The Patriot (film)
The Patriot is a 2000 film starring Mel Gibson and directed by Roland Emmerich. Produced by the Mutual Film Company and Centropolis Entertainment, it was written by Robert Rodat and distributed by Columbia Pictures.
The film mainly takes place in South Carolina and depicts the fictional account of a war hero swept into the American Revolutionary War when his family is threatened.
Cast
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
Mika Boorem - Margaret Martin
Skye McCole Bartusiak - Susan Martin
Trevor Morgan - Nathan
Martin
Bryan Chafin - Samuel Martin
Logan Lerman -
William Martin
Mary Jo Deschanel - Mrs. Howard
Jamieson Price - Capt.
Bordon (as Jamieson K. Price)
Peter Woodward - Charles O'Hara
Grahame Wood - Redcoat Lieutenant
Beatrice Bush - Abigale the Housekeeper
Shan Omar Huey - Joshua
Hank Stone - Rollins
Kirk Fox - Skunk
Jack Moore - Curly
Mark Twogood - Danvers
Colt
Romberger - Colt
Terry Layman - Gen. George Washington
Shannon Eubanks
- Mrs. Simms
Bill Roberson - Loyalist Simms
Charles Black - Matthew
Andy Stahl - Gen. Nathanel Greene
Kristian Truelsen
- Hardwick
Kanin J. Howell - Postrider (as Kanin Howell)
Mark Jeffrey Miller - Wounded Continental
Zach Hanner
- British Field Officer
Dara Coleman - Redcoat Sergeant
#2
Randell Haynes - Patriot Middleton
John Storey
- Cowpens Militiaman
Greg Good - Cowpens Militiaman
John F. Dzencelowcz
II - Continental Soldier
John S. Curran - Redcoat Sergeant #1 (as John Curran)
Kyle Richard Engels - Billings' Son
John Bennes - Speaker
Roy McCrerey - Redcoat
P. Dion Moore - Redcoat
Tyler Long - Page Poy
John H. Bush - Abner
Gil Johnson - Militiaman
Scott Miles - Patriot Private
Derrick B. Young - Slave Boy
Le Roy Seabrook
- Gullah Minister
Samuel Brown Jr-. Gullah Musician
Samuel Brown Sr-.
Gullah Musician
Lillie L. Harris - Gullah Musician
Braima Moiwai - Gullah
Musician
Patrick Tatopoulos - French Naval Officer
rest of cast listed
alphabetically:
Michael E. Rodgers - (unconfirmed)
Ryan Baber - Redcoat Private
Brad Batchelor - Cavalry Officer
Tasha Biering - Guest at Lord Cornwallis' Ball
Ricardo Bunge - Townsman
Lonnie Burchfield - British Infantry / British Officer / Continental Cannonieer
Robert Cannon - Redcoat Sergeant
Joseph Congema - Redcoat / Continental
Corporal
Casey Cunningham - Continental Private
Sam Edens - Redcoat
/ Continental / French Sergeant
Dale Gould - Redcoat / Continental Private
Mark Hale - Cpl. Martin's Man
Lee Hardin - Militiaman Reloading in Battle
Matthew Helms - Patriot Kid
Kevin Hershberger - Martin's Militiaman
Eric Holloway - Townsman
Alex Houvouras
- Continental Soldier
Patric Johnstone - Green Dragoon Cavalryman
Kevin
P. King - Redcoat / French Corporal
David Lowe - British Infantryman / Continental
infantlryman / Continental Militiaman
Drew McClintock - Militiaman
Matthew
Mebane - Militiaman
Michael Neeley - Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert
du Motier
John Neely - Member of Martin's Militia
Danny Nunn - Continental Private Hit in Leg by Cannonball
William Palko -
Redcoat Private
Reid Perry - Redcoat Private
Scott Peterson - Redcoat
/ Continental Private
Marc Phillips - Redcoat / Continental Private
Morgan Raque - Continental Private
Steve Reaser - French Soldier
David
Rivitz - Redcoat Private
David Michael Ross - British Seargeant
David
Rotan - British Field Musician
Marvin Schroeder - Redcoat Colonel Saying
'Make Ready!'
Kemper Sease - Beach slave
Rock Taulbee - Redcoat Corporal
Nick Vachon - Militiaman
Phil Warren - Redcoat Hacked to Death
Awards
Trivia
When originally written, Benjamin
Martin had 6 children, but in the movie Martin has 7 children. This was changed
based on the number of children Mel Gibson has.
The producers and director
chose Heath Ledger to play the role of Gabriel Martin because, in their opinion,
Ledger was a man who possessed "exuberant youth."
When teaching
Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger how to shoot a muzzle-loading rifle, technical advisor
Mark Baker gave them the advice to "aim small, miss small", meaning
that if you aim at a man and miss, you miss the man, while if you aim at a button
(for instance) and miss, you still hit the man. Gibson liked this bit of advice
so much he incorporated it into the movie, just prior to the ambush scene.
One
of the "redcoats" that is floating face down in the river after the
trap is a dummy of John Travolta.
