Siskel & Ebert - Braveheart

At the 68th Academy Awards, Braveheart was nominated for 10 Academy Awards and won 5 including best picture of 1995. Mel Gibson played William Wallace, a late-13th century Scottish warrior during the First War of Scottish Independence. As a history teacher, the historical inaccuracy of the film is troubling, but it is still very enjoyable. Both Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert gave the film a positive review with Siskel in particular enjoying the film's ability to recreate the mood of 700 years ago.

[@gspendlove]

This movie was so historically inaccurate. William Wallace was seven feet tall. He killed men by the hundreds, with fire from his eyes and bolts of lightning from his arse.

[@DebF124]

Lmao true he should have also had a pet dragon

[@danieleskridge3180]

@@DebF124 he should also be louder, angrier and have access to a time machine.

[@commanderkeen3787]

He was also accompanied by a talking pie

[@Mark-yu3pt]

One of my all time favorite movies.

[@Tomlin80iu]

It “is” mine

[@jalobajalo7271]

Moine!

[@MiltonRosso]

One of the most overated movies for me. Just a typical Mel Gibson movie that offers poor scene weave. But it does offer some good camerawork at times.

[@Peter-tg9zv]

In an era of phenomenal epic movies this was just a very good movie. Looking back in 2022 there’s only been like 3 movies in its class ever since.

[@sajunbecker3275]

True, unfortunately the historical epic genre is all but dead in this era of homogenous franchise mush. I thought The Northman brought back some of that energy.

[@sdprazak]

This film set the new standard for battle sequences. You can tell Lord of the Rings used this as inspiration...

[@titusmccarthy]

AWFUL.

[@Syklonus]

Gibson himself took inspiration form Spartacus and added some more to it. Great stuff!

[@purefoldnz3070]

For how historically inaccurate it was it might as well have included wizards and dwarves and fucking dragons.

[@malafakka8530]

@@purefoldnz3070 acuraccy is not as important as the story and characters. If that fails everything else does.

[@purefoldnz3070]

@@malafakka8530 no if its a historical film it needs to be at least historically correct. Otherwise what's the point??

[@Reticuli]

It broke A Lot of ground. This film, Starship Troopers, Saving Private Ryan, and Gladiator basically changed movies FOREVER. Admittedly Gladiator was a bit derivative of the others, but I'd still lump them all in for changing war movies forever. Braveheart started it, though.

[@evoman1776]

I'm surprised they won't more enthusiastic about this film. It later won best picture for 1995 and certainly is one of the best films of the decade.

[@mmmtsp]

i used to watch the Show and it was always amazing how sometimes they seemed lukewarm to great movies, and showered Praise on Movies now Forgotten.

[@nikokaapa]

To me, that's a ridiculous statement. Not in my book. Not even in the top 50. Top 100? I don't even know. Edit: Now that I think of it, it isn't even in my top 10 of that year.

[@evoman1776]

@@nikokaapa Edit: I don't care.

[@nikokaapa]

@@evoman1776 Jeez :D

[@nikokaapa]

@Brandon K first you call me a clown and then you want something from me? Why? What did I do to anyone here? I didn’t know people would actually be that committed to a film s.a.Braveheart. But if I had known, to say what I said, would be like insulting your mother I might have kept my mouth shut.

[@LukeLovesRose]

This movie has taken a lot of crap over the years. But it's NOT A DOCUMENTARY. Trashing Braveheart for being inaccurate is like trashing Gladiator for its inaccuracy. There has never been a more effective and inspiring wartime speech in any movie. There has never been better medieval battle scenes ever filmed. And this soundtrack by James Horner is heartwrenching. He really shouldve gotten the Oscar that year.

[@thelastknight1276]

Robert the Bruce is a terrible character and his choices are just so unrealistic historically accurate or not

[@ALT_RIGHT]

Mel made the greatest movies

[@jamesshielssoberlife.3701]

F** me an actual good hollywood film!

[@angelorocha709]

My all time favorite film.

[@jimjones4838]

.mel is a genius director.. braveheart is awesome

[@uyeda]

Mel Gibson also did the Disney animated film Pocahontas as the voice of John Smith also in 1995.

[@oldfashionedguy1368]

I personally think that Pocahontas was more historically inaccurate than Braveheart.

[@StephenRahrig]

Uhhhh....ok?

[@mst3k3000]

And his cameo in Casper was released on the same weekend as this movie 2 days earlier as well.

[@jamessparkman6604]

Hey he also plays rocky the rooster in chicken run

[@imcallingjapan2178]

He also plays a bizarre parody of himself in real life.

[@fatdaddyeddiejr]

I liked Braveheart. But I also know that a lot of the movie didn't happen in real life. How can you have The Battle of Sterling Bridge without the bridge?

