ny ending, however, cannot entirely make up for the violence done to Benjamin's family. Not only has he lost a young son to British bullets; also, Gabriel has been stabbed to death by the film's villain, a British officer who has burned Gabriel's fiancee to death, too. Hard to forget as well is the brutality that Benjamin displayed when he rescued Gabriel earlier from execution. At that moment, even Benjamin's sons are appalled by the relentless cruelty of his assault on British soldiers. Moreover, after committing this violence, Benjamin admits to Gabriel that he was similarly monstrous as a participant in the French and Indian War. Nevertheless, as difficult as it may be for us viewers to ignore Benjamin's family losses and his lust for bloodshed, the film's conclusion seems designed to leave us feeling upbeat. As his newly-restored family gathers around the foundations of their new house, Benjamin stands as a largely admirable and successful patriarch.
             The film's dominant tendency to idealize its hero
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