The Patriot, the American 1775-1781 War of Independence epic starring Mel Gibson, is the subject of much controversy worldwide. So what is all the fuss about?

Spike Lee hates it and many Britons are taking issue with it. It's a big-budget, summer smash-hit, blockbuster war epic. So why is The Patriot provoking such venom? The Patriot is a big, big movie with a big, big star, tackling a big, big subject. But, as is increasingly the way in Hollywood, such minor details as history and factual detail, take a backseat to the stuff that gets millions of moviegoers into cinemas. The Patriot's ace card is Mel Gibson. Everyone loves Mel, right? Even if you think his films are toss, which many of them are, you can't resist that cheeky grin, those world-weary wrinkles and those rippling biceps. Mel's a hero, no question, from Braveheart to Lethal Weapon to the wacky rooster in Chicken Run. He was born to save the day, climb the mountains, slash the swords, lead the charge, get the girl, beat the baddies and so on. So we've got Mel, good start. All we need now is a story, one that'll appeal to an American market, because, HEY, that's where the munzo is! Here's a goo

d one: a story based on one of the heroes of the American War of Independence.

British critics have been none too impressed with The Patriot's inaccuracies either, particularly a scene in which two children murder a British soldier. Also displeasing is the manner in which the British are portrayed - as blood-thirsty killers next to the virtuous bravado of the American militia. "With their own record of killing 12 million American Indians and supporting slavery for four decades after the British abolished it, Americans wish to project their historical guilt onto someone else,'" said historian Andrew Roberts in the Daily Express newspaper. Gibson himself is no stranger to criticism of this manner, having been already attacked by Scottish historians for inaccuracies in Braveheart. And he has already conceded that The Patriot is not factually correct in its details in an interview with The Sunday Times. "This is not historically accurate. In the broad strokes, yes - on other levels, it is sheer fantasy. It's a movie. It's a good thing that historians are going to harangue this and say, 'It's not accurate.' Good. It'll make somebody pick up a book.''

Mel plays Benjamin Martin, and Benjamin

Some common words found in the essay are:
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