The Reel Rejects - THE PATRIOT (2000) MOVIE REVIEW – WE WERE NOT EMOTIONALLY PREPARED! – FIRST TIME WATCHING

Episode Date: July 4, 2026

HAPPY 4th OF JULY! 🇺🇸 In this The Patriot (2000) reaction, Jackie Bonsignore & Paige Kimsey experience The Patriot for the first time watching, diving into Roland Emmerich's sweeping Revolutionary War epic starring Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger for Fourth Of July! From the legendary tomahawk ambush and brutal battlefield clashes to Jason Isaacs' unforgettable villain performance and John Williams' emotional score, this The Patriot reaction revisits one of the most beloved historical war films of the 2000s. The Patriot (2000) Reaction (Full Length Watch Along):   / thereelrejects   Limited Time Offer – You Need Fiber. Yes you! Boost your fiber with Huel today using my exclusive offer of 15% OFF online with my code REJECTS at https://www.huel.com/REJECTS. New Customers Only. Thank you to Huel for partnering and supporting our show! In this The Patriot reaction, movie reaction, and review, Jackie & Paige experience the powerful story of Benjamin Martin, played by Mel Gibson (Braveheart, Mad Max), a reluctant war hero drawn into the American Revolution after tragedy strikes his family. Alongside him is Gabriel Martin, played by Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight, A Knight's Tale), whose passion for the fight for independence forever changes his father's life. The film also stars Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter, The White Lotus) as the ruthless Colonel William Tavington, Joely Richardson (Nip/Tuck, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) as Charlotte Selton, Chris Cooper (American Beauty, Adaptation) as Colonel Harry Burwell, Tchéky Karyo (The Missing, GoldenEye) as Jean Villeneuve, and Tom Wilkinson (Batman Begins, Michael Clayton) as General Cornwallis. Featuring some of the most unforgettable moments in historical cinema—including the iconic tomahawk ambush, the devastating personal losses, the intense militia battles, the emotional father-son journey, the climactic final showdown, and one of John Williams' most stirring musical scores—The Patriot remains one of the defining Revolutionary War films of its generation. Directed by Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow), the film blends large-scale action with heartfelt family drama, making it a favorite among fans of historical epics. As excitement continues to build for our upcoming Evil Dead Burn reaction, Jackie & Paige revisit another unforgettable cinematic classic. Follow Jackie Bonsignore: https://www.instagram.com/jackiebonsignore/ Follow Paige Kimsey https://www.instagram.com/paige.popcorn?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D Intense Suspense by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Support The Channel By Getting Some REEL REJECTS Apparel! https://www.rejectnationshop.com/ Follow Us On Socials:  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/  Tik-Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@reelrejects?lang=en Twitter: https://x.com/reelrejects Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ Music Used In Ad:  Hat the Jazz by Twin Musicom is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Happy Alley by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... POWERED BY @GFUEL Visit https://gfuel.ly/3wD5Ygo and use code REJECTNATION for 20% off select tubs!! Head Editor: https://www.instagram.com/praperhq/?hl=en Co-Editor: Greg Alba Co-Editor: John Humphrey Music In Video: Airport Lounge - Disco Ultralounge by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Ask Us A QUESTION On CAMEO: https://www.cameo.com/thereelrejects Follow TheReelRejects On FACEBOOK, TWITTER, & INSTAGRAM:  FB:  https://www.facebook.com/TheReelRejects/ INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/reelrejects/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thereelrejects Follow GREG ON INSTAGRAM & TWITTER: INSTAGRAM:  https://www.instagram.com/thegregalba/ TWITTER:  https://twitter.com/thegregalba Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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podcast platform or get your episodes early and add free by becoming a member the rr show all of the drama none of the hassle thank you to huell for sponsoring this video more on them in just a bit hello reject i am here with page and today are we are going to watch the patriot well i'm super excited so let's get in it let's get into it what did you think jackie I I it was a very it was a very impactful film I enjoyed it more than I definitely thought that I would

going into it I also will say I just did not expect it to be as gory as it was but towards the end you mentioned I'm glad that you mentioned that you said that you were glad that it was gory because in a lot of more films they're not and I do think that it is important

I feel like in a lot of war films we'll see a little, you know, a little bit of the like having to cut people's limbs off and stuff aftermath. But I don't think that in the actual battle scenes, there's usually that much blood splatter. There was so much. And I actually kind of appreciated that, especially because to me, this was original in that it was a war movie, but it also really showed us how the family was affected. Yeah.

