Post by Sgt. AWOLaLot on Jul 3, 2017 19:00:54 GMT -5
It's the American Independence Day tomorrow, so I gave this movie another watch. It has its flaws and inaccuracies throughout, but still found it to be a pretty good film.
Written July 3rd, 2017: The Patriot
"With it being Independence Day tomorrow, I figured it was a good time to watch a film I haven't seen in a while: The Patriot. The Patriot is a film that has been criticized for issues with historical accuracy and for having a longer run time than necessary. With these in mind, I wondered if my enjoyment of the film would be any less since my last viewing. Frankly though, I still really like this film despite these issues.
The Patriot (2000) is directed by Ronald Emmerich and stars Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Joely Richardson, and Jason Isaacs. It is a Revolutionary War film that centers around the character of Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson). He is a plantation owner in South Carolina and while he is against British rule, he initially does not support open war against the British regulars. But when his family is threatened by a British dragoon colonel, William Tavington (Jason Isaacs), he is spurred to taking up arms after a family tragedy. What ensues is an entertaining, patriotic, and decent war film.
My favorite part of the film was probably the characters and the setting. Colonial America has always been an era I liked learning about and seeing portrayed, be it video games or film. That's one reason I actually like Assassin's Creed III, despite it's more mixed reception. Anyway, it's always cool when a film tries to take you back in time. The architecture, costumes, and sets all helped to create that time period.
I also liked most of the characters in the film, even if they can come across as cliched. While this is a movie about the Revolutionary War and becoming free of British rule, this is also a war film that has a well defined hero and a well defined villain. Benjamin Martin is our hero in this film, and we as the viewers are given enough character development to care for him and what the outcome will be. He is commissioned as a Colonel and commands a group of militia, which includes his oldest son. That being said, Martin isn't without his demons or flaws. These demons are visited often and become an important addition to the storyline. While he now openly supports the fight for liberty, he is also using the militia as a way to channel his anger for the threats to his family. And I thought Gibson's performance was quite good. Despite what you think about Gibson personally, there's no doubting he is a talented film maker and actor. While it's not exactly an Oscar worthy performance, he still gave a lot to the role.
There is also Heath Ledger's character, Gabriel. Gabriel is Benjamin's oldest son and is eager to join the Continental Army. He also gets a pretty good character arc, and Ledger's performance is very good. While The Joker will always be the role that defined him, it's great to see him in other roles. It really is a shame a man of such talents was lost so early.
Our villain on the other hand is Jason Isaacs character, Colonel Tavington. Tavington is a cruel, cold-blooded British cavalry officer that has no qualms with utilizing brutal tactics to gain the upper hand. These characteristics make him a great film villain. I also like seeing a war film with a villain. If it's done well, it can lead the audience to be more empathetic towards the protagonist and makes his final victory more satisfying. And Isaacs plays the role wonderfully. Most of you will know Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy from Harry Potter, so you already know he is capable of being a good villain. And where Martin's character has more grey and complexity (as in he isn't a pure hero like Superman or Captain America), Tavington is meant to be despicable and cruel. And I love that Isaacs embraces it and has fun with it.
This however is where one of the film's biggest criticisms are often brought up: the portrayal of the British. And for the most part, these criticisms are true. The British soldiers in this film, not just Tavington, are portrayed to be rather cold and cruel. They kill prisoners of war, burn buildings, and commit other war crimes. The church burning scene in particular is a scene that history buffs just can't stand. There is no record of the British redcoats burning and pillaging towns as a terror tactic or just for the heck of it. However, the one part that isn't completely wrong is Tavington and his character. He is based off an actual British officer named Banastre Tarleton, who on at least one occasion massacred Continentals attempting to surrender at the Battle of Waxhaws. This became known as Tarleton's Quarter, meaning he offered no quarter for enemy troops. While I agree this film does have an anti-British undertone (it's sprinkled throughout the script as well), it's not enough for me to dislike this movie. And if nothing else, I'm pretty sure that would be the attitude of the patriots at the time anyway. When fighting a war you're not exactly going to care about offending your enemy. And it's not like this film would make me be disrespectful towards the British.
Another smaller but noticeable flaw is the accuracy of the soldiers. One of the reasons that men would stand in firing lines in a battle were because muskets, especially those that were weren't rifled, were grossly inaccurate. And in this film you've got men hitting targets at long distances, often times in the head. While this makes for some cool looking scenes, their accuracy is far better than it would have been in real life.
