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The Patriot


Reviewed by: Tom Reynolds
Genre: Action/drama/war
Video: Widescreen anamorphic 2.35:1
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 (English), 2.0 Dolby surround (French)
Language: English, French
Subtitle: English, French
Length: 165 mins.
Rating: R
Release Date: June 19, 2001
Studio: Columbia Tri-Star
Commentary: With Director Roland Emmerich and Producer Dean Devlin
Documentaries: None
Featurettes: "Visual Effects," "The Art of War," "True Patriots"
Filmography/Biography: Emmerich, Devlin and six cast members
Interviews: None
Trailers/TV Spots: Two theatrical trailers
Alternate/Deleted Scenes: Seven deleted scenes with optional commentary
Music Video: None
Other: Photo Galleries and "Conceptual art to film comparisons"
Cast and Crew: Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Joely Richardson, Jason Isaacs, Chris Cooper, Tcheky Karyo, Rene Auberjonois, Lisa Brenner, Tom Wilkinson, Donal Logue, Leon Rippy
Screenplay by: Written by Robert Rodat
Produced by: Dean Devlin, Roland Emmerich, Ute Emmerich, William Fay, Mark Gordon, Gary Levinsohn
Directed By: Roland Emmerich
Music: John Williams
The Review: In any given war, no matter what the cause, a man will reach a point at which he has had enough of killing and death; he will grow weary with the seemingly senseless waste of human life, and will seek respite from it. Such is the case with Benjamin Martin, a hero of the Fort Wilderness campaign, now a widower living in South Carolina with seven children to raise and a farm to tend, who asks nothing more from life but to be able to live in peace and raise his family. But it's 1776, and once again Martin is faced with the prospect of war in "The Patriot," directed by Roland Emmerich. When his oldest son, Gabriel (Heath Ledger), joins the Continental Army and soon runs into trouble from which he cannot escape without his father's help, Martin (Mel Gibson) is drawn into a conflict he opposes and would rather stay out of. While there is no question as to Martin's patriotism-- he believes in the cause in principle-- he is troubled by the possibility of leaving his children orphaned if he joins in the fray, and at any rate, since Fort Wilderness he has had enough of war and killing for any reason. But circumstances dictate otherwise, and Martin has to face the fact that to save his family and preserve his way of life, he has no choice other than to fight. Martin becomes a Colonel of the militia, and with Gabriel fighting at his side, he soon becomes something of a legend among the British, who after having engaged him in battle have dubbed him "The Ghost," because of his ability to strike his opponents and disappear. He confounds the British at every turn, but awaiting Martin in the near future is a confrontation with the British Commander, Cornwallis (Tom Wilkinson), and even more significantly, an encounter with a certain Colonel Tavington (Jason Isaacs), who is not only a formidable opponent, but as Martin learns in a very personal way, evil incarnate. And it's Tavington who puts the stakes on a more personal level, as he seeks to destroy Martin and suppress the Colonialists at any cost. And, as it is with any war, those costs can be very high, indeed, as Martin and Tavington are each destined to discover before the end of the conflict-- a conflict that Benjamin Martin had hoped would pass him by, but instead winds up changing his life forever. As Martin, Mel Gibson gives a powerful performance in which he bares his soul and takes his character to the very edge, exposing the fears and vulnerability of a brave and courageous man torn between principle and necessity. It's a rare performance that cuts deep emotionally, and Gibson holds nothing back, which is what makes it so credible, so believable and so filled with the humanity that makes Martin accessible and someone to whom it is easy to connect. While at the opposite end of the spectrum, Jason Isaacs gives a dynamic performance as Tavington, who without a doubt is the absolute epitome of evil. Isaacs lends an innate sense of wickedness to the character, leaving no doubts whatsoever as to who and what he is, which adds such tension to the film, as knowing what he is capable of, there is always the anticipation that something bad could happen at any moment. All of which plays out beautifully under the direction of Emmerich, who delivers a memorable glimpse of history with this film, which hopefully will awaken an awareness of the real cost of freedom-- which far too often is taken for granted or dismissed out-of-hand by those who today enjoy the fruits of the sacrifices made all those years ago by so many.