You know? And I appreciated that there were some women and children in it. Because I think a lot of war films are missing that, you know, that personal emotional connection. Yeah, I will be honest, I'm not very familiar with the war film genre. It's never been something that I've been like, let's put this on. Yeah. I don't know. Me either.

Yeah. I've seen like some, I've seen some plays that are about war, but those are plays. There's only so much you can do. Not a lot of blood splatter in those either. But no, I will say that this film, it is making me want to watch another war film. Like, I'd be very curious to, that's why I brought up 1776. I'd be very curious to see how it compares to other ones. But you're saying that the family thing.

Yeah. Yeah, I just, I like that. It gave me a connection to Mel Gibson's character and a lot of the rage. and when he was like really going after people with the hatchet, it's like he, I mean, did we ever really find out how he lost his wife? I can assume that it was at the, by some way of the French and Indian War. I don't, we didn't know, they'd never,

unless I, like, seriously missed something. They never said it because it wasn't at that one battle because he was telling Gabriel that he did tell his mother, you know. I just, I don't know, yeah, they didn't. Anyways, either way, he had. a lot of investment. He had a lot of reason to be really angry. And I also think that he had he had a lot of guilt about what had happened in the past too and why he really didn't want to participate in this and kind of be a pacifist in it. Yeah. And then was really forced to. I think

that that was just a really interesting storyline to go with, you know. Yeah, I feel like the film had some central messaging around I guess like in wartime is it okay to opt for brutality or not? And it felt like the message at the end because Paddington, sorry,

Taddington, Taddington. Tavington. Tavington. We call it Pattington. I love that. Because Tavington did go for brutality, but then at the end when he had the men on the front line firing the two shots it seemed like they opted for more upstanding traditional warfare.

Right. Rules of warfare. Rules of warfare. So, yeah, I don't know. I mean, the central messaging that I personally, as Jackie watching it get, is we're bad. We're bad. We're very bad. We're bad.

But also there's reason that people do it, you know? I mean, fortunately, we do not live in these times. but yeah hold on now there was something else I was going to say it I lost it Heath Ledger's performance was pretty oh yes what did you think of that I think Mel Gibson did a great job really great performances by both of them I've not seen a lot of baby Heath Ledger so I really enjoyed that um that that that I'm looking up some fun facts

um the Smith the Smithsonian oversaw the historical accuracy of the costumes and settings and it was the first time they had ever worked directly with the Hollywood production. So that's really cool. I mean, yeah, the costuming was pretty stellar for sure. A lot of the dresses are and Charlotte wore were really cool. Yeah. I'm also seeing that so the church massacre did not ever happen. So I was like this is maybe a little bit.

Yeah. What's the word? A little drama dramatized. Yes, a little Hollywood drama there. Yeah. Rejignation, summer is here, and that means routine gets obliterated. We got travel. We got barbecue.

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and for partnering up with us yet again. I was thinking that it, so it's saying on Google, that the scene is often compared to a World War II Nazi massacre in Orador Sir Glan. I'm just butchered that. I'm so sorry.

Because I was thinking at the time, I was like, that feels a little more World War II. But I think it was also really to villainize the Tavington. Tavington also. Because again, like we do.

We watch these films for some emotional connection, some of, you know, some of, yeah, for that emotional connection

and we need, we need somebody to be really mad at. And we need it to be personal, I think, a lot of times too. The other thing that just really stood out to me and took me

out of it at certain points. And I think that this is a whole bigger conversation that I don't think that me and Paige want to get into right now. But some of it, some of the depiction of slavery just felt very much like revisionist history. It felt extremely a little washed over. Yeah. Like, oh, all of her, all of like they're just volunteering. Yeah, they're just so happy to be a part of this war.

Yeah. And not just that, like the ones that were working on Charlotte's plantation as well. Yeah. Yeah. I know that the film does have a lot of controversy. about that and that's a much bigger big big big conversation yes absolutely i would have appreciated to see a little bit more of that in the storyline though too and like how those folks ended up on the island and were they free folks like how how did that happen instead of yeah it definitely felt a little

whitewashed in those ways too yeah very whitewashed um i'm trying to think that da da da da she said she was wrong we do not have questions i knew that we did I knew that we didn't. And obviously Mel Gibson's character is not a real person, but apparently he was primarily based on Francis Marion, who was known as the Swamp Fox, and he pioneered guerrilla warfare tactics in the swamps. Oh, interesting.

And that's force of South Carolina. That's really cool. That is cool. Oh, and then speaking of what we just brought up, apparently, unlike the wholesome family man in the movie, Marion's real-life legacy is more controversial. He was a plantation owner, and a slaveholder who was known to use slave labor

to help track down escape slaves. Oh. So there you go. Awful. Yep, there you go. Yeah. I thought, um, I thought, um, I thought the acting was great, especially the children.