And lastly, this film is probably longer than it needs to be. There are some scenes that could have been cut and it wouldn't effect the movie too much. But to me the movie doesn't really get too lost. When some movie get long, they can take on too many subplots and leave a lot of questions. Or there's so much action that you get bored rather than impressed. Luckily, this movie avoids that and there is a resolution to pretty much all of the smaller subplots. Even if some of them seemed forced.
The side characters in Martin's militia are also enjoyable. These include a French officer, a chaplain, a black soldier who will be free with one year of service, and John Billings, an old friends of Martin's.
As far as the technical side of the film, I'd say it's very well produced. Emmerich's directing was pretty good, especially in the battle scenes. It does use slow motion quite a bit, but oddly it doesn't bother me as much as it did in Wonder Woman. The battle scenes are very well done and intense, though. The final battle (Battle of Cowpens) made for a great climax to the film.
But the main reason why I liked this film and why the historical inaccuracies don't bother me is because The Patriot is a movie that isn't afraid to wear it's emotions on it's shoulder. The scenes with Martin and his children make for some of the best in the film, especially one between him and his daughter Susan. It's a film that makes you feel something and isn't afraid to embrace it's blatant patriotism. This is made more apparent by it's musical score. The music was composed by the maestro himself, John Williams, and it is one of his best. Williams has always been a master of creating the old "Americana" sound with this music, taking influence from composers like Aaron Copland. And The Patriot is the perfect opportunity for that kind of writing. The opening and closing suites, Preparing for Battle, Tavington's Trap, and Facing the British lines all contain beautiful, rousing, or energetic brass parts. There are also some softer or darker cues like Ann and Gabriel, the Burning of the Plantation, or The Parish Church Aflame with some great woodwind and string writing. The clarinet is another instrument that's often highlighted, and gets some beautiful passages in Preparing for Battle.
So in the end, The Patriot is a film I just have to like. It has it's flaws and it's inaccuracies, and these criticisms are all fair/correct. But there's a lot of heart and charm behind this film, and it's that heart that wins me over. The performances are good, Tavington is a great villain, and Williams' music is fantastic and definitely elevates the film. And while we as a country have our flaws and demons, it's films like this that can remind you of what we're supposed to stand for. If you believe in what these men fought for all those years ago, you're more likely to actually practice those traits."
Written July 3rd, 2017: The Patriot
"With it being Independence Day tomorrow, I figured it was a good time to watch a film I haven't seen in a while: The Patriot. The Patriot is a film that has been criticized for issues with historical accuracy and for having a longer run time than necessary. With these in mind, I wondered if my enjoyment of the film would be any less since my last viewing. Frankly though, I still really like this film despite these issues.
The Patriot (2000) is directed by Ronald Emmerich and stars Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Joely Richardson, and Jason Isaacs. It is a Revolutionary War film that centers around the character of Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson). He is a plantation owner in South Carolina and while he is against British rule, he initially does not support open war against the British regulars. But when his family is threatened by a British dragoon colonel, William Tavington (Jason Isaacs), he is spurred to taking up arms after a family tragedy. What ensues is an entertaining, patriotic, and decent war film.
My favorite part of the film was probably the characters and the setting. Colonial America has always been an era I liked learning about and seeing portrayed, be it video games or film. That's one reason I actually like Assassin's Creed III, despite it's more mixed reception. Anyway, it's always cool when a film tries to take you back in time. The architecture, costumes, and sets all helped to create that time period.
I also liked most of the characters in the film, even if they can come across as cliched. While this is a movie about the Revolutionary War and becoming free of British rule, this is also a war film that has a well defined hero and a well defined villain. Benjamin Martin is our hero in this film, and we as the viewers are given enough character development to care for him and what the outcome will be. He is commissioned as a Colonel and commands a group of militia, which includes his oldest son. That being said, Martin isn't without his demons or flaws. These demons are visited often and become an important addition to the storyline. While he now openly supports the fight for liberty, he is also using the militia as a way to channel his anger for the threats to his family. And I thought Gibson's performance was quite good. Despite what you think about Gibson personally, there's no doubting he is a talented film maker and actor. While it's not exactly an Oscar worthy performance, he still gave a lot to the role.
There is also Heath Ledger's character, Gabriel. Gabriel is Benjamin's oldest son and is eager to join the Continental Army. He also gets a pretty good character arc, and Ledger's performance is very good. While The Joker will always be the role that defined him, it's great to see him in other roles. It really is a shame a man of such talents was lost so early.
