Review: The Patriot

Steven Seagal is a former CIA virologist who turned his back on that career after finding out what his work was really being used for. Now he’s a GP in small town in Montana, raising his young daughter (Camilla Belle) and favours more holistic medicines than those from the big pharmaceutical companies. Meanwhile, not far from Seagal’s ranch, nutbar militia leader Gailard Sartain (who has a loyal band of dead-head redneck followers) has just been captured by the FBI and jailed. Unfortunately, Sartain has also injected himself with a deadly virus as well as its antidote, infecting pretty much the whole town. Seagal, doctor, friend to the Native American community, and butt-kicker, is called in to save the day, with daughter Belle also playing an important part. Silas Weir-Mitchell is Sartain’s right-hand man, whilst western veteran L.Q. Jones plays Seagal’s grizzled old pal.

 

This 1998 direct-to-video actioner from Aussie journeyman Dean Semler (who directed the bland “Firestorm”) is a better attempt at a Steven Seagal flick with a greenie message than “On Deadly Ground”. Which is to say it’s not really any good, but it could’ve been worse. At least with this film, Seagal has a competent hand behind the camera in director Semler, as opposed to the hacks he’d work with in the years following. The film’s technical competence (it looks pretty terrific) puts it mildly ahead of the bottom of the Seagal pile, despite some serious flaws.

 

There’s no doubt that at this point in his career Seagal had become more interested in social and/or environmental issues than making entertaining action movies, and thus you get rather dull and clichéd films like this. Whilst the emphasis on social issues and greenie mumbo-jumbo makes for a pretty boring affair, what’s worse is the casting of the main villain. It’s really hard to take anything in this film remotely seriously when your main baddie is the fat chef from the “Ernest” movies, one Gailard Sartain. Sure, he was effective enough as a racist redneck sheriff in “Mississippi Burning”, but that film had him amongst real pros like Michael Rooker, Brad Dourif, R. Lee Ermey, and Stephen Tobolowsky to do most of the heavy lifting in the evil department. Here he needed to be far more menacing and credible, and he fails miserably as a pre-Alex Jones right-wing nut. The underrated Silas Weir-Mitchell steals the show as Sartain’s cohort, but he’s not able to hide, nor enough to forgive Sartain’s obvious miscasting, among the worst cases of miscasting I’ve ever seen. This guy just ain’t threatening to anyone and is a lot more laughable (unintentionally) than he was in any of the “Ernest” films (And I don’t even hate “Ernest Goes to Camp”!). He’s also further diminished by his character’s blatant stupidity and cowardice. He should’ve been prepared to die along with his followers, but he’s relying on an antidote...that doesn’t work! Dumb-arse! L.Q. Jones is a solid hand in support but the role isn’t anything of interest. As for our star, Seagal has given far worse performances than the one he gives here. It’s a good day when he actually decides to give one in the first place let alone loop his own dialogue. However, if you’re looking for bone-crunching Seagal mayhem, you’re gonna be sorely disappointed. He’s just not interested in that kind of thing here, though at least he seems to be doing the action without the aid of a body double. The film is mostly about Steve’s environmental concerns, his love of the Native Americans, and interest in holistic medicines. Fine, but why ask us to endure it, Steve?

 

A competently staged but flat, uninspired, and dull film with far too much emphasis on (crummy) dialogue. With more action and a far more credible villain, this might’ve been OK, if not nearly up to the standard of “Hard to Kill” and “Under Siege”. As is it joins “Submerged”, “Mercenary for Justice”, “Against the Dark”, and “The Glimmer Man” in the Steven Seagal Hall of Mediocrity. Like I said, there’s worse company to be in, but it ends up of little merit. Even followers of holistic medicine and anti-corporation types will likely get a bit bored by it. The social issues brought up are pretty half-arsed in execution it must be said. The screenplay is by unknowns M. Sussman and John Kingswell, from a story by Sussman. Apparently both are pseudonyms and neither has any other IMDb credits.

 

Rating: C