The Patriot

The 1998 American action thriller directed by Dean Semler follows Dr. Wesley McClaren (Steven Seagal), a former immunologist and herbal medicine practitioner residing in the small town of Ennis, Montana. When a deadly virus outbreak occurs, McClaren discovers that the disease was deliberately released by local militia leader Floyd Chisolm (Gailard Sartain), who infected himself believing he possessed a vaccine. After Chisolm contaminates a judge during a hearing, the virus spreads rapidly, leading to quarantine and panic. McClaren, his daughter Holly (Camilla Belle), and Dr. Ann White Cloud (Whitney Yellow Robe) find that Holly and Ann have natural immunity due to consuming tea made from a local wild herb. Utilizing this discovery, McClaren develops a cure and, despite militia attacks, distributes it to the townspeople, saving the community from the epidemic. The film, based on William C. Heine's novel "The Last Canadian," was Seagal's first direct-to-video release in the U.S. and received mixed reviews from critics.