Our villain on the other hand is Jason Isaacs character, Colonel Tavington. Tavington is a cruel, cold-blooded British cavalry officer that has no qualms with utilizing brutal tactics to gain the upper hand. These characteristics make him a great film villain. I also like seeing a war film with a villain. If it's done well, it can lead the audience to be more empathetic towards the protagonist and makes his final victory more satisfying. And Isaacs plays the role wonderfully. Most of you will know Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy from Harry Potter, so you already know he is capable of being a good villain. And where Martin's character has more grey and complexity (as in he isn't a pure hero like Superman or Captain America), Tavington is meant to be despicable and cruel. And I love that Isaacs embraces it and has fun with it.
This however is where one of the film's biggest criticisms are often brought up: the portrayal of the British. And for the most part, these criticisms are true. The British soldiers in this film, not just Tavington, are portrayed to be rather cold and cruel. They kill prisoners of war, burn buildings, and commit other war crimes. The church burning scene in particular is a scene that history buffs just can't stand. There is no record of the British redcoats burning and pillaging towns as a terror tactic or just for the heck of it. However, the one part that isn't completely wrong is Tavington and his character. He is based off an actual British officer named Banastre Tarleton, who on at least one occasion massacred Continentals attempting to surrender at the Battle of Waxhaws. This became known as Tarleton's Quarter, meaning he offered no quarter for enemy troops. While I agree this film does have an anti-British undertone (it's sprinkled throughout the script as well), it's not enough for me to dislike this movie. And if nothing else, I'm pretty sure that would be the attitude of the patriots at the time anyway. When fighting a war you're not exactly going to care about offending your enemy. And it's not like this film would make me be disrespectful towards the British.
Another smaller but noticeable flaw is the accuracy of the soldiers. One of the reasons that men would stand in firing lines in a battle were because muskets, especially those that were weren't rifled, were grossly inaccurate. And in this film you've got men hitting targets at long distances, often times in the head. While this makes for some cool looking scenes, their accuracy is far better than it would have been in real life.
And lastly, this film is probably longer than it needs to be. There are some scenes that could have been cut and it wouldn't effect the movie too much. But to me the movie doesn't really get too lost. When some movie get long, they can take on too many subplots and leave a lot of questions. Or there's so much action that you get bored rather than impressed. Luckily, this movie avoids that and there is a resolution to pretty much all of the smaller subplots. Even if some of them seemed forced.
The side characters in Martin's militia are also enjoyable. These include a French officer, a chaplain, a black soldier who will be free with one year of service, and John Billings, an old friends of Martin's.
As far as the technical side of the film, I'd say it's very well produced. Emmerich's directing was pretty good, especially in the battle scenes. It does use slow motion quite a bit, but oddly it doesn't bother me as much as it did in Wonder Woman. The battle scenes are very well done and intense, though. The final battle (Battle of Cowpens) made for a great climax to the film.
But the main reason why I liked this film and why the historical inaccuracies don't bother me is because The Patriot is a movie that isn't afraid to wear it's emotions on it's shoulder. The scenes with Martin and his children make for some of the best in the film, especially one between him and his daughter Susan. It's a film that makes you feel something and isn't afraid to embrace it's blatant patriotism. This is made more apparent by it's musical score. The music was composed by the maestro himself, John Williams, and it is one of his best. Williams has always been a master of creating the old "Americana" sound with this music, taking influence from composers like Aaron Copland. And The Patriot is the perfect opportunity for that kind of writing. The opening and closing suites, Preparing for Battle, Tavington's Trap, and Facing the British lines all contain beautiful, rousing, or energetic brass parts. There are also some softer or darker cues like Ann and Gabriel, the Burning of the Plantation, or The Parish Church Aflame with some great woodwind and string writing. The clarinet is another instrument that's often highlighted, and gets some beautiful passages in Preparing for Battle.
So in the end, The Patriot is a film I just have to like. It has it's flaws and it's inaccuracies, and these criticisms are all fair/correct. But there's a lot of heart and charm behind this film, and it's that heart that wins me over. The performances are good, Tavington is a great villain, and Williams' music is fantastic and definitely elevates the film. And while we as a country have our flaws and demons, it's films like this that can remind you of what we're supposed to stand for. If you believe in what these men fought for all those years ago, you're more likely to actually practice those traits."