The Patriot (1998)

July 10, 1998 (US) • Action, Thriller • 90m

Overview

A deadly virus threatens to wipe out an entire Rocky Mountain town, leaving the town doctor to find some way to escape the soldiers who enforce the town's quarantine and devise an antidote. Matters take a more deadly turn after the physician is captured by a dangerously unstable band of militia extremists.

Director

Dean Semler

Writers

William Heine, M. Sussman, John Kingswell

Top Billed

Steven Seagal

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Top Billed Cast

Steven Seagal

Wesley McClaren

Gailard Sartain

Floyd Chisolm

Silas Weir Mitchell

Pogue

Camilla Belle

Holly McClaren

Dan Beene

Richard Bach

Damon Collazo

Lt. Johnson

L.Q. Jones

Frank

Brad Leland

Big Bob

Molly McClure

Molly

Douglas Sebern

Judge Tomkins

Ross Loney

Clem

Robert Harvey

Col. Harvey

Ayako Fujitani

McClaren's Assistant

Leonard Mountain Chief

Grandpa

Philip Winchester

Young Militiaman

Crew

Julius R. Nasso

Producer

Nile Niami

Producer

William Heine

Novel

Avram Butch Kaplan

Executive Producer

M. Sussman

Screenstory

Patrick D. Choi

Producer

Stephen F. Windon

Director of Photography

M. Sussman

Screenplay

John Kingswell

Screenplay

Steven Seagal

Producer

Derek Brechin

Editor

Eve Cauley

Production Design

Howard Baldwin

Producer

Victor Hwang

Producer

Dane Farwell

Stunts

Joe Bucaro III

Stunts

Stephen Edwards

Original Music Composer

Dean Semler

Director

Heather Burton-Gibson

Stunts

Michael Wood

Special Effects Coordinator

Dan DiPrima

Music Editor

Jon Johnson

Supervising Sound Editor

Mark L. Mangino

Sound Editor

Tim Eckel

Art Direction

David Atherton

Key Makeup Artist

Sandy Gendler

Supervising Sound Editor

Michael Chandler

Sound Editor

Shari Rhodes

Casting

Rosanna Norton

Costume Design

Mark A. Lanza

Sound Editor

Jon H. Epstein

Stunt Coordinator

Diana R. Lupo

Stunts

Diana Lee Inosanto

Stunts

Troy Robinson

Stunts

Karen Elise Baldwin

Associate Producer

Jeff Flach

Associate Producer

Doug Metzger

Co-Producer

Phillip B. Goldfine

Associate Producer

Christie Garan

Makeup Artist

Doreen Vantyne

Hairstylist

Juliet Loveland

Makeup Artist

Mary L. Hart-Mastro

Hair Designer

Douglas Kahelemauna Nam

Associate Producer

Daniel Loren May

Set Decoration

Paul Mones

Co-Producer

Kristina Vogel

Makeup Artist

Bruce Stubblefield

Dialogue Editor

Scott G.G. Haller

Dialogue Editor

Danny Rogers

Stunts

Brian Wood

Special Effects

Reviews

Wuchak

⭐ 6/10

April 2, 2025

**_Steven Seagal tackles a rebel militia group and a fatal virus in scenic Montana_**

A holistic doctor in the town of Ennis (Seagal) seeks to find a cure to a deadly disease unleashed by an unhinged paramilitary leader (Gailard Sartain). Meanwhile, a Federal biological response team seals off the area.

"The Patriot” (1998) smacks of a Western-in-the-modern-day, just meshed with elements of “Outbreak” from 3 years earlier. It’s no where near as compelling as that movie (which had twice the budget), but there’s quite a bit to appreciate, like the southwest Montana locations, the commentary on lethal viruses, the expected action sequences and the focus on medicinal plants & traditional medicine over popping pills, not to mention dubious vaccines.

Since Seagal is a Conservative who readily exposed the LIEberal “Russian Collusion” propaganda, I wouldn’t take the militia side plot as a demonization of militias or Conservatives. Seagal’s character in the story makes it clear that even a generally positive group of people can be tainted by a wacko leader and misled. The script simply needed a villain and, since there’s no ANTIFA-like groups in small town Montana, the writers opted for the easy target of a militia organization.

There’s a siege at the beginning reminiscent of the 51-day Waco siege in 1993, which involved the FBI & ATF’s controversial handling of the Branch Davidian compound. McVeigh had visited Waco during that siege and later described the Fed fiasco as a major factor in his radicalization. I’m sure Gailard Sartain’s character in the story, Floyd Chisolm, was modeled after someone like McVeigh.

This marked the beginning of Seagal’s second decade as a lead actor (he starred in ten movies in the previous ten years, 1988-1997, not including his cameo in “My Giant”). The $25 million budget is quite less than the $60 million it cost to make “Under Siege 2,” but it’s way more than his more recent direct-to-video flicks, which cost $5-6 million or less. Yet $25 million is more than enough to make a competent picture, keeping in mind that his most famous film, “Under Siege,” only cost $5 million more than that.

It runs 1 hour, 30 minutes, and was shot in Ennis, Montana, as well as nearby Bozeman, which is an hour’s drive to the northwest.

GRADE: B-

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Status

Released

Original Language

Budget

$25,000,000

Revenue

—

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The Patriot (1998)

William Heine, M. Sussman, John Kingswell

Where to watch

Top Billed Cast

Crew

Reviews

Wuchak

Status

Original Language

Budget

Revenue

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