The Patriot (1998)

A respected doctor must race against time to find a cure for a lethal virus, unleashed by a paramilitary militia leader.

Director:

Dean Semler

Writers:

William Heine (novel), M. Sussman (screen story),

Stars:

Steven Seagal, Gailard Sartain, L.Q. Jones

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Steven Seagal	...	Dr. Wesley McClaren
Gailard Sartain	...	Floyd Chisolm
L.Q. Jones	...	Frank
Silas Weir Mitchell	...	Pogue
Camilla Belle	...	Holly McClaren
Dan Beene	...	Richard Bach
Damon Collazo	...	Lt. Johnson
Whitney Yellow Robe	...	Dr. Ann White Cloud
Brad Leland	...	Big Bob
Molly McClure	...	Molly
Philip Winchester	...	Young Miltiaman
Douglas Sebern	...	Judge Tomkins
Ross Loney	...	Clem
Bernard O'Connor	...	Dr. Tom Hergot
Leonard Mountain Chief	...	Grandpa

Storyline

Doctor Wesley McClaren is an immunologist in Ennis, Montana, and he has turned down an offer to join his friend Richard Bach, who lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and is the head of a unit called the Biological Response Team (BRT). Wesley and his daughter Holly live on a farm in Ennis, and a farmhand named Frank lives with them. Just over the hill from the farm, a 52 day standoff against militia leader Floyd Chisolm has ended. Floyd has decided to be his own attorney in court. Everyone is shocked when Floyd spits on Judge Tomkins. After the hearing, Tomkins starts feeling sick. Holly, like she always does, stops at Wesley's office after school so she can go home with Wesley. On their way home, Wesley gets a call on his mobile phone. Wesley rushes to the hospital with Holly and tells her to wait in the doctors' lounge, then Wesley is taken to see Tomkins, who looks awful. Wesley is told that Tomkins collapsed in his chambers at the court building. Wesley sees a cop collapse, while Tomkins ...

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Plot Keywords:

doctor | montana | militia | virus | immunologist | 

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Taglines:

Every second counts.

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 July 1998 (Spain)

Also Known As:

Patriota

Filming Locations:

Ennis, Montana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Interlight, Seagal/Nasso Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Early promotional material credited David Ayer as one of the screenwriters.

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Goofs

Wesley McClaren breaks the stem off an empty wine glass to defend himself, but in previous shots it was full.

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Quotes

Dr. Wesley McClaren: [to Holly while entering the reception room at the hospital] Get your homework done and if there are any guys in here no flirting. No dating until you are 40.

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Connections

Referenced in Urban Justice (2007)

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Soundtracks

"You'll Never See Me Cry"
Music by Stephen Edwards (as Steve Edwards)
Lyrics by Eve Terran
Courtesy of SixFeetFive Music

User Reviews

So boring I forgot that it even existed

The Patriot (nothing to do with the Mel Gibson film of the same name) came out Steven Seagal was still doing that 'saving the environment' thing in his movies. Which is fine. But it doesn't make for good action.

When the plot(?) of this film finally kicked in I saw the twist(?) coming a mile off. Seagal's anti-warfare, care-for-mother-nature stance is not very subtle. For a film that was originally going to debut in the cinemas it is shot very much like a TV movie despite some wonderful shots of the country by Dean Semler, the photographer of Dances with Wolves.

Steven Seagal does like 1 fight scene in the entire film and it's totally boring. As an action film it fails, as a drama it stinks, as an environmental message it's obvious. Avoid like Ebola crossed with plague.