The greatness of “The Patriot” starts with an affecting musical score and stunning sound effects and vivid visuals. The use of color and lighting is magnificent, from the bloody scenes to the more subtle as Martin testing his rocking chair. The first person narration also makes the film especially personal and close to the viewers' hearts. All these physical aspects make the film an incredible war suspense/drama movie.

In general, the tone of the film was intended to be suspenseful / tragic / melodramatic. It focused more on epic-like persona characterizations than the factual plots of war tactics. This could be reflected by the various types of characters portrayed in the movie, and the moving dialogues they made. There were redcoats, loyalists, lovers, priests, vagabonds, a black slave, and a Frenchman. Who could forget Benjamin Martin's line “Before this war is over - I'm going to kill you…”, and the flag scenes.

It gives us a glimpse of the thoughts and feelings of the characters whose homes are destroyed and loved-ones endangered by the war's brutality. The director all but wanted us to sympathize with real people who happened to be, unfortunately, in that horrifically eventful war past; He wishes to rekindle in us a sense of strong patriotism even at present - a strive for the good welfare of the people instead of just an empty pride of following "bloody" orders perfectly. This is the central message of the film.

On the other hand, the effectiveness of the movie's conveying of its message were obscured by some extremely violent scenes that seem to promote brutality fighting - brutality. Some critics would not pass for the scenes involving children being taught how to use rifles. Others would even disapprove of the elements such as the presence of sharp ('bloody') blade weapons.

Some people could even come to points that Ben Martin was not working for patriotism at all but for sheer personal revenge and bloodshed fanaticism - that he was a "mad killer" from the beginning. Still, the film maintains the patriotic message it had from the start, not only through its title and national (flag) elements.

Perhaps Martin wanted to kill redcoat Col. Tavington not only for his personal content but also for all the other (and prospective) colonial victims of the brutish war? The other side of Benjamin was his love for family and sense of brotherhood - American fellowship aside from his war officer heroism - evoked all over the movie. It remains an effective communication tool for general patriotism in this respect.

Yet again, the movie has its limits - once it is viewed strictly in terms of academics. Everyone could take pleasure in the film as it effectively stirs American patriotism, which anyone could relate to. However, history buffs and scholars expectant of detail will find it disappointing. Again, the film did not dwell on the factual courses of war tactics.

Only among the questions left to the mind even of a common spectator is, "Why did the French came in late?" "What happened to the British Commander-in-Chief after?" and so on. If a person is well read in the British-American Revolution, then there could be more scenes that he is expecting to see in the movie; only in vain, he would revert to his history pages for review and answers.

The emotional appeal of the film is extraordinary, but it could have been better had it its equal share of intellectual weight most especially beneficial for students. Otherwise, it is a general-viewers must-see.