The Patriot (2000)
79%RT Audience Score: 81%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 3 Oscars
9 wins & 20 nominations total
The Patriot can be entertaining to watch, but it relies too much on formula and melodrama
The Patriot” is a movie that’s as American as apple pie, but with more explosions and less sugar. It’s got everything you could want in a historical epic: Mel Gibson, British villains, and lots of muskets. Sure, it might not be the most accurate portrayal of the Revolutionary War, but who cares when you’ve got Mel Gibson swinging an axe like a madman? If you’re looking for a movie that’ll make you feel proud to be an American, or just want to see some cool battle scenes, “The Patriot” is the movie for you.
Production Company(ies)
Shinchosha Company, Studio Ghibli,
Distributor
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Columbia TriStar Home Video, Columbia Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Rock Hill, South Carolina, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for strong war violence
Year of Release
2000
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS Dolby Atmos
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:2h 38m
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Language(s):English, French
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 28, 2000 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 3, 2002
Genre(s)
War/Action
Keyword(s)
starring Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Joely Richardson, Jason Isaacs, Chris Cooper, Tchéky Karyo, directed by Roland Emmerich, written by Robert Rodat, War, Action, $113.3M box office, R MPAA rating, reviewed by Nell Minow, Philip Strick, Mick LaSalle, Steven D Greydanus, Liam Lacey, Andrew O’Hehir, Tony Black, Mark Jackson, Joe Leydon, Antonia Quirke, American Revolution, Benjamin Martin, Redcoats, battle scenes, revenge thriller, historical inaccuracies, propaganda, family man, slaves, Indians, heroism, patriotism, costumes, set designs, battle sequences, authentic feel, drama, moving, chemistry, epic
Worldwide gross: $215,294,342
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $373,409,903
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 406
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 40,720,818
US/Canada gross: $113,330,342
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $196,561,933
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 359
US/Canada opening weekend: $22,413,710
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $38,874,692
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 328
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $110,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $190,785,735
Production budget ranking: 134
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $102,738,118
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $79,886,049
ROI to date (est.): 27%
ROI ranking: 1,255
Heath Ledger – Gabriel Edward Martin
Joely Richardson – Charlotte Selton
Jason Isaacs – Colonel William Tavington
Chris Cooper – Colonel Harry Burwell
Tchéky Karyo – Jean Villeneuve
Director(s)
Roland Emmerich
Writer(s)
Robert Rodat
Producer(s)
Dean Devlin, Gary Levinsohn, Mark Gordon
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 3 Oscars
9 wins & 20 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Nominees
All Critics (137) | Top Critics (39) | Fresh (85) | Rotten (52)
Many graphic battle scenes, not for all teens.
December 28, 2010 | Rating: 4/5
Nell Minow
Common Sense Media
TOP CRITIC
The main irony, of course, lies in the film’s title, which suggests that the absurdly flag-waving activist should be taken at face value despite the ample evidence that defending his country is the last thing on his mind.
December 2, 2002
Philip Strick
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
Emmerich’s battle scenes may look authentic to anyone who has ever stared hard at a history book, but in every other way the film is long, empty and bogus.
June 18, 2002 | Rating: 2/4
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Its convictions may be half-baked, but it has the courage of them.
May 8, 2002 | Rating: B-
Steven D. Greydanus
Decent Films
TOP CRITIC
Make no mistake about it: The Patriot is a cartoon, even if it does have real people playing the parts.
March 22, 2002 | Rating: 2/4
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail
TOP CRITIC
A grand yarn with a sense of the weight of history and an awareness that the winners are often those who have lost the most.
August 9, 2001
Andrew O’Hehir
Salon.com
TOP CRITIC
The Patriot is heavily concerned in re-writing and re-conceptualising America’s bloody, revolutionary history.
February 14, 2021 | Rating: 3/5
Tony Black
Cultural Conversation
Have a peep at “The Patriot” and ponder people’s present-day pittance of honor and propriety.
November 11, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
Mark Jackson
Epoch Times
To use the language of the movie’s time, “The Patriot “deserves a whole-hearted, full-throated roar of “Huzzah!”
July 11, 2020
Joe Leydon
The Moving Picture Show
No fond chuckles, please — it’s abominable. And to take any pleasure in it would be to resemble those followers of pro-wrestling who know it’s all fake but still cough-up top-dollar to get ring-side and holler.
November 27, 2017
Antonia Quirke
Independent on Sunday
has its moments
January 26, 2013 | Rating: C-
John A. Nesbit
Old School Reviews
December 27, 2007 | Rating: 3/4
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound…
Plot
It is 1776 in colonial South Carolina. Benjamin Martin, a French-Indian war hero who is haunted by his past, now wants nothing more than 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 a new, young, and ambitious nation.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The cast of The Patriot includes Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Joely Richardson, Jason Isaacs, and Chris Cooper.
Roland-Emmerich.jpg
