RateItAll: The Opinion Network

omg loved it

Mel Gibson's very best work. Apart from the historical accuracy of a semi-mythical character from Scotlands distant past it was a thrilling picture in every sense. The big battle scene was amazing and would be very hard to show more realistic carnage. Undoubtably helped sell a lot of big swords.

This movie isn't just blood and guts. There is a story behind it all and that is what makes the movie amazing.

There is this commoner, named William Wallace, who wants so badly to be free, yet he has no support from the Scottish nobles. There is however this one Scottsman named Robert The Bruce who sees eye to eye with William, and wants to do what is right but also doesn't want to risk upsetting the rest of the nobles. William wins a few battles against the English and still, the ones in power in Scotland do not support him and ultimately are bought out by the English. After realizing this, William is distraught and captured by the English after the nobles lay a trap on him. They turn over William to the English so that Robert The Bruce can become king (some sort of reward for William's capture) butstill with English having control in Scotland. William is beheaded and all he has fought for is lost. The nobles and the soon to be king Robert The Bruce meet the English at Bannockburn to accept their endorsement of his crown. Robert, realizing what he has to do, does not let William down and turns against the English and nobles, and leads an army of rag-tag soldiers down the battlefield to kill the English and to finally free Scotland, thus ending our epic film.

I cannot but into better words the impact this movie has, it is just INCREDIBLE.

Worth the time.

good movie but Mel's lost his mind

One of my absolute favorite movies of all time - the acting, the story, the costumes, the scenery, the music - FABULOUS!

Mel Gibson was decent.

the battle scenes are good but most of the story wasn't very historically accurate

Gotta love it... I'm mostly Scottish!

Crazy Mel....

One of the greats. Hugely entertaining and poignant. The battle scenes are unrivaled.

Loved the bare butts

I like Mel but I am too sqeamish to enjoy some parts of this film, entirely to depressing and graphic.

Horribly historically inaccurate, but a great action movie as long as you're just looking to be entertained.

LOVED IT! i would so recommend it

Good movie, it is lengthy, and Mel Gibson does a good job, not sure it is historically accurate, but few movies are especially if they want to appeal to box office crowds. Certainly entertaining and keeps your interest and that is the point of watching a movie.

A total fairy-tale bearing precious little resemblance to Scottish history, which is a pity since there was much for Scots to be proud of in their struggle against the English. Wallace was as cruel and merciless as Edward: no hero, merely a ruthless tribal chief bent on survival. Great battle scenes though, fairy-tale or not!

Overall one of my favorite movies. At times gut-wrenching, you will feel a true empathy for the characters in their plight. Rather historically accurate (for a Mel Gibson film), great acting (like, in my opinion, all Mel Gibson films).

Still holds up after 12 years. The battle scenes are true epics. I got choked up at the end, and this NEVER happens.

Dude.. this is the best film ever made. I have yet to watch this movie and not be inspired

I enjoyed this flick, but I realize that it was not exactly historical. I enjoy it for the spirit of nationalism that it helped contribute to the Scots. King Edward I was a frightful character, and I think he is portrayed quite accurately. The defenestration scene of his son's adviser is priceless.

"Every man dies, not every man really lives."

Mel Gibonson stars and directs this sweeping saga about scotlands brutal battle for independance in the 13 century.
When William Wallaces wife is savagely murdered by english troops, his quest for revenge quickly turns into an impassioned fight for his countrys freedaom!

It is a great film and it really gets to you!

This is the ultimate in Guy's movies. Mel does a great job with his portrayal of the lead character. He shows great depth to the character, more than just a blood thirsty barbarian. He is a man of passion.

An enjoyable fim, though littered with historical and factual inaccuracies - for example; primae noctis (the right of Noblemen to have intercourse with a new bride on her wedding night) did not exist in Scotland or England, for that matter. The most obvious and glaring omission was the lack of any bridge during The Battle of Stirling Bridge. Mel Gibson later said, when this was pointed out to him, that "the bridge would only have got in the way". Hmm?!

These inaccuracies apart, it is nevertheless worth seeing and remains a good old rousing tale about the fight for freedom and the quest for independence and nationhood. I remember going to my local cinema to see Braveheart shortly after its release in front of a fellow Scottish audience. The theatre was packed. I was amazed at the number of elderly men and women in attendance. Not surprising really as The Scottish press and tv had hyped the movie to the hilt beforehand. The cheers and boos resounded around the theatre during each dramatic turn of events, and if truth be told, filled each of us Scots who viewed the film that evening, with an even greater sense of pride as well as a much greater sense of ourselves.

its a great film with plenty of violence, its certainly not for the squeamish

Historical accuracy aside, I found this to be an entertaining movie. This movie raised the bar as far as intense battle scenes goes and set off all of these "swords and sandles" movies that have come out over the past 10 years.

