The Patriot

A study of the film “The Patriot,” directed by Roland Emmerich.

The paper discusses the historical accuracy film “The Patriot.” It describes the American Revolutionary War of 1776 in relation to the film’s subject. The paper provides critical reviews of the film and its impact on the American public today. The author states the film offers a one-sided romanticized view of the Revolutionary War period.
The Patriot follows Benjamin Martin through his service in the Revolutionary War fighting against the British, beginning in1776. Martin is a widowed father of seven children when the action begins. Their life on their farm in South Carolina is idyllic and peaceful, and Martin does not support fighting a war with England. Then, the British come to his farm, and everything changes in an instant. The insanely evil Colonel William Tavington orders his men to burn Benjamin’s house because he gave aid to wounded Revolutionary soldiers (along with British soldiers). He takes his oldest son prisoner as a spy, and when his younger son intervenes, he shoots him. Faced with the death of his son and the loss of his plantation, Benjamin takes the war into his own hands.