Flashback Friday-The Patriot (2000)

Family and a parent’s love for their children is the strongest force on Earth.

In the 2000 movie The Patriot, Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) is a farmer in Revolutionary era South Carolina. A widower with seven children who survived the French Indian War, Benjamin is not initially interested in the war. He simply wants to raise his children.

But his two oldest sons, Gabriel (the late Heath Ledger) and Thomas (Gregory Smith) disagree with their father. Gabriel joins the Patriots against his father’s wishes. The family catches the attention of the brutal Colonel William Tavington  (Jason Isaacs), who burns down the Martin home and kills Thomas.  Torn between protecting his surviving children and avenging his son’s death, Benjamin will soon change his mind about the American’s fight for freedom.

While I am not a huge fan of Mel Gibson, this movie is enjoyable. A history lesson wrapped in the story of a father’s love for his children, the narrative is plausible and the acting is good.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

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