[@imcallingjapan2178]

Mel and his magic time-kilt of advanced BS,

[@oobrocks]

Film: A+ History: F

[@MafiaKingfishNOLA]

Well, you can say this about almost EVERY historical movie ever made.

[@matrix91234]

Agreed.

[@Greggee100]

MY man mel Triumphs again. Good 4 him GMPx2 MM

[@Michael-qb6qe]

Imagine if siskel and ebert watched modern films...

[@foosbooze263]

They’d find 90% of the mega studio’s output as soulless, style over substance films. They’d still have Scorsese, PTA and a few others to look forward to, these guys loved the personal film. Something that barely existed when they passed and is all but gone today.

[@DannyAbs]

FREEEDOMMM !!!!!!!!!!

[@marcomacias3960]

if I am not mistaken at 0:02 did they use the Speed soundtrack.

[@mykal.7424]

They use to use music from other films in trailers back then...The Abyss trailer use Die Hard music when Al Powell killed Karl . Xmen used Dark City's music John Murdoch battled The leader of the strangers ...this was frequent before

[@radi2986]

They used Dragonheart “to the stars “ in Mulans and Seven Years in Tibet trailers

[@axelfoley133]

They used Dragon The Bruce Lee Story soundtrack in the trailer for Forrest Gump, and Bad Boys music in the The Rock's trailer.

[@sdprazak]

Yep! Good thing he didn’t get his horse up to 50mph! 😉👍

[@STONESGAM]

Great flick. Not realistic but how many Hollywood films are realistic?

[@evoman1776]

The gist of the film is accurate. Wallace was a real figure who was a leader in the early battles of Sottish independence, before Robert Bruce was and he was executed in that brutal way and his limbs and head cut off and sent to different parts of the country.

[@STONESGAM]

@@evoman1776 Agree. But all his rousing speeches about personal freedom and all that were exaggerated. The people of that time were mostly illiterate and didn't understand the concept of freedom like we do today. I agree though, from a documentary I watched the very basic structure and events of what happened is more or less accurate.

[@Locadel2003]

Mel gibson loves to make violent movies.....the patriot, apocalypto, hacksaw ridge, passion of christ and braveheart

[@LukeLovesRose]

And I love him for those movies

[@yourbigpalal83]

Historically this movie is total bullshit. Hell i think Highlander was historically more accurate lol but ill be dam if its not a good movie.

[@christianlorre]

Ebert said "not much is known about the real William Wallace". There's no way of knowing how real this is.

[@anthonyscully2998]

Worst Billy Connolly impression I have ever heard

[@sandyunderpants4376]

3 and a half minutes. I'm more interested in Johnny Mnemonic.

[@swiftsurerunner]

The most historically inaccurate piece of dreck in the history of cinema

[@alexf9381]

Good thing it's a film and not a documentary... rendering your criticism completely pointless and desperate.

[@nikokaapa]

Recently re-watched it and it didn't hold up at all. It could be improved with a lot less slo-mo, less Jesus-mumbo-jumbo, less romance with Sophie Marceau, less cheese, and more edge and faultiness to the William Wallace character, who basically is portrayed like a Jesus substitute here: Infallible and perfect (but at the same time militant and violent somehow…). The fight scenes and the unashamed brutality were great, though. Patrick McGoohan's portrayal of King Edward I is the best character here, and it's because he's such an efficient villain. But there is just so much unnecessary cheese in that film to make me want to rewatch it again. It's a mediocre film.

[@LukeLovesRose]

Jesus mumbo-jumbo?? WTF?

[@nikokaapa]

@@LukeLovesRose Mel Gibson is undeniably some sort of infallible Jesus Messiah figure in this film.

[@kaydawgy1999]

I agree. It needed more gay and trans people too. Then I would like it more

[@nikokaapa]

@@kaydawgy1999 more gay scenes like in Top Gun

[@squamish4244]

"History" lol. Strange how Ebert was positive about this film but crapped all over Gladiator five years later. Gladiator is a fictional story, but way more accurate than Braveheart. And whichever one you may think is the better movie, infinitely more quotable.

[@spinlok3943]

Gladiator is pretty dang historically inaccurate too. Yeah they’re both historic fiction but so what? Both are well made and very entertaining.

[@geoycs]

I don’t agree. It’s just typical Mel Gibson nonsense, just exactly like the Patriot. His speech before the battle is like a 5th grade version of Henry V. Whatever.

[@ryanaromero]

hater

[@titusmccarthy]

Braveheart was basically a big JOKE. THUMBS DOWN.

[@Syklonus]

Yeah, all those Oscars. Real funny!

[@purefoldnz3070]

@@Syklonus Oscars like Shakespeare in love lol

[@ryanaromero]

you're a joke