The Revolutionary War was a very important time for America, inspiring countless novels, documents and even films. In the film The Patriot, directed by Roland Emmerich, famous actors such as Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Jason Isaacs, etc. appear. From the controversial comparison of the British Army to Nazi Germany and historical inaccuracies. Nonetheless, this film was a powerful piece of art that shaped many Americans' perspectives on the war. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In the film we see Mel Gibson as the main protagonist, Benjamin Martin, a widowed man with several children. He lives a very passive lifestyle after fighting in the French and Indian War. He still considers himself a patriot and remains true to his loyalist values. This is just the opposite with his sons who are very patriotic, one of which is the eldest son, Gabriel, who joins the Continental Army to fight the redcoats. Over time, Benjamin loses his son, Thomas, who sacrificed himself so Gabriel could escape. This triggers a sudden burst of patriotism in Benjamin. Over the course of the film we see Benjamin grow from a passive man to a courageous and outgoing hero who commands a local militia in the fight against the British army. After many losses, Benjamin finally manages to avenge his sons' deaths in the final battle. Here in this film we see this idea similar to the epic narratives of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. These narratives portray a hero who rises from nothing and becomes a larger than life character. These characters were able to deal with things that most men wouldn't be able to endure. In The Patriot, Benjamin Martin is this hero who goes through the loss of two sons inspiring him to fight for his beliefs and avenge the death of his sons. Become a true patriot. However, despite the positive message conveyed by the film, there was a lot of negative criticism due to the way the English were portrayed. For example, many of the acts committed in this film have been compared to what Nazi Germany was like. The infamous church burning scene never happened in real life, with no documented historical evidence to prove otherwise, it was considered an act that the Nazis were capable of. In reality the British never fought so brutally and, if anything, we saw a lot of “guerrilla” style fighting on the American side. Racial issues were also rarely raised in this film, despite the powerful influence it had at the time. For example, slaves never had a major role other than working in the background. We also see this inaccurate portrayal of workers and their treatment. Abigail, a factory worker, was very close to her family, which was rare in those days. The only accuracy we found was that slaves were considered inferior to others. In one scene, we saw a militia soldier ask another black soldier, “What are you fighting for?” Because what were they actually fighting for? However, this shows that patriotism arises in someone other than a white person. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Overall, this was a great movie with a powerful message. Despite some historical inaccuracies, it's an interesting film that offers a lot to talk about. This film managed to take a historical event and make it their own with the burning church scene and the.