Image and Sound This transfer to DVD is exceptional; the picture has astounding clarity, with images that are sharp whether in bright sunlight, in shadows or in scenes that take place in the dead of night. And the colors are absolutely vibrant, which gives such life to the seasons in this film-- the lush greens of spring, the golden glow of summer and the beautiful reds, yellows and browns of autumn, as well as the blue cold of winter. The reds are especially nice on the eye; the rich texture of the British uniforms creates quite a spectacular array as they march across the field of battle. In one scene toward the end, Gibson and Richardson are sitting on the beach at night, and from one close angle the glow of the campfires burning behind them illuminates them, especially her hair, and it creates a magnificent image; in the same scene shot from another, wider angle, you see the deep blue of the ocean in which the moonlight is reflected, all of which comes through in startling detail and with colors as rich as anything that ever came off of Van Gogh's palette. The sound is also exceptional, from the din of battle that is so distinct you feel as though you're on the field, surrounded by the thunder of canon and the thundering of the horses hooves, to the smaller, but just as significant noises during the quieter moments, in which the minutest sound is audible; like the slight creak of a rocking chair or the tiny clink of a minie ball being loaded into a pistol. And the sound of the drums, so important to the battle scenes-- as they were actually played out in time to the beat-- comes through resoundingly, as does the tromping of the soldiers as they march across the fields. The balance and separation are perfect, and all sounds and noises, as well as the music, are integrated so that the dialogue is always clear and distinct. Quiet simply, the quality of the sound and picture of this DVD could not have been better; in all areas, this disc is extraordinary.
The Extras In the "Visual Effects" interactive featurette, Visual Effects supervisor Stuart Robertson takes you through five scenes to demonstrate how various aspects of the film were realized through the use of F/X. In the first, "How A Patriot Loses His Head," Robertson takes you through the steps involved in depicting a soldier getting his head blown off by a canon ball. It's one of the most graphic scenes in the film, and as he talks you through the process, they show it over and over with the use of split screens that allows three perspectives to be shown at once. Initially, it's quite gory to watch, but as he breaks it down, it becomes engrossing to watch. After seeing the final result as it appears in the film, you see the stuntman going through the motions (head still intact, of course), bending backward to affect the position needed, so that the computer graphics wizards can then do their magic, first erasing the head, painting in the blood and the background characters, as well as the blood that splatters on those nearby the ill-fated soldier. Next is "Recruiting A Digital Army," which basically takes you through the computer graphics process, and the necessary choreography used to create the army for the Battle of Camden. In "Presto! it's 1776," Robertson shows you how many of the settings for the film were created through the use of models and C.G. "Ocean? City? No Problem," shows how the ships in the harbor and the surrounding landscape was created for the Battle of Yorktown, and it's interesting to watch trees, for example, being digitally removed, and then the open landscape being filled in with whatever is needed through the use of graphics and matte paintings. The final sequence, "Getting More Bang for Your Boat," demonstrates the use of miniatures and C.G. to create ships in battle. In "The Art of Warfare," Emmerich, Gibson, Ledger and Isaacs discuss the type of warfare in which the Colonials and the British were engaged, the formality involved (the marching in a straight line and firing) and the basic weaponry: The powder, musket and ball, and the bayonet. Isaac comments on the seeming absurdity of it all-- lining up, firing, then attempting to reload while the enemy is only thirty or forty yards away, shooting at you. Stunt coordinator R.A. Rondell takes you through what was involved in bringing the battle scenes to the screen, during which they employed at times over one thousand extras, as well as the vast amounts of equipment and horses, which he says, made It a "Big, enormous" undertaking. He comments on how gruesome real bayonet charges were, and that in reality the Americans were afraid of them. He also discusses the use of canon balls and explains how they really worked (they bounced rather than flew-and-exploded), and shows some examples (with film clips) of how the stuntmen had to react as if being hit by a ball, and then how it looked on screen after the C.G. artists took over and made them look as if they had lost a head or a limb. Emmerich and Rondell talk about Gibson's facility with the hand-to-hand combat sequences, and Emmerich discusses Isaacs' ability with a sword, which he learned early in his career doing Shakespeare on the London stage. "True Patriots" features commentary by Screenwriter Robert Rodat, Producers Marc Gordon and Dean Devlin, Historian Rex Ellis and Costume Designer Deborah Scott. Rodat speaks of some of the history that went into the screenplay, which he wanted to be as accurate as possible, since