Title: The Patriot

Characters: Mel Gibson as Benjamin Martin

Heath Ledger as Gabriel
Gregory Smith as Thomas
Mika Boorem as Margaret
Skye McCole Bartusiak as Susan
Logan Lerman as William
Chris Cooper as Colonel Harry Burwell
Grahame Wood as a British Lieutenant
Jason Isaacs as Colonel William Tavington
Setting/Location: South Carolina, USA

Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson), a veteran of the 1754-1760 French and Indian War, is
a widower raising his seven children (five sons and two daughters) on his farm in
South Carolina. He manages his land with free servants and employs in carpentry,
particularly fashioning rocking chairs, though he has little success with it.

His eldest son, Gabriel (Heath Ledger), is keenly interested in the fighting
between the American colonies and the British; the Revolutionary War has been waged
in other colonies for some time, though Benjamin does not share his enthusiasm in
war. When word comes in that a congress is being held in Charleston regarding the
war, Gabriel and his brother Thomas (Gregory Smith) eagerly accompany their father.
While there, it is voted that South Carolina join the war against the British
despite Benjamin's advice against it. Being of age, Gabriel enlists in the
Continental army without his father's permission. Colonel Harry Burwell (Chris
Cooper), a friend and ally of Benjamin's, regards Gabriel's similarities to his
father and promises to watch out for him. The war wages on for two more years and
Gabriel writes letters to his family throughout, expressing the horrors of war he's
witnessed. At home, Thomas is found by Benjamin, trying on a red coat stored away
in his father's war chest, and expresses his desire to join the army. Though
Benjamin refuses to let him join, he relents that Thomas may enlist when he's
seventeen in two years.

One night, gunfire erupts outside the Martin home and the family watches as a
battle ensues just beyond their property. A lone and wounded soldier enters the
home. As Benjamin draws a pistol to the stranger, it is revealed to be Gabriel, en
route to deliver dispatches. Benjamin gives him care, and to the rest of the
wounded soldiers, both Continental and British, through the night into morning. The
porch is used as a makeshift ward and Benjamin receives praise from a British
lieutenant (Grahame Wood) before a cavalry of British Dragoons, led by Colonel
William Tavington (Jason Isaacs), arrives. Tavington is given the discovered
dispatches and orders the identity of the carrier. Gabriel turns himself in, hoping
to spare his family any punishment, but Tavington orders that the wounded
Continental troops be killed and the house burned for having harbored the enemy.
Benjamin begs lenience but is silenced as Gabriel is led away. Impatient, Thomas
runs forward and tries to free Gabriel but is ruthlessly shot by Tavington. Thomas
dies in his father's arms as Tavington insults him and rides off. His soldiers set
the house on fire while Gabriel is led away on a separate convoy and the home
servants, including housekeeper Abigail (Beatrice Bush) are forced into British
service.

Enraged, Benjamin goes back into the burning house and grabs his collection of
rifles and ammo from his war chest along with a tomahawk. He returns to his
remaining children and instructs his daughters, Margaret (Mika Boorem) and Susan
(Skye McCole Bartusiak) , and his youngest son William (Logan Lerman) to hide in
the fields before making their way to their aunt's come nightfall. He then gives
rifles to his older sons, Nathan (Trevor Morgan) and Samuel (Bryan Chafin) , and
tells them to come with him. They make their way through the forest, arriving on a
ridge ahead of the British convoy with the intent to ambush them. He tells his sons
to start by shooting the officers and work their way down through the British ranks
and to remember what he taught them about marksmanship. As the convoy passes,
Benjamin and his sons alternate gunfire, creating confusion and chaos in the
British ranks. The soldiers are quickly killed off and Benjamin shows ferocious
brutality when he takes his tomahawk vengefully to one of the British privates.
Gabriel is freed and they reunite with the rest of the family at Charlotte
Shelton's (Joely Richardson) plantation, the sister of Benjamin's late wife. Young
Samuel goes to bed distraught over the events of the day but Nathan tells his
father he was glad to kill the British soldiers.

A solitary survivor of the convoy attack is brought to Tavington. The man gives his
testimony and explains that it seemed that just one man was responsible for the
attack, proclaiming him as a 'ghost' of some kind. Tavington is skeptical but
surprised that such a thing could happen.

Gabriel decides to rejoin the Continentals, stating his decision as the duty of a
soldier, and Benjamin decides, with hesitation, to accompany him. They leave the
children with Charlotte and later witness a battle in an open field behind the home
of fleeing colonists. Benjamin explains to Gabriel that the form of set-piece
warfare (opponents directly facing each other and taking turns firing) is barbaric
and that this particular battle was over before it began. They meet up with Colonel
Burwell who asks Benjamin to organize a militia to keep General Charles Cornwallis
(Tom Wilkinson) at bay in the south before French navy reinforcements arrive.
Benjamin and Gabriel split up. Gabriel travels to a quaint town and is reunited
with a childhood flame, Anne Howard (Lisa Brenner). He speaks to the townspeople
within their church and, with Anne's patriotic encouragement, manages to enlist
many, including local Dan Scott (Donal Logue) and Reverend Oliver (Rene
Auberjonois). Before leaving, he asks permission of Anne's father, Peter Howard
(Joey D. Vieira), to write to her. Though her father is mostly deaf, she helps
Gabriel get permission.

