Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson) was a hero in the French & Indian War, and people still buy him drinks wherever he goes. However, he did some gruesome things he’s not proud of during that battle that still haunt him, and that he doesn’t want to talk about. Martin’s wife passed away three years ago, leaving him the single father of 7 children. He enjoys his quiet life on his plantation in South Carolina, but it’s 1776 and a war is brewing with the British. While Martin believes in freedom, he has his family to worry about, and since he is not willing to put them in harm’s way, he won’t force others to fight on his behalf by casting a vote for South Carolina to join in the cause. But Martin’s eldest, 18-year-old Gabriel (Heath Ledger), is eager to join the Continentals and fight for the cause.

Once the war arrives in his own front yard, Martin can’t ignore it any more. He soon crosses paths with the ruthless Col. William Tavington (Jason Isaacs) of the British forces, a despicable man who feels no qualms about ordering unarmed women and children to be brutally massacred. Tavington’s actions cause a personal tragedy for Martin, which ignites a fire in him, turning him into the “Ghost” he once was—a one-man army who can single-handedly take out a battalion of 20 soldiers with his rifle and hatchet. The Americans are losing the fight using the traditional methods of warfare. They are outnumbered by the British, and can’t possibly win if they continue what they are doing. So Martin calls in the militia to join him, and trains them in his sneakier ways of combat. They quickly become a thorn in the side of Gen. Lord Charles Cornwallis (Tom Wilkinson). However, Tavington is more than willing to play dirty, and has a few tricks up his own sleeve to quash this rebellion.

I first saw The Patriot when it was released in theaters nearly 18 years ago, and the film still holds up quite well today. Roland Emmerich is great making epic action films with heartfelt stories at their core, and he works his magic one again with this Revolutionary War tale. Mel Gibson gives an outstanding performance, both physically and emotionally. You really see the grief and despair in his eyes as he embarks on his mission of revenge. Jason Isaacs also makes a stellar villain, making the viewer absolutely despise Tavington and his brutal, gruesome methods. The film is nearly three hours long, but never really feels like it is moving slowly or stumbles. The film is action packed, and emotionally brutal at times, but the writers also mix in a bit of levity here and there to break up the tension and lighten the mood. I have seen this movie so many times, but I still thoroughly enjoy it each time.

This is the fourth home video release of this title that I’ve owned—the theatrical cut DVD, the extended version DVD, the Blu-ray, and now the 4K UltraHD. The 4K upgrade yields mixed results. Much of the film looks significantly more detailed and more cinematic that the previous releases. However, there are some scenes that come off more hazy and muddled. These less successful scenes tend to be those where there was heavy use of special effects. One of the scenes that I had a problem was a battle sequence that was completely computer-generated (according to one of the bonus features)—the action is not as clear or detailed as some other scenes. I also saw similar issues with other establishing shots that appeared to make use of special effects. The audio track also receives an upgrade in this release, but it is more consistent. From the booming film score by John Williams, to the sounds of explosions overhead, and the enveloping cheers of the patriots in the assembly room, the Dolby Atmos audio track does an excellent job of making the viewer feel a part of on-screen action.

The 4K Ultra HD release comes packed in a standard UHD keepcase along with a cardboard slipcover. Inside are the 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray discs, plus the digital copy redemption instructions (the digital copy redeems in UHD format). The 4K disc contains only the theatrical cut of the film while the Blu-ray contains only the extended cut. The Blu-ray is identical to the previously-released disc. While the 4K disc doesn’t contain any new bonus material, it does includes all of the material that was on the previous home video releases, including the features that were dropped from the DVD releases for the Blu-ray. These DVD features have been upscaled with varying degrees of success. The bonus material includes a director/producer commentary, 6 deleted scenes, two behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast/crew/historians, a visual effects demonstration, and a photo gallery.

