Mel Gibson has a pretty credible American accent, I’ll give him that. But that’s pretty much where the credibility in The Patriot ends. The historical aspects of it are a bit goofy, the portrayal of the British ridiculously one-sided, and much of the plot is predictable melodrama. But once one starts thinking of it more in terms of Zorro than Glory, it becomes a fairly enjoyable romp through Revolutionary War Lite. It’s worth seeing for entertainment, but not if you really want to learn anything about history. Looking at Roland Emmerich’s Film History gives you a pretty good idea of what to expect: Independence Day with rifles.