movies "Can be a window to history for people." Gibson's character, Benjamin Martin, was actually a composite of a number of historic figures, most prominently Thomas Sumpter, Andrew Pickins and Francis Marion as well as bits and pieces from a number of others. His attire, according to Scott, with his coat, breeches, vest and all, made him the epitome of the colonialist. She also mentions that her biggest challenge was in designing and making the uniforms-- every uniform and costume used in this film were actually made for this film, none were brought in or borrowed, and they were designed with great detail for accuracy. Rodat goes on to say that the character of Tavington was based on a real person known for his brutality (though he doesn't mention him by name), and that the Frenchman, Major Jean Villeneuve (played by Tcheky Karyo) was based loosely on Lafayette, and that according to sources at the Smithsonian Institution, that except for the participation of the French during the Revolutionary War, America would not be here today. In fact, he says, you can make a case that the Revolution started in the North, was fought in the South and won by the French. The South Carolina militia, he points out, were classic guerrilla fighters, and in an interesting note, the fact that blacks fought on both sides during the war; some for the British, who promised them freedom, and others for the Colonialists, who also promised them freedom. It was also the last time America would have an integrated army until the Korean War. Rodat's use of the uncompleted home to which Martin returns at the end is meant to be symbolic-- that the great task of the Revolution is incomplete; and the fact that you see the reformed bigot and the freed slave working together says that the greatest challenge in terms of liberty that we're facing as we try to finish that home, is dealing with slavery and it's repercussions. In closing, Gordon says that what he hopes the audience comes away with after seeing "The Patriot" is that the "Only way to protect your family, is to protect the family of all men." And Devlin comments that, "The lesson is that war is a horrible, horrible thing that should be avoided at all costs-- and sometimes it's necessary." This segment is informative and insightful, and definitely worth a look. The seven deleted scenes feature optional commentary by Emmerich and Devlin. The first, "The Creek," is at the beginning of the film, with a montage of activity on the farm, during which three of the Martin children wander down to the river, where they find the dead, bloated and bloody bodies of a number of soldiers floating past; it's their first glimpse of what is to come, their first taste of war. It's an effective scene, but was cut due to the length of the film (which was actually the main reason for cutting all of the scenes shown here). Next is "The Aftermath," which depicts the time immediately following the skirmish in front of Martin's house. It created a good atmosphere, but simply didn't move the story along. The third actually combines two of the deleted scenes, "Birth of a Ghost," which presents the aftermath of Martin's first battle with the British after the death of his son; distraught, he hacks away mercilessly at his enemies, showing his sons (who are fighting with him) a side of their father they had never known. The camera closes in on one of the soldiers who has been wounded by Martin (a soldier we will encounter later in the film, as well), and from his POV, we see Martin, slowly walking out of the frame and seemingly disappearing into thin air, causing the soldier, in his delirium, to think Martin is a "Ghost," which is why he is actually called that later by the British, after they hear the story from their wounded comrade. The scene then segues into "The Funeral," which shows Martin burying his son. "The Butcher," was actually to be the introduction of Cornwallis to the film, during a battle, but the information it provided was repeated later, so again, because of length, it was cut. But it also demonstrated the disdain with which the other British Officers looked upon Tavington, which in retrospect may have been useful, as later there was some controversy as to the way the British were portrayed in this film, which some perceived as negative; this scene clearly and succinctly demonstrates that Tavington-- not the "British" as a whole-- was the true villain here. "The Heart of A Villain," begins with a scene of Richardson settling in to her new quarters after her house is destroyed (an excellent scene for Joely Richardson), then goes into a brief scene of Tavington interrogating a prisoner, a scavenger, whom at first seems as if he will give up Martin for some gold, but ends up spitting in Tavington's face. A good scene, but again it was cut due to length. The final deleted scene is "Wait For My Order," which involves Cornwallis and Tavington, just after Tavington's confrontation with Martin after Martin gets his prisoners released by holding "dummies" hostage, which from a distance, appears to Cornwallis to be British soldiers. This one was an especially tough choice for Emmerich and Devlin, but was finally felt to be somewhat redundant, and so it was cut. The "Conceptual Art to Film Comparisons" captures a number of scenes depicted in storyboard sketches; when you click on the sketch, it transforms into the actual film, which is interesting, as you actually see the realization of the sketched concept.
