Funny, the "arterial spray" reference. But this is why Mel Gibson movies might work in spite of themselves: My son and I were at the new Bannockburn Museum (near Stirling) in 2014, where Robert de Bruce finally won independence from Edward Longshank's (effeminate?) son in 1314. It is a recently built and outstanding museum. Like many European battle sites, there are many unknowns and recent test pits (mostly failed) to find evidence. The curators said that there was little interest in all this until Mel Gibson made his film and all these Americans started coming over there and asking questions. The Scots naturally saw the commercial value and went to work. The result was a kind of Scottish historical renaissance (we can thank "Outlander" also). There is endless speculation around the Bannockburn event (including the supposed appearance of mounted Templars that helped crush the English) perhaps more mundane events than Gibson's painted/genital waving bro's. It did have a really cool "single-combat warrior" thing with de Bruce and de Bohun. Similarly, Gibson's "The Patriot" was full of historical inaccuracies and bro' bullshit, but was one of the few films to have brought any (much needed) attention to the Revolution. Reminds me of the joke about the Daniel Boone society's efforts to tell the "real story of Daniel Boone" (thought to be cooler than any movie or TV show to date). The would-be producer/director says "Great idea! Just one thing, we need to give him a leather jacket and a motorcycle!"