Ezreal

I normally do not comment on films that have been reviewed to death, but I had to comment on "The Patriot". Part of the reason is because too many of the bad reviews on here have nothing to do with plot (which, yes, was a tried and true formula), acting (which was generally outstanding throughout) or filmmaking (I have finally been vindicated in my opinion that Roland Emmerich is a great director, as long as he doesn't write the script). Unfortunately, most of the opinions have to do with badmouthing America. I expected the Brits to be upset about their portrayal, but, unfortunately, I find the usual chorus of American whiners upset because the Americans are portrayed as good guys. Heads up: This is not the worst, most evil country in the world. Quit apologizing for everything some dunder-headed ancestors may have done.

Soapboxing aside, Tavington, though historically being a decent person and surviving past the Revolution, makes a great villain, and it is him and the character of Benjamin Martin that make this film. Otherwise, it is true that it would have just been beautifully shot fluff with some great battle scenes. The most glaring error I found (being a straight historian rather than an expert on military and footware minutiae) was that, since the director is German, he failed to portray the fact that it was German mercenaries hired by the Hanovers who were responsible for the real atrocities committed against the colonists. Also, the Tory sympathizers were worse than portrayed, and were traitors in the most heinous sense.

Still, the movie never claimed to be a history lesson, and succeeds as a big-budget crowd-pleaser. It also the best movie that Emmerich has made so far, and here is hoping that he wisely sticks with filming other people's scripts.

As can be expected when a sequel comes along to something popular, the usual chorus of whiners and naysayers pops up to try and derail it, simply because what preceded it just happened to BE popular.

Perhaps it was a mistake to rush BW2 into theaters a mere year after the original, since there is no way most people will give it an objective viewing. Many fans of the original film will go to the theater just to come out say how much they hated it.

However, the only real thing wrong with BW2 is that it DOES kind of feel like a rush job. Artisan should have waited another year to let their merchandising campaign run its course so everyone would finally start recovering from their hatred of seeing all these little stick figures everywhere. It would probably have also been a better time to interest people in seeing the new film.

That said, it is a pity that most of the people seeing this will only be there to rip it. It was a surprisingly intelligent film, not so much horror as mystery. What happened at the end? Who knows. It will probably be left unsaid, unless the prequel shines some light. For an amateur cast, the acting was well done, and Joe Berlinger definitely has a good, if spare, directing style. And, as for showing the blood, this really doesn't show much. The same scenes are repeated, over and over again, and only in flashes. In terms of horror movie gore, BW2 is still mild, and what is left to the imagination is still the most important part of this movie.

This film is, foremost, a gangster film, but Zhang Yimou tells it from a much more interesting angle. As far as the plot about moles and trying to find the traitor in the group, it's old hat. What isn't, however, is seeing how the children, practically enslaved by a triad boss, begin to slowly turn into the type of people that Tang and Bijou are throughout the movie.

Another refreshing change was, despite Tang's wealth, the triads are not romanticized like the mafia often is in this country. Tang, unlike Vito Corleone, is a ruthless killer, born and bred, not a family man forced into a situation.

What impresses me most about Zhang Yimou's films are the cyclic nature, where everything comes full circle in the end. For many, the colors and political messages are the topic of discussion, but watching events carry out within a restricted time, and follow the Eastern idea of cyclical rather than linear time, is more interesting, since these characters continue to develop in one's head even after the movie has ended.