What’s Included:

Film:

4K Ultra HD (Theatrical Cut, 2:44:46):

• 2160p / Widescreen 2.40:1
• HDR10
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Compatible), English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1, German 5.1, Hungarian 5.1, Italian 5.1, Japanese 5.1, Portuguese 5.1, Russian 5.1, Spanish (Castilian) 5.1, Spanish (Latin American) 5.1, Thai 5.1
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, Germany Greek, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish (Castilian), Spanish (Latin American), Swedish, Turkish

Blu-ray (Extended Cut, 2:55:06):

• 1080p / Widescreen 2.40:1
• Audio: English PCM 5.1 (Uncompressed), English 5.1, French 5.1, Czech 5.1, Polish 5.1
• Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Dutch, Czech, Polish, Arabic, Bulgarian, Croatian, Danish, Finnish, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Korean, Norwegian, Romanian, Slovene, Swedish, Turkish, Spanish, Portuguese,

Digital (Redemption Deadline 12/31/2020):

• Digital Copy Redeemable via Movies Anywhere, Vudu, or Sony Pictures Store. Redeeming in Movies Anywhere will unlock 4K in your Movies Anywhere account. Redeeming in Vudu will only give you HD in Movies Anywhere and Ultraviolet, so do not use this option. Redeeming in Sony Pictures Store will unlock 4K in your Ultraviolet account, but will initially only port to Movies Anywhere as HD until either Vudu or Fandango Now offers this title in 4K. Unless you need the 4K in Ultraviolet (if using shared accounts), the best option is to redeem in Movies Anywhere, which will give 4K access via iTunes and HD elsewhere until the other MA services offer the title in 4K.

Extras:
All bonus features have been ported from previous DVD & Blu-ray releases of the film. All features can be found in the 4K disc, but only the items marked with an * are also available on the Blu-ray disc.

• Commentary (2:44:46)
  Director Roland Emmerich and producer Dean Devlin provide an entertaining audio commentary for the theatrical cut of the film. They share some interesting stories and behind-the-scenes anecdotes about the production, talk about where effects were used, talk about the cast, and more.
• The Art of War* (9:45)
  A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film’s battle and fight sequences. Those interviewed include director Roland Emmerich, stunt coordinator R.A. Rondell, and stars Mel Gibson (“Benjamin Martin”), Heath Ledger (“Gabriel Martin”) and Jason Isaacs (“Col. William Tavington”). Presented in full frame windowbox format on the Blu-ray, widescreen letterboxed on the UHD.
• The True Patriots* (9:57)
  The filmmakers talk about keeping the film authentic to the period and history. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with screenwriter Robert Rodat, historian Rex Ellis, costume designer Deborah Scott, and producers Mark Gordon & Dean Devlin. Presented in full frame format.
• Visual Effects Featurette (9:20)
  Various narrated demonstrations showing how layers of computer-generated special effects were used to create shots in the film. The first example demonstrates increasing the size of the army, and making it look like a soldier’s head is being taken off by a cannonball. The second example shows a 3000 soldier battle. The third example shows how the sets were augmented with computer generated sets and green screens. And the final example shows a sea battle. Presented in a stretched/cropped widescreen format.
• Deleted Scenes (13:01)
  Collection of 6 deleted scenes with optional commentary by director Roland Emmerich and producer Dean Devlin. Some of these appear in the extended cut of the film that’s availabke on the Blu-ray disc. Play All, or select from “The Creek” (2:34), “The Aftermath” (1:16), “Birth of the Ghost/The Funeral” (2:33), “The Butcher” (1:56), “The Heart of a Villain” (2:55), and “Wait For My Order” (1:45). Presented in letterboxed widescreen format.
• Conceptual Art to Film Comparisons (4:48)
  Montage set to a Revolutionary score. Shots of the conceptual are followed by matching shots from the film. Presented in letterboxed widescreen format.
• Photo Gallery
  Manually step through a gallery of production photos or launch a slidesho.
• Theatrical Trailer (2:39)

Final Thoughts:

The Patriot is one of my all-time favorite Revolutionary War films (if not war films in general)—it has all the action and excitement of a war film, along with a heartfelt story of family at its core. Sony has done a really great job with this 4K UltraHD release. The new picture is an improvement over the Blu-ray, thought it is a bit of a mixed bag at times—but when it gets it right, things look phenomenal. The new Dolby Atmos soundtrack is also a delight, and really brings the viewer into the on-screen action. While there are no new bonus materials included in this release, the DVD features that had been left on the cutting room floor for the Blu-ray release have been restored, and all are available right on the 4K disc. It is very easy for me to recommend this amazing film. If you don’t already own a copy, this is certainly the version to pick up!