Synopsis

Reluctant South Carolina farmer Benjamin Martin wants no part in the American Revolution, haunted by the violence of his past. When British forces threaten his family and kill one of his sons, he takes up arms and forms a militia. Drawing on unconventional tactics, Martin leads his neighbors through a brutal campaign that transforms his personal fight for survival into a larger struggle for independence.

Factoids & Trivia

• The production consulted specialists from the Smithsonian Institution about period uniforms, weapons, military formations, household objects, and other details of 18th-century life.

• Although the story is fictional, Benjamin Martin was shaped by several Revolutionary War figures, including South Carolina militia leaders known for irregular warfare.

• Colonel William Tavington is a fictional character partly inspired by the historical British cavalry commander Banastre Tarleton. The film's depiction of Tavington is considerably more extreme than the documented record of Tarleton's actions.

• The church-burning massacre is one of the film's most criticized historical inventions. No equivalent event involving British troops and civilians is documented from the American Revolution.

• Most of the film was shot in South Carolina, including locations in and around Charleston, Chester County, York County, and Moncks Corner.

• The South Carolina production hired approximately 22,100 extras, making the film a major local undertaking.

• The film premiered on June 27, 2000, and opened in U.S. theaters on June 30, 2000.