Sometimes it's hard to be a Scotsman

Rating: 6/10 (24 April 2010)

There are times when a movie can be watched for its pure entertainment value, but it's usually when we're talking about epic scale fantasy-land type stories. With historical adaptations, it would be a refreshing change if movie studios, writers and directors could actually stick to facts for once in a while.
Too often, we get served a mishmash of explosions and/or overly dramatic performances trying to make up for the lack of any real acting talent. Braveheart is one of those ilk and as a Scotsman and student of history, I can't get past the blatant revision of important events in a vain attempt to make up for a terrible script, distinctly average direction and an accent that would get you killed if you used it in any bar in Scotland.
This film is rescued by some great cinematography, but there is really no need to redo the story of William Wallace, as the truth is every bit as dramatic as this pandering to an American audience's need for the hero to be a glorious warrior for justice and almost without sin. It seems to be that 'Hollywood' can't seem to realise that anti-heroes, as the real Wallace was, can be every bit as entertaining, if not more engrossing for their character flaws, than these sanitised, lily-white warped reflections could ever be.