Between the thrilling battle scenes, gripping drama, and Scottish guys baring their arses, Braveheart has come to be considered one of the greatest movies of all time, following its release back in 1995.
But, although Mel Gibson might have won the Best Director Oscar for his performance behind the camera, in front of it, it's hard to deny that his portrayal of folk hero William Wallace was almost as bad a crime against Scottish culture as last week's price hike on Super Tennants.
Last night Gibson appeared on The Graham Norton Show and went some way in explaining why he got the accent so off, admitting that instead of hiring a professional vocal coach to train him, he looked to Sean Connery for advice. Watch what he had to say here:
Credit: BBC / Graham Norton Show
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Whilst Connery has the advantage of being an actual Scotsman, it is also important to remember that this is the man who played England's most famous spy, a Russian submarine captain, and the King of England, all whilst maintaining his signature Edinburgh twang.
Gibson told Graham Norton: "It was difficult, but I was up there and immersed among people who all needed subtitles.
"I'd ask people 'What did you say?' and they'd have to repeat it, so eventually it kind of worked its way into my lexicon.
"We [Gibson and Connery] were at Andy Vajna's place and he's Hungarian, so he made Goulash - now, imagine Sean Connery saying that word."
Credit: PA Images
This is not the first time Gibson has told this story, in 2014 he explained to The Telegraph: "I had dinner with Sean one time and Hungarian goulash was on the menu.
"To hear Sean actually utter a word like 'goulash' is a lesson in itself. You just pick up the accent from the people you're talking to and hearing and he helped me perfect my Scots accent."
It seems Gibson may have been winging it a bit and I'm also not sure 'perfect' is the word I'd use.
The film was a box-office smash and won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. However, despite all of the critical acclaim, Braveheart has been ridiculed over the years for its historical inaccuracies and continuity errors, including extras wearing sunglasses and wrist watches.
In his 2007 book, An Utterly Impartial History of Britain, author John O'Farrell said: "Braveheart could not have been more historically inaccurate, even if a plasticine dog had been inserted in the film and the title changed to William Wallace and Gromit."
It's good fun though and, at the end of the day, Mel Gibson is entitled to express his creative FREEEEEEEEEDDDOOOOMMMM!
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Words: Tom Wood
Featured Image Credit: Paramount PicturesTopics: Entertainment, TV and Film, Scotland