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The film opens in 1987, with Jack Campbell, played by Nicolas Cage, preparing to board his plane for an internship at a London bank. As Campbell and his college girlfriend Kate (Tea Leoni) say farewell, Kate begs him to stay, but Jack gets on his plane anyway. Their relationship ends while he is in London and Jack goes on to become the President of a large Wall Street company. While walking home from work on Christmas Eve thirteen years later, Campbell has an encounter with an angel, who gives him a "glimpse." This "glimpse" shows Jack what his life would be like if he and Kate were still together, and, in the end, Jack must choose between his life of riches and loneliness, or a life filled with family and love.

The central idea of the film is to show that a person who is rich in material objects often lacks more important things. It says that these things include being surrounded by people who care about you and having someone to love. Before Campbell's "glimpse," his only motivation is money and most of the movie is filmed at his office, showing he does not have much of a life outside of it. Without a second thought, he calls an emergency meeting with his staff at noon on Christmas, causing them to leave their families and come in to the office. The movie successfully shows the struggle between money and family because this is a theme to which the audience can relate.

The director is able to keep the audience's attention throughout the movie through the use of humor. Lassiter (Josef Sommer), the owner of the company, when asked why he is still at the office on Christmas Eve replies "because I'm a heartless bastard who only cares about money." In doing this, the director, while still concentrating on the theme of the movie, keeps the viewer watching. In doing these things and more, the director creates a film that is not only entertaining to watch, but also one that carries a message about life and happiness.

The film begins with Benjamin Martin, played by Mel Gibson, foreseeing the coming of the Revolutionary War. Martin was a hero for the Americans in the French and Indian War and has a personal knowledge of what war is like. While he supports the ideals of the rebels, Martin does not support the war because he fears for his family. One of Martin's sons is then killed by a British Colonel (Jason Isaacs), and this inspires him to join the war effort. Martin and his eldest son form a militia and carry out a series of guerrilla-style attacks on the British. Martin is motivated by revenge on the Colonel and the film culminates in a battle between Martin and the Colonel.

The central idea of the film is to show how war affects people on an individual level rather than on a broader scale, and this approach is very effective. It presents Martin as a man who struggles to hold his family together in the midst of a war. Within the family, the movie focuses on the father-son relationship between Martin and his eldest son, Gabriel, played by Heath Ledger. Through the battles that they fight side-by-side and in their conversation about love, Benjamin and Gabriel become closer than they had ever been. This theme of the family is an aspect to which everyone can relate and allows "The Patriot" to hit close to home.

Many elements of the film are outstanding, including the director's use of the beautiful South Carolina countryside. Also, many scenes are shot at dusk, which causes the viewer to pay more attention to detail. The casting is excellent-Gibson appears to have a connection with the children that only a real father could portray. Especially commendable is the way in which the director uses camera shots to focus on what he wants the viewer to see. Many times in this movie the actions between the characters show us more about their relationships than does the dialogue. "The Patriot" uses these aspects and more to superbly show the effect that the American Revolution had on this family.