123 elite U.S. soldiers drop into Somalia to capture two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord and find themselves in a desperate battle with a large force of heavily-armed Somalis.
In 12th century England, Robin and his band of marauders confront corruption in a local village and lead an uprising against the crown that will forever alter the balance of world power.
Director:
Ridley Scott
Stars:
Russell Crowe,
Cate Blanchett,
Matthew Macfadyen
During the Napoleonic Wars, a brash British captain pushes his ship and crew to their limits in pursuit of a formidable French war vessel around South America.
A veteran cop, Murtaugh, is partnered with a young suicidal cop, Riggs. Both having one thing in common; hating working in pairs. Now they must learn to work with one another to stop a gang of drug smugglers.
It is 1776 in colonial South Carolina. Benjamin Martin, a French-Indian war hero who is haunted by his past, now wants nothing more than to live peacefully on his small plantation, and wants no part of a war with the most powerful nation in the world, Great Britain. Meanwhile, his two eldest sons, Gabriel and Thomas, can't wait to enlist in the newly formed "Continental Army." When South Carolina decides to join the rebellion against England, Gabriel immediately signs up to fight...without his father's permission. But when Colonel William Tavington, British dragoon, infamous for his brutal tactics, comes and burns the Martin Plantation to the ground, tragedy strikes. Benjamin quickly finds himself torn between protecting his family, and seeking revenge along with being a part of the birth of a new, young, and ambitious nation. Written by
Caleb Conser
The Battle of Cowpens, upon which this movie is based, took place on January 17th, 1781. This battle has been commemorated by the U.S. Navy, which named two ships after it. USS Cowpens (CVL 25) was a WWII light aircraft carrier which won 12 battle stars, more than any other light carrier in the war and was the first ship to enter Tokyo Harbor and land Marines on the Japanese mainland. USS Cowpens (CG 63) is an Aegis Guided Missile Cruiser serving in the Pacific fleet from San Diego, CA. See more »
Goofs
At the end of the movie, as Benjamin and his family ride towards their homestead, Aunt Charlotte is holding a blanket on her lap. She holds the blanket as though it contains a baby as she descends from the wagon. She continues to hold the bundle as though it contains a baby while the family stands and listens to the speech about what Gabriel said about rebuilding and that the other militia men decided to begin with Benjamin's home. A moment later, the camera focuses on one of Benjamin's sons standing next to Aunt Charlotte and she has no bundle and her arms are by her sides. Next, we see the family from behind as they walk towards the house being erected and it looks like Aunt Charlotte is once again holding a bundle in her left arm. Finally, she picks up Susan with only her right arm. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
[repeated line]
Benjamin Martin:
I have long feared that my sins would return to visit me, and the cost is more than I can bear.
See more »
It's 1776 South Carolina. Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) is a war hero and living in peace on his plantation. His son Gabriel (Heath Ledger) joins the Continental Army without his permission. After a battle, he treats his son Gabriel, and both Regulars and Colonials. The brutal Colonel William Tavington (Jason Isaacs) burns down his plantation and kills his son Thomas (Gregory Smith). This drives him to seek revenge.
Should I ignore the bad history and enjoy the big action? That's the question here. I can ignore demonizing the Brits, or the cartoon villain. Maybe they didn't burn down a church. Maybe the characters are cartoons. Who cares? That's going to happen in any war movie. What I can't stomach is portrayal of slavery. They try to sidestep the issue by proclaiming all the blacks working on the plantation are actually free men. It really rang hollow. I rolled my eyes and tried to move on.
The action is terrific. One thing Roland Emmerich knows is big time action. He doesn't disappoint. I could still side with big action. It's still fun and games. The real Martin be damn. But every time a black person gets a scene, or blacks get a mention, the whole movie grinds up against reality. The movie tries desperately to excuse it away, and it's an awkward attempt every time.
Mel Gibson tries to Braveheart the American revolution. The problem is they run into the problem of slavery. While its good to root for the underdog Scots in Braveheart, the ignored underdog in this movie are actually the slaves. This movie tries to sidestep it and gentrify it up for modern mass consumption. But at some point, the issue cannot be ignored. I've got to say bad history wins out over big action.
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It's 1776 South Carolina. Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) is a war hero and living in peace on his plantation. His son Gabriel (Heath Ledger) joins the Continental Army without his permission. After a battle, he treats his son Gabriel, and both Regulars and Colonials. The brutal Colonel William Tavington (Jason Isaacs) burns down his plantation and kills his son Thomas (Gregory Smith). This drives him to seek revenge.
Should I ignore the bad history and enjoy the big action? That's the question here. I can ignore demonizing the Brits, or the cartoon villain. Maybe they didn't burn down a church. Maybe the characters are cartoons. Who cares? That's going to happen in any war movie. What I can't stomach is portrayal of slavery. They try to sidestep the issue by proclaiming all the blacks working on the plantation are actually free men. It really rang hollow. I rolled my eyes and tried to move on.
The action is terrific. One thing Roland Emmerich knows is big time action. He doesn't disappoint. I could still side with big action. It's still fun and games. The real Martin be damn. But every time a black person gets a scene, or blacks get a mention, the whole movie grinds up against reality. The movie tries desperately to excuse it away, and it's an awkward attempt every time.
Mel Gibson tries to Braveheart the American revolution. The problem is they run into the problem of slavery. While its good to root for the underdog Scots in Braveheart, the ignored underdog in this movie are actually the slaves. This movie tries to sidestep it and gentrify it up for modern mass consumption. But at some point, the issue cannot be ignored. I've got to say bad history wins out over big action.