SOME THINGS ARE WORTH FIGHTING FOR.
In 1780, South Carolina widower Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) is drawn into the Revolutionary War when the British murder one of his sons and set his home on fire. When the director behind Independence Day (1996) and the star who brought us Braveheart (1995) join forces, the result is a good-looking, often exciting and stirring epic… but as expected it has historical flaws and portrays the British as bloodthirsty savages (symbolized by Jason Isaacs’s deliciously wicked turn as an officer). Both silly and irresistible in many ways, with a great score by John Williams and another engaging effort by Gibson as the tortured hero.
2000-U.S. 164 min. Color. Widescreen. Directed by Roland Emmerich. Screenplay: Robert Rodat. Cinematography: Caleb Deschanel. Music: John Williams. Cast: Mel Gibson (Benjamin Martin), Heath Ledger (Gabriel Martin), Joely Richardson (Charlotte Selton), Chris Cooper, Jason Isaacs, Tom Wilkinson… Tchéky Kario, Adam Baldwin, Logan Lerman.
Trivia: Alternative version runs 175 min. Lerman’s first film. Harrison Ford, Ryan Philippe and Kevin Spacey were allegedly considered for roles.