I remember trying to start the Amazon Prime Original, Patriot sometime ago. For whatever reason, I didn’t make it past the first episode…I have no idea why! Thanks to a recent post in TV & Movie Addicts on Facebook it put Patriot back on the list and I couldn’t be happier or more upset that I have let this series slide for so long
Patriot tells the story of John Tavner, a man in his 30’s pretending to work at an industrial engineering company when really he is working as an Intelligence Officer for the United States government. He is put on a simple mission, to deliver a bag of money to help a politician in Iran fight against nuclear weapons. But things don’t go according to plan. This starts off an unpredictable and often hilarious chain of events
Another great thing about Patriot is their approach to an Original Sound Track.
As well as some classics, Patriot is drenched in beautiful folk music, played and sung by our lead character, John (Michael Dorman). The only problem is…his songwriting is a way of venting. He can’t tell anyone he is an intelligence officer but It’s all in the lyrics of the songs he writes. And he really doesn’t care. Either that or he just doesn’t notice. He gets up in singer/songwriting nights and bleeds his little folking heart out to the listeners who all seem to be lost in the melody and not realising how dark and fucked up the lyrics are.
Michael Dorman (Triangle) is such a terrific actor. You really feel his sorrow, and he doesn’t have to even open his mouth. Every mission he has been on has had a devastating effect on him. He carries this unbearable torment around with him everywhere he goes. You really just wanna give the guy a hug and tell him everything is going to be okay.
You can not mention how great this series is and not mention its amazing supporting cast including the great Kurtwood Smith (RoboCop, That 70’s Show).
Written by Steve Conrad who is responsible for some great deadpan comedies throughout the years including The Weatherman starring Nicolas Cage.
There are two seasons of Patriot for you to enjoy on Amazon Prime. I hope you enjoy and laugh as much as I did.
Turns out a certain Mr Albert Cheng (co-head of Amazon TV) cancelled this series after 2 seasons. You, sir, got this one wrong!. They could do so much more with this amazing cast and series.
As always, thanks for reading.
Words by Gary Gamble
Founder/Owner/BigCheese @ Moviehooker