Yeah, the, yeah, the, Susan, the little girl was great. All the little boys were really good, too, actually. Um, but that, that one little blondie was so cute. She did a great job. Yeah, she was adorable. It, um, It definitely is an impactful, and I did cry multiple times. It's a great script.

It's a great film. I would say, like, for me, it's not really one that I would watch again or show my kids just because of how revisionist is. Yeah, it's a tough watch, though, too. It's not, yeah, also that. Also, I feel like maybe I could have seen a little bit more with the neighbors. Maybe I feel like we had one neighbor who was really like on the side. of the of the Europeans. And I, and I, and in that courtroom, it looks like there were a lot of people, actually.

But he was kind of the only storyline that we went with. But that would have been interesting. We only saw him like three times. Right. To see a little bit more of communities that were maybe torn on if they wanted to still be under the king's rule or if they wanted to be on their own. Because I think that that probably was happening a lot more. rather than just the one town who, you know, really decided to band together and then was burned in the church.

But again, you know, I understand that Hollywood takes their liberties at times and has to make things a little more dramatic. But, yeah, I enjoyed it overall. I think, again, terrific performances from Heath and Mel Gibson for sure. We really loved the fluting during all those battles scenes. The music was great. The music was really good. The set deck. I mean, the locations.

It was amazing. Oh, my gosh. The swamp was very cool. The flooded church swamp was really, really cool. I'm still so shocked at how gory this film was, which maybe I'm kind of naive for thinking that it wouldn't be. but I think it's great. I think that more war films should have that depth of reality

of what war really does to communities and to families and how brutal it is. Because I was going to say, I felt like when I was watching the movie, seeing how up close and personal like the frontline combat is and how it gets very hand-to-hand out. At first I was thinking, oh, I don't know if warfare is like that much so nowadays,

but I don't know at some point. It does kind of just become chaos and a free for all. It's not always just like planned. Right. Because part of me wanted to think, oh, we have so much, much better communication and technology that allows for that nowadays. But I don't know if that's true. I don't know either. I feel like it's a lot more like sneaky nowadays.

You're like hiding in places too. Yeah, I feel like we just default to guerrilla warfare nowadays. Right, right. Ugh, God, I don't know. I don't want to know. And then I just watched Oppenheim. I'm watching a lot of war movies. We switched over from aliens to war now.

We're lucky you. Yeah, I'm... Just all my favorite things. Actual amputees were cast to play soldiers who lost their limbs. I love that. That's really cool. That is really, really cool.

Representation for everyone. It seems like the movie used a lot of practical effects, which I just love to see. Yeah, for 26 years ago, too, it looked really, really good. I mean, a lot of this, I'm sure, was actually shot in North Carolina, which is a really beautiful, or South Carolina. I'm sorry. It is a really beautiful place. It also says that everyone in the battle had to undergo a two-week-long boot camp before shooting began and that the hand-to-hand combat moves were authentic to the time and are still used by the military today. Oh, hands off. Hands up, hands down. Hands clap. Hands hats off to the stunt people.

I was going to ask. I was going to ask if you had a favorite line. And right as I was about to ask that, I saw this fun fact that said Mel Gibson improvised that line where he tells him that he's going to kill him before the war is over. And he goes, why not the enemy goes, you know, why not do it now?

And he goes, soon. Apparently he improvised that line. He also said, don't you walk away from me, boy. Don't you walk away from me, boy. Did you have a favorite line? I think don't you walk away from me. Boy, was it. I liked that one, actually.

It kind of made me chuckle a little. How about you? Just the soon line. Oh, Kevin Spacey was the first choice to play Tavington. That guy actually reminded me a lot of Kevin Spacey. But I don't know who that guy was, but I've seen him play a bad guy and a lot of things. And he is very good at being hateable.

Mm-hmm. Right? He was really easy. He was just very slimy. Like, even when he wasn't doing anything, he just, like, he really did embody that character so well. It was very off-putting. It was, it was icky.

I did not like looking at him. Reminded me of a snake. Agreed. I'm seeing another fun fact that distracted me. Sorry, the studio wanted to cut a certain shot in the cannonball scene to avoid an R rating, but Roland Emmerich felt it was important not to sanitize war. I can guess which cannon shot that was.

Yeah, I think so. Also, yeah, let's not Don't, I agree that it's important not to sanitize war. We have no issue sanitizing slavery, but Right. Just our hot takes today. Okay, I'll stop looking at fun facts now.

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