The Patriot Cast: Tcheky Karyo

In The Patriot
Tchéky Karyo's Major Jean Villeneuve was mostly the funny French sidekick, although there were moments of underlying tension. I assume the character was based on such foreigners as the Maquis de Lafayette, who came to help the colonies fight for freedom and a chance to fight the British. One trouble with Villeneuve largely being comic relief is the backstory that many of the French and Indian War veterans, including Benjamin Martin, had fought against the French only years earlier. The tension that comes from that backstory seems to just appear and disappear at random.

There is also a story thread about family that gives Villeneuve and Benjamin some common ground, but it really isn't utilized well either. A little resolution with Benjamin Martin comes when Villeneuve finally opens up and describes his murdered daughters to him and they "share a moment." Karyo was great in the comic bits, playing them with the dignity needed to make the scenes truly funny. The dramatic and tension filled scenes seem forced and awkward, but I blame that on those conflicts not being properly fleshed out in the script.

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