Good story, good acting, and some pretty good battle scenes.

Historically it was very, very ugly, and Gibson did a horrific job understanding the history of Wallace and Scotland. The portrayal of certain historical figures, like Robert the Bruce, was horrible, but the movie was still effective; sort of like in the same context of Saving Private Ryan, though SPR was better.

A solid movie, if one totally negiates that Wallace was a historic character.

One of my all-time favorites! How can this not be at the top of this list?

Drummond, someone needs to introduce you to Scottish lore. William Wallace is a name ripped straight from oral tradition. I personally found the film to be quite entertaining on all fronts. Also helps when it's Mel Gibson in the lead, and John Williams providing the original score.

Like Gladiator, Braveheart is a cheap imitation of Spartacus. Follows the formula for an "epic," but lacks any depth whatsoever.

Fantastic movie, one of the saddest movies ever. If this one doesn't make you shed a tear, no movie will. Mel Gibson is great and perfect for this role. Every aspect was great, from the battles, to the character development. All around great movie and everyone should see it.

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. Mel's performace is top notch here and the cinematography is breath taking. I agree that the battle scenes are spectacular and broke new ground. I want to add that the score to this film gives me goose bumps. It fits perfectly well with the scenes or just wonderfully as stand alone compositions. The music is just riveting. Mel did a heck of a job telling this story.

This is beyond wretched. Gibson running around with his face painted blue makes me think he's trying to imitate some medieval Glasgow Rangers supporter. An embarrassment to anyone with any real concept of Scottish history or pride.

One of the best movies ever made and if you have any Scottish heritage it will fill you with a lot of pride. The battle scenes are the best I have ever seen. Mel Gibson did an excellent job before and behind the camera. Probably my favorite movie of all time.

Awful film with boring old Mel Gibson. Historically inaccurate. Only good thing is the actor who plays King Edward 1st.

Scotish, I guess its cool to be scotish nowa days. Drop your kilt and play with fire. Kill Kill!

Gibson is God. Awesome movie. the fighting rules

Awful movie with a screwed up history, lots & lots of errors, Mel Gibson (William Wallace)would have been 350 years old with this hollywood boloney....

Inaccurate twaddle.

The most underrated epic of all time. This movie was the first to have the most realistic battles and to corretly portray the dark times of the middle ages. Combined with an unforgetable story, characters, visuals, soundtrack, and scriptline, this makes it my favorite movie. J.R.R. Tolkien based his character Aragorn after the untold story of William Wallace in real life. Those who say this was a bad film have a narrow and bad taste in films because it meets all the standards of an epic. It was included on the top 100 films of the 20th Century lists and won 5 Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Director (Mel Gibson). Some may say it was historically inaccurate but like it said in the film...History is written by those who have hanged heroes. Every man dies, not every man really lives.

I don't understand the appeal of this movie. It wasn't a bad movie but I wouldn't in a million years call it a great movie.

i never thought i'd like this movie, but when i actually was forced to watch it on a flight, i was captivated. Gibson's performance is great, and the supporting cast is just as good. This movie gets you involved: i sympathized with the characters and their situations. the action scenes are great, and i love how it's often a very funny movie

Great Mel Gibson movie. But I didn't believe his character was that passionate about Freedom. The movie could have shown more of the English oppression.

this was an excellent movie. a movie you can watch more then once.

Like every other Scotsman in the world my emotions took a severe beating during this epic. Just a pity it's so inaccurate or it would get a 5

Mel Gibson is the world's biggest twit. His ego is the size of Jupiter. Despite the accolades of millions of people, this movie is not brilliant. It is competent, but it is such a Hollywood piece of trash designed to appeal to the broadest demographic possible. I mean, Americans don't like the British, so let's make them the villains. Americans love the underdog, so let's make a movie about a ragtag bunch of lovable misfits who overcome the odds. Throw in some personal revenge (which Americans love, as they are a vengeful and violent people) and you have the perfect movie for an American audience. After winning an Oscar for this 'guyjerker', Mel went on the make another half-dozen historical epics hoping to recapture the glory. I hope his faux-aussie ass chokes on a sausage.

What an amazing film! Definatly in the top five movies of all time in my book. Mel Gibson did an amazing job acting and directing. has amazing epic battle seguences and an overwhelmingly inspiring. A story of an orphan boy that was raised byb his uncle. When the horrible king longshanks comes into power he is forced to fight for something he has never had FREEDOM. His will for freedom and his hate for the king drive him towards battle and inspiror his men. A masterpiece of a film full of felt emotion. ( rated R for strong graphic violence, language; 2 f-bombs, and sexual content including nudity.)

