To say it was controversial would be an understatement. Anti-Semitism, excessive violence, scriptural deviation—the charges leveled against it were numerous and fierce, with many coming months before the film’s release. It certainly didn’t help that Mel Gibson—no Boy Scout himself—was the film’s primary creative force. (He both directed and co-wrote it.

When Mel Gibson so impressively screamed for freedom at the end of “Braveheart,” it was stirring. When the United States freed itself from the claws of George III, we became a nation. When you are freed from the oppression of Washington University midterms, it is exhilarating. Freedom, therefore, of all shapes and sizes, appears to be a good thing.