VHS
We
Were Soldiers (2002) VHS
~ Mel Gibson
Hamlet
(1991) VHS
~ Mel Gibson
What
Women Want (2000) VHS
~ Mel Gibson
The
Patriot (2000) VHS
~ Mel Gibson
Aimed directly at a mainstream audience, The Patriot qualifies as respectable
entertainment, but anyone expecting a definitive drama about the American
Revolution should look elsewhere. Rising above the blatant crowd pleasing
of Stargate, Independence Day, and Godzilla, director Roland Emmerich crafts
a marvelous re-creation of South Carolina in the late 1770s (aided immeasurably
by cinematographer Caleb Deschanel), and Robert Rodat's screenplay offers
the same balance of epic scale and emotional urgency that elevated his
earlier script for Saving Private Ryan. Unfortunately, Emmerich embraces
clichés and hackneyed melodrama that a more gifted director would have
avoided. Instead of attempting a truly great film about the most pivotal
years of American history, Emmerich settles for a standard revenge plot
with the Revolutionary War as an incidental backdrop.
On those terms, the film is engrossing and sufficiently intelligent,
especially when militia leader Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) cagily negotiates
with British General Cornwallis (Tom Wilkinson) in one of the most rewarding
scenes. For the most part, the story concerns Martin's anguished quest
for revenge against ruthless redcoat Colonel Tavington (played with snide
relish by Jason Isaacs), and the rise to manhood of Martin's eldest son,
Gabriel (Heath Ledger), whose battlefield honor exceeds even that of his
brutally volatile father. At its best, The Patriot conveys the horror of
war among innocent civilians, and the epic battle scenes, while by no means
masterful, are graphically intense and impressive. And although Ledger's
love interest (Lisa Brenner) is too bland to register much emotion, the
focus on family (which frequently relegates the war to background history)
provides a suitable vehicle for Gibson, who matches his achievement in
Braveheart with an effectively brooding performance. --Jeff Shannon
- Amazon.com
Braveheart
(1995) VHS
~ Mel Gibson
Mad Max (1980)
Listed under Mad Max Movies
Chicken
Run (2000) VHS ~ Clamshell packaging
~ Mel Gibson
Pocahontas
(Disney) (1995) VHS ~ Clamshell packaging
~ Mel Gibson
Maverick
(1994) VHS
~ Mel Gibson
Lethal
Weapon (1987) VHS
~ Mel Gibson
Lethal
Weapon 3 (1992) VHS
~ Mel Gibson
DVD
|
Signs
(Vista Series)
DVD from Walt Disney Home Video
starring Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix
directed by M. Night Shyamalan
Published: 07 January, 2003 |
| |
Gallipoli
(1981)
Starring: Mark Lee, Mel Gibson, et al.
Director: Peter Weir
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