Hey folks, Harry here with a brief intro on Quint's THE PATRIOT review. I was unable to attend the screening tonight because I was at THE PERFECT STORM, but I'm dying to check out the final film with Williams' score attached. Here's that whisky swilling seaman yapping about the latest flick he's seen...
Ahoy there Mr. Knowles... Chief... Ladies and Gentlemen.
That's right, the one and only crusty seaman is here once more, this time with a look at Mel Gibson's latest opus, The Patriot.
Let me first congratulate Mr. Gibson. I can't think of any other actor who had two tremendous movies out within a week (or two) of each other. I know, I know, his work on Chicken Run was minimal, but damn if it isn't a great movie. Now he has Patriot, another great movie. Congrats, Mel, fine job. Keep it up.
Now, much like the other great period piece from this movie season, Patriot will be getting a lot of comparison to Braveheart. Unlike Gladiator, though, Patriot has the direct connection, namely Gibson... fighting for freedom.... against those pesky English... causing many battles where limbs are lost and blood sprays clouds of light crimson. But really, the two are completely stand alone. In particular, I think Gibson's performance in Patriot is much more bad-ass. Once his character gets the proper motivation, without giving too much away, he becomes a bad motherfucker.
After the movie ended, Mouth came up to me and said, "Brilliant." I almost objected to the use of the word. Afterall, we have seen this story before. Former ex-hero/badass who wants to forget about his past and avoid confrontation is forced into his old ways by some outside motivator. I wouldn't call the story brilliant. I wouldn't call the script brilliant. Don't get me wrong, the script is solid and well written, just not "Ahhh-bril-i-ant". The acting? Terrific on all levels. Gibson works his magic again as Benjamin Martin. Heath Ledger, who I enjoyed in the often overlooked 10 Things I Hate About You, shows what he's really made of in this flick as Gibson's oldest child. I heard a few rumblings of "That's Anakin, right there!" The rest of Mel's children in the flick are all good young actors. Trevor Morgan, who you may remember as the asshole theatre kid from The Sixth Sense, stands out among the "kids." Especially in the scene that I believe most people are going to walk away with from this movie. You'll know it as the first really bad-ass scene in the film. It'll be hard to miss. Also worth a praise or two is Gregory Smith (Small Soldiers) who plays probably the most important role of the first quarter of the picture.
So, we have common plot thread, very well-written script, great acting. Where's the brilliance? I think the brilliance of this movie lies in the execution. The film is just beautiful. Not one wasted shot. The art direction, production design, costume design all work marvilously. The direction! How the fuck could Godzilla be the last movie this guy directed? I swear to God! I can't believe that the guy who directed Patriot is even remotely related to Godzilla, even in a Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon kinda way, let alone having directed the fucker.
The final key element, and probably the most important, that is done perfectly is the score. God bless John Williams. Honestly. My life would be so much more mundane if it wasn't for his scores. I prefer his adventure stuff. Jaws, Raiders, Amazing Stories... and his fanfares. My favorite tracks on the Star Wars soundtracks have always been the fanfare stuff, the opening and closing credits music. His Patriot work is a mixture of those. It's got the fanfare, the adventure, with a little military march touch. You know, light Raiders March mixed with heavy 1941. The man is a genius. He's certifiable!
I have to mention this one scene in relation to Williams. There's a big speech moment for Gibson, between him and Heath, as he's describing his past. In tone, the music for the scene matches another great speech scene that was scored by Williams. I am of course talking about the famous Indianapolis speech from Jaws. You Jaws fans out there, pay attention when watching. You'll see (hear) it, too.
Well, my fellow sea squirts, I think I've rambled about this movie long enough. I'll leave that to the good ol' Professor. He might get mad I'm cutting in on his action. I have to worry, he is an evil genius, while I'm just a lowly seaman.
I gotta get back to swabbin' the decks anyhow. That Brody can't chum worth shit! What a mess! Oh well. Farewell and adieu.
-Quint
