A flurry of emotions to move you in every direction (at least once)

Rating: 10/10 (13 December 2004)

Unfortunately, I have yet to find a film of quite this caliber again. Braveheart contains elements of Romance (several heart- wrenching and warming instances), Epic/Action (spectacular scenes), Mystery (can take a few viewings to put it all together), History (albeit romanticised) and of course Drama (perfectly unravelled). This level of uncompromised multi-tasking allows the film to move you to laugh and cry, love and hate or even to think and be taught. I'm trying to avoid the clichés of glowing reviews (almost as bad as entirely negative ones) - but this is one of the few movies that I feel deserves one.
The witty banter between friends/foes/lovers/relatives is, in my opinion, flawless and aids the film's claim as a true classic. The soundtrack is similarly top-notch and encapsulates and refracts the patriotic theme during several key moments. The political sub-plot and gorgeous scenery also serve as refreshers during otherwise heavy areas of the story. Perhaps Braveheart's only flaw (but if you share my sentiments it's actually a bonus) is its length so you'll want to prepare a comfy seat and maybe even two pots of tea (complete with cosies!).
I suppose it's also relevant to touch on the historic inaccuracies as I expect this is what people might dislike most about this film. However, "History is written by those who have hanged heroes"; also, the overall sketchiness of such periods coupled with the right of artistic license are enough for me to personally dismiss such thoughts. On that note, I hope you also enjoy what, to me, is the greatest film created (so far).