Harrison Ford declined the lead role, feeling
the script had boiled the Revolutionary War down to a "one-man's-revenge"
melodrama.
Heath Ledger performed his own stunts.
Screenwriter Robert
Rodat wrote 17 drafts of the script before there was an acceptable one.
In
an earlier version of the script, Anne is pregnant with Gabriel's child when she
dies in the burning church.
When the british were testing out the stocks to
prepare for the hanging of the colonist militia, they used bags of sand, when
really back then they would not even test them. The movie producer said they did
this because "it looked cool"
Benjamin Martin is loosely based on
Francis Marion, who was known as the "Swamp Fox." He lead a militia
of seventy men and harassed the British trade routes in South Carolina.
Laurence
Olivier Theatre Award winning British actor Ben Daniels received a role alongside
Mel Gibson in this film, but refused the offer, citing that the "money was
good, but it wasn’t for me."[
Plot
It is the late 18th century, in South Carolina. Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) is a veteran of the French and Indian War and a widower raising his seven children on his farm. Gabriel, the eldest, played by Heath Ledger, is anxious to join the American forces fighting the British in the Revolutionary War, without his father's permission. Martin, who knows from first-hand experience the horrifying carnage that war presents, is anxious to discourage his son from participating.
Against his father's wishes, Gabriel does join up. He returns home after two years, stumbling wounded into the family home, carrying dispatches between commanders. That night, a skirmish between the British and the patriots wakes the Martins and they give care to the wounded of both sides the next morning. British soldiers approach the house, proceed to kill the Colonial wounded, burn down the house and take Gabriel into custody as a spy, intending to hang him. Martin's 15-year-old (and second) son Thomas (Gregory Smith) is killed trying to free Gabriel as he is taken prisoner, shot by the cold-hearted leader of the Green Dragoons, Col. William Tavington (Jason Isaacs) even though the boy poses no real threat. (The Dragoons are a small, elite force of British soldiers.)
An enraged Martin sets about to free his son Gabriel, with the help of his two younger sons Nathan and Samuel (played by Trevor Morgan and Bryan Chafin). The three of them slaughter, in brutal fashion, the British troops holding Gabriel. While their brother is freed, the boys are all horrified -- particularly Samuel -- at their first glimpse of their kindly father ripping men to shreds with his knife and tomahawk. Gabriel re-joins the cause against his father's will again stating it is his duty as a soldier. Martin decides to join the fight later when he catches up with his son and they report together, leaving the rest of the children in the care of their aunt Charlotte (Joely Richardson), the sister of Martin's deceased wife.
Father and son come to the conclusion that the poorly trained Colonials cannot hope to beat the British in set piece battles; the British are too numerous and well armed. Instead, they rally a militia, including French Officer Jean Villeneuve (Tchéky Karyo), from among the men of South Carolina and proceed to harry the British supply lines (including the capture of Lord Cornwallis' personal effects and prize hounds and the destruction of a supply ship in front of a ball at Middleton Place for the British officers). To combat the militia, Cornwallis authorizes Tavington to pursue more brutal tactics to draw Martin out. Tavington tracks Martin's family to their refuge with Charlotte and burns down her plantation. However, the family escapes, and are led to a safe haven by Gabriel and Martin. During this time, Gabriel then marries Anne Howard (Lisa Brenner), a wartime marriage during a furlough. Soon after the marriage, returning home, Anne and her family, along with all the townspeople, are burned alive whilst locked in the church. The orders for this horrific act came from Tavington.
After a furious Gabriel discovers what has happened, he and a small group of men ride to engage the Dragoons. During the fight, many men on both sides are killed, leaving Gabriel and the Reverend to face off against Tavington. A few others escape with major wounds. The Reverend is shot, but throws his loaded musket to Gabriel, who shoots Tavington, who promtply falls to the ground. However, as Gabriel approaches Tavington's body, he quickly turns around and stabs him with his sword. As Tavington escapes, Benjamin approaches the scene in time to find Gabriel dying on the ground.
In the final battle, Col. Harry Burwell (Chris Cooper) and Villeneuve help Benjamin defeat the British, by using the militia (who are held in low regard by the British officers) as a feint.
Soon Martin and Tavington are able to face off, one on one. As Tavington gains the upper hand in their vicious fight, and Benjamin is staring into the distance, Tavington mutters, "Kill me before the war is over, will you? It appears, you are not the better man." As he swings his sword ready to kill Benjamin, Martin stabs him with a bayonet-fitted musket, picks up a detached bayonet and replies, "You are right- my sons were better men." Martin impales Tavington in the throat, killing him.
Meanwhile, a disappointed General Cornwallis (Tom Wilkinson) sounds the retreat as the rebels celebrate. As Martin narrates, we are told that the British were defeated when the French finally arrived to block the British off. The final scene features Martin and his family arriving at a site where the foundations of homes lie. Occam tells Martin, "Gabriel said that if we won the war, we could build a whole new world. Just figured we'd get started right here, with your home." Benjamin smiles as he replies, "Sounds good", before shaking hands with Occam and walking into the forwards with his family towards their new, free future.
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