No Country for Old Men vs. Braveheart

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#8 vs. #15

As of now, I can't stand either. Two films I would put on my "I hate but everyone else loves" list. But I'm prepared to give No Country for Old Men a second chance as I am still getting to grips with the Coen Brothers. Braveheart is about as historically accurate as Inglourious Basterds (not to mention having a similarly juvenile, jingoistic view on history and cultural heritage), but at least Basterds was a decent film. Best Picture for 1995? Go fuck yourself Gibson, Apollo 13 shits all over you!

Oh, I absolutely love Apollo 13, and Ron Howard's Best Director Oscar snub for that film is FAR more egregious than Ben Affleck's for Argo. That said, I actually think Braveheart's Best Picture Oscar win was the right call. There is an emotional inertness to Apollo 13 that drags it down, if only by a little bit. Braveheart, on the other hand, engages the emotions in a way few films can. Its dubious historical inaccuracy is a valid criticism, but every historical drama I can think of has been inaccurate on some level, so Braveheart's issues are easy for me to overlook. As for No Country for Old Men, I'm mostly indifferent about the film. It's a movie that simply doesn't stir up any reaction out of me, other than lukewarm admiration. Braveheart, to me anyway, is a far better film.

I disagree about the inertness of Apollo 13 dragging it down; I think they get the emotional flow fine-tuned perfectly; never too gushing but not too stoic either. Not to mention that the film is one of the most historically and technically accurate "based-on-a-true-story films", and a fine example of how to take liberties with a true story. I agree that almost every historical film takes liberties with the truth to some degree, and if that were a principled hate of mine I'd disregard films as an art form altogether. Braveheart's historical inaccuracy on its own is not what I hate about it; it's the fact that this deviation has been used to manipulate emotional and political views rather than to aid the storytelling. Granted there are moments in Apollo 13 which do the same; Ken Mattingly didn't solve the power problem on his own in real life, but this was a character compression primarily to aid storytelling while also adding to his character arc. There never was any violent argument between the three astronauts, this was done in order to heighten tension; emotional manipulation maybe, but the film never dwells on it. Braveheart does what similarly misjudged historical epics like Pearl Harbour do; they create entertainment by simplifying and emotionally manipulating history the point of stupidity and near-irreversible cultural branding, and they wallow in it like pigs in shit. I don't understand why Braveheart is so dearly loved by a large number of people considering that it basically falls into this category, but if I'd have to hazard a guess, I'd say that it's more popular in America than in the UK because it plays to the American ideals of freedom and independence (although I'm not sure what the Scottish take on it is, despite the fact that they are holding a referendum on UK membership within the next 12-18 months). As an Englishman, I just find it incredibly corny and cheesy without offering much in return other than populist bile. On the plus side, almost everyone acknowledges that it is largely fictitious (my friends and I jokingly refer to it as a "decent fantasy film"), so I suppose I can't complain. And before anybody has a go at me for comparing Braveheart to Pearl Harbour etc, don't forget that both were written by Randall Wallace, which I suspect accounts for quite a lot.

FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Enough said...

My point exactly :P

Woah... I think Braveheart wins but both are absolutely amazing

No Country.

Braveheart may be deeply flawed but it's still much better than No Country for Old Men, which is extremely overrated like all Coen brothers movies.

Braveheart rules. No Country for Old Men is an awful awful movie, period. Not just overrated but as entertaining as a colonoscopy.