The Patriot

In the 2000 historical war epic The Patriot, Mel Gibson stars as Benjamin Martin, a haunted French and Indian War veteran living peacefully as a widowed father of seven on his South Carolina plantation.When the American Revolution erupts in 1776, Benjamin staunchly opposes joining the fight, desperate to protect his family from the horrors of combat he knows all too well.However, his idealistic eldest son, Gabriel (Heath Ledger), defiantly enlists in the Continental Army.The war hits devastatingly close to home when the ruthless British Colonel William Tavington (Jason Isaacs) arrives on Martin's doorstep, executes one of his sons, and burns his estate to the ground.Driven by grief and a fierce desire for vengeance, Benjamin takes up arms and assumes command of a ragtag colonial militia, utilizing brutal guerrilla tactics to disrupt the British campaign.