Commentary The commentary track features Director Roland Emmerich and Producer Dean Devlin, and it's a bit of a mixed bag; as much as I admire Emmerich for his work-- especially on this film-- I don't believe doing a commentary like this is necessarily his forte. Although he can express himself well enough and manages to convey his meaning, he simply isn't much of a speaker; the information he imparts is interesting, and obviously he knows what he's talking about, but his presentation, to me, was somewhat distracting. Devlin, on the other hand, is very articulate and comes across quite nicely, though he seems to cover a lot of the same ground as the film moves along, and much of what he says deals with the "spirit" of the film and what it meant to him personally, rather than with the making of the film itself. it's obvious that one of his concerns in the aftermath of the film's release has to do with the controversy about the alleged negative treatment of the British in it, which he feels is unfounded. And after seeing the film and hearing what he has to say on the subject, I concur. He doesn't necessarily take a defensive stance as he addresses the issue, but you can tell that it's important to him to qualify the way in which the British were actually portrayed in the film. He points out the scene toward the beginning, that takes place just after the initial skirmish in Martin's front yard. Martin is shown helping the wounded British, and the British Officer approaches Martin to thank him for his help. He feels that this shows that it was not the "British" who were evil, but only the one man, Tavington, who had that something inside that was just bad. He also cites the scene in which Tavington shoots Martin's son. If you look closely, you see that the other British Officers are clearly not happy with Tavington's decision; they were not being portrayed as Nazis, but as people who were in a war under the command of someone who's going too far. And again, in the scene late in the film, in which the church filled with townspeople is burned. When the Loyalist, Wilkins (Adam Baldwin), gives in and torches the church at Tavington's command, he's clearly influenced by what Devlin calls the "Mephisto" quality of Tavington's character. And at that point, Wilkins has sold his soul to the Devil, and if you notice the other British Officers, they clearly are against what Tavington is doing. Again, it's the one man being portrayed as evil, rather than the British. The most telling scene, however, that may have stemmed much of the tide of criticism in this regard, is the one that ended up on the cutting room floor (and can be found on this disc in the "deleted scenes" section). In that scene, the disdain all of the other Officers, including Cornwallis, have for Tavington is readily apparent, and it came early enough in the film that had it remained in, it may have allayed much of the controversy right away. Devlin begins his commentary with the fact that the film was originally going to start out with a scene at Fort Wilderness, which would have showed the brutal past of the lead character (Martin). For a variety of reasons (none of which he mentions), they decided not to shoot the scene, but realized later when they put the film together, that the beginning was too "light;" they didn't have that "dark presence" hanging over the picture, so they came up with the scene in which Martin is putting away the war tools of his past, and he closes the door on it while we hear him talking about his fear of having his sins returning to visit him. Emmerich, meanwhile, mentions that he liked the idea of using an emotional approach in dealing with an historic event, through this very personal story of this man with seven children who just wants to stay out of it-- he's had enough of war. Devlin points out that what brought Gibson to the project was that he responded to the personal aspect, the moral and spiritual conflict of the character. And he was impressed by the fact that Gibson-- unlike many "movie stars" who may be concerned with matters of vanity-- had no vanity about it and was willing to take it all the way to the edge, as far as the man's vulnerability and fears, and who this man really was. Emmerich liked the fact that the film paints the "big picture" of war-- how it involves the whole family, the women, children and civilians, which you rarely see in a movie about war. Devlin comments that the Revolution was actually generational, and that it was started, not by the underclasses, but by the aristocracy, who felt that no matter how rich they became, they would never be accepted by England, and that initially, the intent was more of a "Thumbing of the nose" at England, rather than an instigation of war, but that at some point it got them into a deeper conflict than they had prepared for. And they realized that the only way to maintain the support of anybody in the war was to adopt the principles of people like Thomas Paine and Sam Adams. So in the film, they tried to show that "generational" difference between the father's