I thought BRAVEHEART was by far one of the best movies I've seen and is in my opinon one of the best films of the decade.the cinematogrophy was one of it's weak pionts; but the acting was ecellent.Mel Gibson did a great job, though I would not recommend it to who has trouble watching war like movies do to it's graphic content. Otherwise amazing story, great acting and truly inspirational

Excellent movie. This one definitely makes my A list. The scenery is beautifully dressed. The story of William Wallace is legendary in its telling, and the battle scenes are magnificent. If you have not had a chance to rent this movie, do so. You will not be disappointed. I recommend a DVD set to wide screen mode.

The scene where Longshanks tosses the sodomite out the window is worth the price of admission!

Wow! Did you see this one? I have seen it 9 times and it is still good. I recommend seeing this movie while smoking pot. You really think you are in the battlefield chopping arms and legs. Aye.

one of the best films of it's time Mel Gibson was exellent.

Mel Gipson: great actor + great director = awesome movie

its ok, fight scenes good, just a bit too full of stereotypes and a bit too 'hollywood'. yeah, we all know that americans automatically associate an english accent with the bad guys in your movies, but really, i dont quite think all english were pure evil, and all scottish heros without sin or whatever. gibson is annoying, and the whole freedom part was way too cheesy.

I think it is a tribute to the set designers, photographers and Gibson as a director that people complain about the "historical accuracy" of this superior epic film. Clearly, the presentation looked so realistic that some think the story was meant to be equally as realistic. Not exactly true; the William Wallace of legend is the subject here, not the Wallace of history. Wallace is a legendary leader in Scotland in much the same way that Davy Crockett is in the US; both have had their deeds exaggerated. In any case, "Braveheart" is one of the finest films I have ever seen and is also one of the most exciting and satisfying.

Braveheart is an excellent movie. It shouldnt be used for historical accuracy, because the real Braveheart for all we know, could have been a raping monster. The truth is, we dont know what William Wallace was like. Mel Gibson, as usual, was awesome, he even directed the movie. Braveheart isnt just all action- its a mixed movie. it has drama, action, love, etc. One false point- The king really lived for years beyond Wallace's death. The king ended up dying of old age or natural causes in a convoy while the country was still at war with Scotland. Despite this, Braveheart is worth every one of its 180 minutes. Watch it again and again!

too factualy inaccurate

It may not be entirely accurate but it is still one of the best movies out there. An epic about a man from the lowlands of Scotland who challenges the king of England for the love of his deceased wife. A dramatic movie for those that are intelligent enough to see the drama.

A film that celebrates Scottish Pride and the spirit of defiance against medievel English tyranny more than historical accuracy. As others have written, the nature of the oppression against the Scots was reasonably accurate and probably even understated. There are books and articles available on William Wallace and the Scots Common Army. According to most, he was an extremely large man. He was not a commoner, but a lord and a knight in armour to boot. He hated the English and defended his own lands - rather than any notion of a Scottish nation - against them very successfully. He was a very good general. He did defeat the English at Stirling (actually Stirling Bridge), but it was certainly no annihilation - the English Northern Army was about the best in the world, at the time - they were not a bunch of ponces. The film was still pretty ground breaking, particularly the battle seens, which spared nothing and no-one in the depiction of the horrid brutality of medieval warfare.

Overdone, over-acted, but WHAT FUN!! "WHAT WILL YOU DO WITHOUT FREEDOM?" Terrific action sequences. . .although where is the BRIDGE in the Battle of STIRLING BRIDGE?! Oh well, I don't want to be a spoil-sport and point out a few mistakes. A terrific movie.

Mel Gibson really did an amazing job considering he was both actor and director. It really is an impressive movie. I just wish he hadn't been so long winded in telling the story, especially with such a bummer ending.

Who knew that Mel Gibson could write and direct. Truly a riveting, inspirational, and powerful movie that'll be truly a classic!

patriotic movie that touched my heart

Wow! What an entertaining movie. I simply don't understand the people who don't like this movie, but I'll bet to a person they voted for Clinton. It is a roughly accurate historical portrayal of oppressive English colonialism, and the heroic efforts that were undertaken by the oppressed (Scots). The violence was graphic, but certainly in line with the reality of that time. Gibson did a great job on both sides of the camera. Good mix of comedy (Irish character, Stephen) and romance. I can understand those who say that this movie isn't their cup of tea, but anyone who calls it a bad movie has other motives.

This movie alsolutely rules! Awesome music, emotion, battle scenes, etc. It's also loosely based on history. There is a 300-foot statue of William Wallece in Scotland. I'm not a big Mel Gibson fan, but he does a great job in this movie.

While sometimes a little hard to believe (the fictional romance