Gibson plays Benjamin Martin, a former soldier in the French and Indian War who now lives in South Carolina with his seven children. His wife is dead, but her sister (Joely Richardson) lives on a plantation nearby. Meanwhile, the war has reached a critical stage; General Cornwallis (Tom Wilkinson) is conquering the South and planning to move north. Many of the townspeople believe that it is necessary to engage in war against the British. Martin disagrees, knowing that this war "will occur in our own backyards." Ultimately, he is unable to convince anyone of his viewpoint, including son Gabriel (Heath Ledger), who is eager to take up arms.

Mel Gibson fights the American Revolution in The Patriot

When Cornwallis's right-hand man, Colonel Tavington (Jason Isaacs), kills one of Martin's other sons, the father decides to fight after all, albeit for different reasons. Colonel Henry Burwell (Chris Cooper) of the Continental Army puts Martin in charge of recruiting farmers for a militia. The plan is to keep Cornwallis in the South until a fleet of French ships arrives to block his exit by sea. Martin realizes that a new style of combat must be employed in order to win. Instead of the civilized, linear field battles that commonly take place, he instigates a guerilla style of battle that sees the militia shoot and run. As the Revolutionary War rages on, Martin becomes obsessed with avenging the death of one son while making sure Gabriel stays alive.

The initial hour of The Patriot is riveting. There are a lot of issues addressed as Martin debates the merits of getting involved in the war. His non-military opinion is contrary to that of the other characters, which makes for some dramatic tension. I also liked the interplay between Martin and Gabriel. The father has seen the horror of war and does not want to lose a son. At the same time, the son is feeling the same patriotism his father fully understands; he wants to stand up for a cause in which he believes. Heath Ledger (who appeared in 10 Things I Hate About You) is superb in the role of Gabriel; it's a star-making performance.

Hour 2 finds an injection of humor and action as the militia organizes and begins to taunt Cornwallis. The scenes of guerilla warfare are exciting, and they appear authentic. (Although movies are rarely 100% accurate with the facts, they are usually right on with the details.) I was equally fascinated by the depiction of battlefield combat that, despite its deadly nature, has a sense of decorum nonetheless. The contrasting styles of military involvement are engrossing for anyone even remotely interested in history.

At the same time, little cliches start being added, and they accumulate in the final 40 minutes. Slowly, the historical importance is eroded by the inclusion of virtually every war movie cliché imaginable. I don't want to reveal too much about the film, so I will only give an insignificant example of what I mean. One of the militia's members is a slave who agrees to fight for 12 months in exchange for freedom. Naturally, there is also a white racist in the group who perpetually complains about having to fight alongside "a Negro." When the racist is wounded in battle, the slave comes to his aid despite all the abuse he has endured. And then, during the final confrontation with Cornwallis, the racist goes out of his way to say what "an honor" it has been to fight along side the man.

There must literally be a dozen of these cliches that are set up to be resolved during the movie's finale. It also figures that - in a field of several hundred men all trying to kill each other simultaneously - Martin will still get his chance to confront Tavington (in what can only be called a variation of the old "I've got a bullet with your name on it" routine). The ending feels fraudulent; after beginning as a powerful and emotional piece of historical drama, The Patriot becomes an excuse to place Mel Gibson into a series of generic action movie heroics. None of the important issues raised in the beginning is paid off in any meaningful way. Even worse, the final section is totally predictable in terms of who dies, and when, and how.

I debated long and hard about The Patriot. I really liked the performances and I found many of the individual scenes involving. The costumes, battles, and combat strategies are historically accurate and interesting to see portrayed. On that basis, I give the film a marginal recommendation. I can't help feeling, though, that this could (and should) have been for the Revolutionary War what Glory was to the Civil War and Saving Private Ryan was to WWII. It's a good film worth seeing, but it could have been so much more.

( out of four)

The Patriot is rated R for strong combat violence. The running time is 2 hours and 38 minutes.