convictions, which were somewhat economical concerns, being a farmer, and his theoretical ideas about the future of the country, and his son's very idealistic ideas of forming a brand new kind of nation, and really building a whole new world. Some of their comments on the characters in the film include Devlin's observations that the scene in which Martin's son dies in his arms is a tribute to just how far Gibson was willing to go with this character. He feels that very few movie stars would've played that scene with the raw vulnerability that Gibson did, and he feels it was a catalyst for the character so that you know and understand how he gets to the places he gets to later in the story. Emmerich feels that Isaacs really understood his character and worked very hard at it to give him dimension-- brutal, but vulnerable in some scenes, and he thinks it's one of the best villains he's seen in a long, long time. Devlin finds it interesting that much of who the characters are in the film has to be revealed through their reactions as much as through what they say-- that their true selves come out in the way they react to one another. He also comments on the performance of Tom Wilkinson, who is so terrific because he "Does so much by so little." He talks about what he thinks is the best improvised line in the movie: It's the scene in which Tavington confronts Martin, after Martin has rescued his men under the protection of a white flag, and Martin tells Tavington that before the war is over, he's going to kill him; which is where the scene originally ended as written. But they felt it needed something more, so after many rewrites, it ends (as written) by Tavington saying, "Why wait?" End of scene. But the camera continued to roll, and after a long pause, Gibson says, in a barely audible voice, "Soon..." The two men's eyes lock upon one another, and you can see the restrained fire in Martin's eyes and the slight flare of Tavington's. And that improvised "Soon" made that scene more powerful than anything they could have written. According to Devlin, the film is really more about the family than the war itself, and that's why they have a shot near the end of Martin's family listening to the letter he's written to them. And the very end of the film is taken from an event that really happened, to one of the men upon whom Martin is based, Francis Marion. Known as the "Swamp Fox," Marion commanded the militia, and by the end of the war he had lost everything-- his farm and his money-- but when he returned home, he was shocked to find that his men were there waiting for him, and that they were rebuilding his home. When Devlin and his partners heard that that was a true story from American History, they felt they had to end the film that way, Martin returning to find his home being rebuilt-- and that was where that final scene came from. Emmerich also feels that it gave a good "bookends" feel to the film, as it ends very much as it begins, with Martin at his farm. At the end, Devlin is outspoken about the great score John Williams composed for the film, and he personally loves the music featuring the violin that begins as the end credits begin to roll, and he gives credit to all the crew and the actors who worked on this film, right down to the one with the smallest, one line role; he felt the performances were impeccable by all. And he gives credit to Rodat for a great screenplay. Devlin concludes by saying that he came away from this film with an understanding that this was not really a war of ideals, after all, but a war of sacrifice; and if this film will inspire even one person to pick up a book and learn about that and appreciated what was given, he feels that they will have done something important. Even though Emmerich and Devlin do not take you through the film scene by scene, they do at least stay focused throughout their commentary on the film itself, or some aspect thereof. This is such a powerful, emotional film that hearing the comments of the filmmakers is a rewarding experience, even if it is not, perhaps, the best presentation you're ever going to run across. But their comments on the history of the War, as well as the origins of some of the characters and events portrayed in the film, makes taking this journey with them worthwhile.
Final Words: Intense and emotional, "The Patriot" is an exciting, entertaining film, but it is also an important film, in the tradition of "Saving Private Ryan," "Schindler's List" and "The Bridges At Toko-Ri," just to name a few. Because movies can educate as well as entertain, and as Dean Devlin said in his closing comments, if this film can be the impetus that leads even one person to other sources in order to learn about this period of American History, then it has done it's job. The disc itself is perfect and loaded with extras; and combined with the fact that this is a great film to begin with, it makes this DVD a must for anyone's library, and just too good a deal to pass up. And that's the magic of the movies.


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 June 25, 2001