Topic > "The Patriot" by Roland Emmerich: A Summary and Review

The Patriot is a great summary of the American Revolutionary Wars. This film specifically captures the life of Benjamin Martin, a former French and Indian war hero turned farmer , in South Carolina with his seven children and a gigantic plantation. Benjamin is considered a patriot among his peers; however, he refuses to support the war between Great Britain and the Colonies. Martin is a man of character and maintains standards elevated throughout his community and family. This film is among the most famous and accurate Revolutionary War films to date. The film shows how the British abused, cheated, and controlled the colonists for too long. The following essay provides a brief summary of the film The Patriot. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on "Why violent video games should not be banned"? Get an original essay When South Carolina votes to welcome a draft into the colonial army, Gabriel, the Martin's eldest son, signs as an infantryman. Martin strongly disagrees with his son's choices but can't do anything about it because Gabriel is an adult (18). While Gabriel leaves town to join his fellow soldiers, Martin continues to work as a plantation owner. Owning and operating a plantation during this period normally meant that hundreds of slaves would be needed to cultivate the land and create enough income for the family to prosper; contrary to this theory, Benjamin Martin only has free men and women work for him - we see this as a statement made by an unnamed worker at the beginning of the film. War and the Martins continue as normal until one night War arrives in Martin's backyard. Gabriel becomes injured and returns home for safety and rest, only to wake up the next morning with "Red Coats" (British) and "Blue Coats" (colonists) lying on the porch waiting to be treated. When British Colonel William Tavington arrives with a command of officers. Tavington ends up insulting Benjamin Martin, orders all the wounded settlers to be shot, captures Gabriel as a spy, and shoots Martin's second eldest son, Thomas. The death of his son leads Martin to embark on a hunting trip of sorts. Martin takes two of his remaining children, both around 10 years old, and goes after the unit that took Gabriel. Benjamin specifically tells the boys to "kill the officers first and then get down from there." Once they find the unit, the two sons and Benjamin kill all the soldiers and officers alike. The meaning of the order to kill the officers is that, when this war broke out, it was against the Code of War to kill the commanding officers. This basically meant that the officers considered themselves invincible until Martin killed them all. It basically meant telling the British that the Martins didn't care what the code of war was. The Martins reunited after this small battle and Benjamin received the nickname "The Ghost" for the way he killed all the men. Benjamin then decided to start (somehow) his own militia under the Continental (colonial) army. Gabriel becomes a soldier under Benjamin and together they fight the English. Benjamin leads his army like a typical militia, except for a few things. One of the French ambassadors joins Martin on this long journey and the French ambassador teaches the militia how to march and shoot like a traditional army would. Martin, now less angry, makes sure the army follows the code of war. There is an occasion when Martin has to go and speak to the British General Lord Charles Cornwallis. The meeting is very civil and we talk about, for example, the killing of officers and.