Page 9 - Fallout Con't
n the Internet, websites are appearing that praise The Patriot's William Tavington,
his inspiration Banastre Tarleton and the actor Jason Isaacs. Sites such as
Oatmeal for the
Foxhounds and The
Silver Whistle endeavor to "set the record straight," about
Banastre Tarleton. The sites have reviews of The Patriot, in which Tavington's
attacks on the Martin family are cheered and express disappointment that Tavington
dies at Benjmain Martin's hands and does not survive the war like Tarleton had.
The Patriot had a subdued run at the box-office, although it did gross
about $85 million in the United States. In Britain it met with such strong protests
that the American ambassador to England came out with several public statements
distancing the US government from the movie's portrayal of the British. Gibson
himself did not shy away from the spotlight and appeared at the London premier.
The Patriot did not perform in Britain as well as Chicken Run,
an English-born stop-action animated movie that employed Gibson's vocal talents.
The Patriot is considered a disappointment at the box-office given the
talent and budge involved. Gibson's own box-office status has not been hurt
by the controversy as his next movie, What Women Want, easily grossed
over $100 million in America.
Critics have praised the acting by Heath Ledger, Jason Isaacs and even Mel Gibson
along with the film's production values, insuring its place as a solid rental
movie along side Braveheart. Unlike the last big Hollywood attempt at
the American Revolution, 1986's Revolution which starred Al Pacino, The
Patriot won't disappear onto the second-rate/bad movie shelf. The movie
will surface at least once a year on lists of recommended patriotic films. In
spite of protests, the British will long have to put up with Braveheart
and The Patriot.
