The Patriot (2000)

Director:

Roland Emmerich

Writer (WGA):

Robert Rodat (written by)

Release Date:

28 June 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Tagline:

What would you do if they destroyed your home, threatened your family. Where would you draw the line?

Plot:

Peaceful farmer Benjamin Martin is driven to lead the Colonial Militia during the American Revolution when a sadistic British officer murders his son.

Plot Keywords:

British | South Carolina | French | Revolution | American Revolution

Awards:

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 17 nominations

Cast

Mel Gibson	...	Benjamin Martin
Heath Ledger	...	Gabriel Martin
Joely Richardson	...	Charlotte Selton
Jason Isaacs	...	Col. William Tavington
Chris Cooper	...	Col. Harry Burwell
Tchéky Karyo	...	Jean Villeneuve
Rene Auberjonois	...	Reverend Oliver
Lisa Brenner	...	Anne Howard
Tom Wilkinson	...	Gen. Lord Charles Cornwallis
Donal Logue	...	Dan Scott
Leon Rippy	...	John Billings
Adam Baldwin	...	Capt. Wilkins
Jay Arlen Jones	...	Occam
Joey D. Vieira	...	Peter Howard
Gregory Smith	...	Thomas Martin

Also Known As:

Der Patriot (Germany)
El patriota (Argentina) (Spain) (Uruguay) (Venezuela) [es]
Патриот (Russia) [ru]
A hazafi (Hungary) [hu]
Der Patriot (Austria) [de]
El patriota (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Il patriota (Italy) [it]
Le patriote (Canada: French title) [fr]
O Patriota (Brazil) [pt]
O patriotis (Greece) [el]
Patriot (Finland) [fi]
Patriota (Poland) [pl]
Patrioten (Sweden) [sv]
Patrioten (Denmark) [da]
The patriot: Le chemin de la liberté (France) [fr]
Vatansever (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

MPAA:

Rated R for strong war violence.

Runtime:

165 min | 175 min (extended version)

Country:

Germany | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:Unrated (extended version) | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:U | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R15 | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R (Certificate #37232)

Filming Locations:

Botany Bay Plantation - 7510 Botany Bay Road, Edisto Island, South Carolina, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Due to the gratuitous violence of the film certain television stations in the U.S. have visually altered the scene where Benjamin Martin repeatedly hits the British soldier with his hatchet/tomahawk. In that scene Martin is covered in the blood of the soldiers he has killed. The red blood has been altered to brown to make it appear to be mud.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the beginning, Benjamin carries a five-stick candelabra upstairs to tuck the two small girls in. The candles are a short three inches, but by the time he gets downstairs to see the older boys, the candles have grown to five inches.

Quotes:

[first lines]
[repeated line]
Benjamin Martin: I have long feared that my sins would return to visit me, and the cost is more than I can bear.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Another Gay Movie (2006)

Soundtrack:

Boney

The Patriot should become a classic.

I had been waiting for a long time for the release of The Patriot. But, because of recent reviews, I had some reservations about the film and if I would see it at all. Besides being a movie buff, I'm a history nut and Family Genealogist, so the haggling over historical accuracy was a factor influencing me. Unlike most people, too much playing with the facts would turn me off Very much. Well, I'm happy to say that The Patriot, despite some minor transgressions, is a Very Entertaining movie and should be a classic in its genre for years to come. Sure, it doesn't emphasize just how much loyalty to England there was in the south, hence the reason England shifted their strategy there. How Loyalist militias were involved. Nor do they show the approx. 80% support the blacks gave the British as well, making the refugee hideout very unlikely. Logistical errors, such as large mortars at inland campaigns during the Revolutionary War, can be forgiven since it didn't figure prominently. The story is about his family and the events that effect them. It's about Personal sacrifice and principle. This is where the story makes its biggest statements. If most people stopped and realized that the Revolutionary War was NOT a popular war, but one fought by a minority of people dedicated to the cause, they would probably be shocked. Such was the sacrifice those people made to create the first real Democracy since ancient Greece. Martin's character is Not based just on one person, as some critics try to claim in order to deflate the film because of the background of that person, but on a composite of at least four people. The idea, after all, is to present the movie based on the events of the time. It's not a documentary. In this sense, it fulfills its purpose very well. Excellent entertainment with some minor historical alterations doesn't hurt this film. Ignore the over sensative hupla about the "errors" and enjoy a very good film. Ladies....bring some tissue. There were very few dry eyes amongst the ladies I seen leaving the theater.