Review of Braveheart (1995) by Jess T — 23 Feb 2015

Much has been written about the historical inaccuracies of Braveheart (you can find all that on the Wikipedia), I won't harp on them, but needless to say this movie is almost entirely a work of fiction based on a person from a place without any of the actual facts of his life story. So you have to decide when watching a flick like this: are you going to be a cynic or a romantic?

This melodramatic anti-imperialist tale is ridiculously violent and ridiculously long, but still I can't deny that I enjoyed it. features villainy of such cartoonish heights that I'm surprised the King wasn't twisting his mustache. You get a glimpse of the martyr torture porn that Gibson would later "perfect" in The Passion of The Christ. (You also get a glimpse of how insane he always was.) Amid all the darkness he still somehow manages to insert humor and romance that balances out a war movie that appeals to both men & women. Even if you don't buy into the overlong, fictional storyline there is still the joy sweeping romance of a commoner standing up to an evil empire.