Overview
A father's peaceful life is shattered when war comes to his doorstep, forcing him to choose between family and vengeance.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Graphic
- intense
- melodramatic
- patriotic
- historical movie night
- action movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film entertaining and technically impressive, with strong performances and battle spectacle tempered by formula, melodrama, historical inaccuracy, and caricatured villains.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Benjamin Martin is driven by both family loss and resistance to British occupation.
The film reshapes the American Revolutionary War into a personal hero narrative and uses exaggerated British villainy.
The narrative repeatedly builds toward expansive Revolutionary War battles and close-quarters combat.
Benjamin initially seeks peaceful plantation life but re-enters combat to protect his family and support the rebellion.
Films like The Patriot, and why
Braveheart
shares historical war spectacle, revenge-driven drama, conflicted patriotism, and a charismatic warrior protagonist
The Last of the Mohicans
shares colonial-era conflict, family-centered stakes, widescreen battle scenes, and revisionist historical action
Revolution
shares revolutionary war setting, military action, national identity themes, and emotionally direct melodrama
Movie Details
- Director
- Roland Emmerich
- Release Date
- 2000-06-28
- Runtime
- 165 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (4502)
Cast
- Mel Gibson
- Heath Ledger
- Joely Richardson
- Jason Isaacs
- Chris Cooper
- Tchéky Karyo
- René Auberjonois
- Lisa Brenner
- Tom Wilkinson
- Donal Logue
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, YouTube TV, BBC America
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Patriot about?
- A haunted former soldier abandons his peaceful plantation life to defend his children and join the American Revolution against a brutal British officer.
- What is The Patriot like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Patriot as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Patriot violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Patriot as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Patriot?
- Critics broadly found the film entertaining and technically impressive, with strong performances and battle spectacle tempered by formula, melodrama, historical inaccuracy, and caricatured villains.
- Which films are like The Patriot?
- Films with a similar feel include Braveheart, The Last of the Mohicans, and Revolution.
- How long is The Patriot?
- The Patriot runs 165 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Patriot?
- In United States, The Patriot streams on Philo, YouTube TV, BBC America.
