The Patriot (2000)

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

Director:

Roland Emmerich

Writer:

Robert Rodat

Stars:

Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Joely Richardson

Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 8 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

It is 1776 in colonial South Carolina. Benjamin Martin, a French-Indian war hero who is haunted by his past, now wants nothing more then to live peacefully on his small plantation, and wants no part of a war with the most powerful nation in the world, Great Britain. Meanwhile, his two eldest sons, Gabriel and Thomas, can't wait to enlist in the newly formed "Continental Army." When South Carolina decides to join the rebellion against England, Gabriel immediately signs up to fight...without his father's permission. But when Colonel William Tavington, British dragoon, infamous for his brutal tactics, comes and burns the Martin Plantation to the ground, tragedy strikes. Benjamin quickly finds himself torn between protecting his family, and seeking revenge along with being a part of the birth of new, young, and ambitious nation.

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Plot Keywords:

british | french | revolution | american revolution | south carolina | 

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Taglines:

Some things are worth fighting for.

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Genres:

Action | Drama | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong war violence

Details

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 June 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

El patriota

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$110,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,033,767 (UK) (14 July 2000)

Gross:

ESP 1,071,627,714 (Spain) (29 June 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Centropolis Entertainment, Mutual Film Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

165 min 175 min (extended)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Screenwriter Robert Rodat wrote 17 drafts of the script before there was an acceptable one.

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Goofs

The orange flag with the coiled snake and the words "Don't Tread on Me" visible in, among other places, the final battle, has been confused with the Navy Jack, which had a red-and-white striped background. In fact, there were a number of "rattlesnake" flags in use around that time with different backgrounds and designs.

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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.

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Connections

Featured in The Spirit of America (2001)

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Soundtracks

"The British Grenadiers"
Traditional

User Reviews

Some of you need to lighten up, this movie is good!

I am getting a kick out of the nasty reviews some of you have given! I never realized there were so many experts on the Revolutionary War era, its events, or the way people were back then! And most of these experts seem to be located elsewhere in the world to boot!

I don't ever recall seeing advertising that touted this movie as some historical tome. The movie is entertainment, that's all. It's a story based in the American Revolution period. So what if it took liberties on facts. So what if it used story lines to create an environment that wrapped the viewer in an emotional frame of mind. THAT'S WHAT MOVIES DO, FOLKS! It's a movie, for Pete's Sake, not a historical documentary touting actual events. It's just a movie that captures the essence of the time from the viewpoint of one family, right or wrong. It does that very well, IMHO. I cannot believe that there are no movies out there in other countries that slant the truth to reflect their viewpoints.

Oh, BTW, to the reviewers who think that we Americans believe everything we see, trust me, that's not happening. We're not all that dumb and gullible, despite Jay Leno's Jaywalking may make it seem! Come on, folks, LIGHTEN UP!

Oh, BTW Part Deux, children were trained at an early age back then to shoot, and shoot accurately. Guns were not a paranoidal issue then like they are now. So I have no problem believing that these children could shoot a rifle, other than possibly the rifle knocking them over from the recoil!