Benjamin rides with French officer Jean Villeneuve (Tchéky Karyo) to a shady
colonist bar where Ben proves the potential of the supposed drunkards by
proclaiming 'God save King George!' and receiving violent reaction. Among the
enlistees is John Billings (Leon Rippy), an old friend of Ben's whose young son
shares his contempt for 'redcoats'. John jokes with Ben, saying that rumors have
spread of a tomahawk-wielding ghost wreaking havoc on British soldiers. The moniker
sticks. Over the next few months, Villeneuve assists with the training of the
militia using guerrilla fighting tactics and they plunder and harass British
convoys and supply lines. One such capture yields valuable information meant to be
delivered to Cornwallis himself, including a personal diary and his prized Great
Danes. Cornwallis is greatly frustrated with the failure to capture the 'ghost' and
his militia and blames Tavington for his callous cruelty, having spawned the
creation of the 'ghost' in the first place. As he attends a lavish party, a supply
ship in the bay outside his plantation explodes in a brilliant display while
Benjamin and his men row away disguised as redcoats, having stolen all the luxuries
on board.

Benjamin and Gabriel visit Anne's hometown where Gabriel calls on her and spends
the night, sewn by Anne's mother (Mary Jo Deschanel) into a traditional bundling
bag, meant to allow courtship but deter intimacy. Upon leaving the next morning,
Gabriel's teeth are stained black from ink poured into his tea; payback from Anne
for a childhood prank, however her teeth are equally stained after she kisses
Gabriel goodbye. Benjamin and his men set up a roadblock and prepare to ambush an
approaching supply wagon train. He calls out his militia hiding in the fields to
intimidate the British soldiers from retaliating, but the wagon covers are pulled
back and more soldiers emerge. When Benjamin notices Tavington's cavalry
approaching, he fires at the convoy and orders his men to retreat. Some men are
killed outright and Dan Scott is injured. A slave promised freedom for fighting
with the colonists, Occam (Jay Arlen Jones), stops to help Dan, despite the fact
that Dan was against the promise of freedom to slaves who fought. Benjamin and
Gabriel barely escape into the forest as the rest of the surviving militia are
either killed or captured upon surrender.

The remaining militia fall back to an abandoned stone chapel in the swamp. Gabriel
speaks to Benjamin as he melts pewter toy soldiers that once belonged to Thomas,
molding them into bullets for his sidearm. Gabriel asks what truly happened at Fort
William Henry, the assault of which Benjamin was involved in but never openly told
to his children. Benjamin tells of how, in retaliation for what the French-led
Indians did to the British, he and other men engaged in guerrilla warfare against
them, taking fierce revenge, slaughtering men, women and children. It was something
that Benjamin regretted for years afterwards because of its brutality. Gabriel
assures Benjamin that, while he still wants revenge for what happened to Thomas, it
would be best to stay the course and keep fighting on level ground. They are
interrupted as Occum and Dan emerge from the swamps. Occum tells of how the
captured militia are to be hanged for treason and Benjamin comes up with a plan. He
requests parlay to meet with Cornwallis at the fort where the militia is being held
and rides out with his Great Danes. Cornwallis is pleased to see his dogs and
thanks Benjamin for caring for them, but is reluctant to give up his prisoners of
war. However, he is forced to free them when Benjamin reveals he is holding several
British soldiers of high rank captive, their red uniforms barely visible on a
distant hill. On his way out, he meets Tavington. O'Hara tells Tavington that
Martin is the "ghost" he's been looking for. Tavington taunts him, asking about
Martin's son Thomas. Martin faces Tavington and calmly promises to kill him before
the war is over. Tavington confronts Cornwallis about the exchange of prisoners but
is rebuffed and scolded for his otherwise unconventional tactics in war. Benjamin
leaves with his men and, with a whistle, the Great Danes as well, now loyal to him.
Cornwallis is, however, resigned to Tavington's crueler methods when O'Hara (Adam
Baldwin) walks in with one of the redcoat captives; nothing more than a scarecrow.

Cornwallis authorizes Tavington to issue harsher methods of intimidation against

the militia. Tavington decides to track down the families of the militia and rides
out to Charlotte's plantation, burning it to the ground. She and the children,
however, manage to escape and find refuge at a beach colony inhabited by former
slaves. There, they are reunited with Abigail. Benjamin and Gabriel arrive some
time later, as do Anne's family. Gabriel proposes and the two are married. Benjamin
gives Anne his late wife's necklace which has a talisman of Polaris, the north
star. He explains that the star is a symbol of unwavering strength and serves as a
constant guide. Benjamin begins to bond with Charlotte, having grown feelings for
her and, when he and Gabriel prepare to leave, shares a tender moment with his
youngest child, Susan, who speaks to him for the first time since her mother's
death.

