It has to be one of the more underrated works John Williams has done. It is the shining aspect of this film and I cannot compliment it enough. Of course, this is the work of John Williams and it goes extraordinarily well when paired with this film. It's also to be noted that the soundtrack for this film is amazing. The actors that portray the various British officers in this film do put on a bit of a James Bond villain performance and it does get a little distracting, but there is some complexity in the writing at times that makes up for that in those moments.
Mel Gibson found his niche after Braveheart and went with it and his performance here translates incredibly well. The acting performances aren't bad at all. But since the shots don't dwell too much on them, it's not too bi a deal, I believe. Some of the computer generated blue screen backgrounds don't look very convincing, especially when they go to Charles Town at the beginning of the film. Speaking of the CG effects, they are looking a bit dated now. The action sequences are exciting to watch and the scale of the battles are appropriate enough where there aren't noticeable CGI people also partaking in the fight. The Patriot is an impressive looking film, I believe. But as a piece of popular cinema, I don't think this film's intention is to be historically accurate anyway. By now, many have already meticulously picked apart its inaccuracies so I won't really dwell on it too much. From a historical standpoint, The Patriot is about as historically accurate as Braveheart - that meaning that it really isn't. To sum this film up neatly, it is a retelling of the story we know in Braveheart, with some alterations and being slightly worse.
After seeing it again recently, I think I have a more coherent idea of how I feel about this film. The Patriot is a film that I've always had mixed feelings about.