DVDs

The Patriot

Region 1

Region 4

By Richard Moore

As a history buff, I can state without a doubt that there was good and bad to come out of the hard-fought American War of Independence.

The good was that it forced Britain to look for a new land to send its convicts and troublemakers - Australia, ahoy, me hearties.

The bad is the ordinary movies that have been made about what should be an easy period in which to set high-drama, historical productions.

Hollywood's latest attempt to create a meaningful yarn, The Patriot, goes close to achieving its end with an action-filled, beautifully photographed tale of a farmer forced to join the American rebellion by the brutality of a British officer.

The Patriot is gorgeous. The uniforms are wonderfully detailed and colourful, the battle scenes realistic and the scenery eye-watering.

Most of the characters are believable, although the two main protagonists - Mel Gibson's Benjamin Martin and Jason Isaacs' Colonel Tavington - are painfully stereotyped.

Martin, despite his predilection for hacking bits off people with a tomahawk, loves his kids, black workers and all things American. Tavington, is an ice-cold brute who loves to kill all things American - and barbecue them as well.

Australia's Heath Ledger does exceedingly well in the role of Martin's headstrong No.1 son, and comes out of the movie with his screen-hero-to-be image intact.

The other actor who really stands out is Tom Wilkinson, who plays the top British commander, Lord Cornwallis. Wilkinson plays his part brilliantly with an affectation that is so well done it seems natural. His verbal and military jousts with Martin add much-needed humour to the in-your-face action of the movie.

The Patriot is no Braveheart, it is an over the top US-flag waving movie that is unashamed of its schmaltz and nationalistic vanity.

It has episodes of excellence - usually sublime imagery or bloody battle scenes - torpedoed by "moments" of puke-inducing saccharine.

The image transfer of The Patriot on to DVD is of a very high quality with only a few, very minor problems being apparent. The sound, however, is excellent with speech and sound effects coming through clearly and distinctly.

It is fair to say that The Patriot is, unlike Yorktown - the final battle of the War of Independence, a missed opportunity by Americans.

Conclusion:

Movie: 80%

DVD Extras: 85%