Overlong and overrated

Rating: 7/10 (15 February 2016)

Solid flick but nowhere near as good as epics such as Gladiator or 300. Mel Gibson is simply irritating as William Wallace and, although the battle sequences are undeniably awesome, the majority of the film is far too drawn out and the ridiculous run time makes it difficult to maintain concentration throughout. I did enjoy the film immensely but I have given it such a low rating due to its wasted potential to be like some of my favourite films of all time, and despite only being from 1995 it already feels incredibly dated like a film from the eighties or even seventies may. Enjoyable performances from Sons of Anarchy's Tommy Flanagan and James Cosmo, as well as a personal favourite Brendan Gleeson.