematography is well done, with beautiful hillside landscapes juxtaposed with war-torn battlefields. However, the theatrical cut of the film comes in at a whopping two- hours and forty-five-minutes long and seems longer than it really is because about a third of it takes place in slow motion. There are far too many shots that are slowed down in post, which causes jittering frame rates, then needs to be.

• Release Year: 2000
• Genre: War
• Starring: Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, and Joely Richardson.
• Trailer
• Summary: Peaceful farmer Benjamin Martin is driven to lead the Colonial Militia during the American Revolution when a sadistic British officer murders his son.

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