Anne and her family return to their hometown after the wedding while Gabriel moves
on with his father and the rest of the militia. There, they find that the town has
been taken control of by Tavington's cavalry and are forced into the church with
the rest of the townspeople. Tavington orders the doors and windows barred and the
church to be burned. A stunned Wilkins reluctantly does so and the cavalry leaves.
Anne and her family are left to die.

Arriving in town elsewhere, Benjamin and his men discover that many of the
townsfolk have been brutally murdered. John Billings finds his wife and young son
dead in the street and, overwhelmed, puts a pistol to his head. Benjamin allows his
men to go check on their families with the assurance that, if they do not return to
the swamp chapel, they will not be deemed cowards. Gabriel rides with Benjamin to
check on Anne and find the town empty and the church destroyed. Benjamin notes the
chains on the charred doors and, upon looking through the rubble, finds the star
necklace he had given Anne lying in the ashes. Burwell appears behind him and tells
him that Gabriel is gone. Taking only a few men with him, Gabriel rides after
Tavington's men and catches them off guard as Tavington shaves in a creek. All of
the men, British and militia, are killed until Reverend Oliver takes aim at
Tavington who shoots him. His rifle still loaded, Oliver tosses it to Gabriel
before collapsing and Gabriel shoots at Tavington, knocking him down. Filled with
rage and bent on revenge, Gabriel takes a knife and leans over Tavington's body.
Tavington, however, rolls over and stabs Gabriel through with his sabre; Gabriel's
shot had missed. Tavington flees, leaving Gabriel moaning in the grass, as Benjamin
and other men arrive. Gabriel apologizes for Thomas before dying in Benjamin's
arms. Benjamin tries to assure his son that Thomas' death was not his fault.

Benjamin mourns Gabriel's passing, watching over his body in a tent in a

Continental encampment. Burwell tries to console him and encourage him to keep
fighting, but Benjamin's spirit is broken and he fears that his past sins have
finally caught up to him. Villeneuve berates Benjamin's resignation and tells him
of how he watched as his wife and two daughters were strung up on a ship overrun by
British soldiers and burned alive.

The Continentals leave Benjamin and continue to their next decisive battle at
Cowpens. However, they soon spot Benjamin riding forward to meet them, carrying an
American flag; he has promised himself to stay the course as Gabriel once told him.
Together, the Continentals and the militia fight against the British at Cowpens and
prove to be a formidable force. Watching the battle from afar, Tavington is
impatient and decides, against Cornwallis' express order, to charge forth with his
Dragoons. Benjamin rallies the militia to push forward and soon faces off with
Tavington, dueling fiercely until Tavington manages to wound Benjamin, forcing him
to the ground. As he is about to behead Benjamin, Tavington berates him for wanting
to kill him before war's end. "It appears you are not the better man," he says and
lunges, but Benjamin ducks, grabs hold of a bayonet-fitted musket at the last
moment and stabs Tavington through the gut. As Tavington lies on the ground,
stunned, Benjamin takes a broken bayonet and replies, "You're right...my sons were
better men." before stabbing him through the neck.

General Cornwallis sounds the retreat of his forces and the rebels celebrate. In
voiceover, Benjamin tells of how the British were defeated later that year at the
Siege of Yorktown in 1781. The French navy finally arrived to blockade the British
and Cornwallis was bombarded by both the Continentals and the French, holed up in
his mansion. He finally acknowledges defeat and surrenders, saying "Everything will
change...everything has changed." Benjamin returns to his family and greets a freed
Occum at a site where new homes are to be built, starting with the Martins'.

REFLECTION
The film ends on a hopeful note, with the last lines of the movie being said by the
main character. Benjamin does not take part in the war for a higher cause, he wants
to keep the things he cherishes safe and retaliate against those that threaten his
way of life. The man sympathizes with the struggles of ordinary people and wants to
rebuild his home that was destroyed in the conflict. His wish is that the lives and
efforts of many that fought alongside him lead to a formation of a better country,
a better place for people like himself. He, like many others, personally
understands the struggles of war, having killed innocent people in the past and
losing two of his children in the Revolutionary war. This was a period where many
people united under the same cause to stand for the values they held dear, to
protect the people they loved, and to reject the control of the Empire. While the
colonies were not a singular entity, conflicts with the British served as a
unifying factor for many and were fueled by the principles of freedom and
personhood that characterized the early American colonizers. The film highlights
both the individual efforts of people during the time of war and the unique
motivations driving the characters to fight. Many of them, including the main
character, do not participate out of a sense of duty or a higher cause, but just
want to help their families or achieve various personal goals.

TITLE: THE PATRIOT