Gladiator vs Braveheart

Earlier today I was in the middle of cleaning up my hard drive, checking out some movie information and stuff. I then stumbled upon what I thought was an interesting "argument".

Basically, people were discussing whether "Gladiator" or "Braveheart" is a better movie. Having seen both of them myself multiple times I had to start thinking of what was my own opinion.

Now I did have an immediate and definite answer. However, I will first say what I would justify my answer with.

At first, I thought the topic itself was unusual. I guess I never thought of those two movies as being "comparable" (no, am not saying that one of them is "way better" than the other, am just saying that they are different). When I think of comparing BH, I usually think of another movie I like (and have viewed multiple times) which is Rob Roy. On the other hand, Gladiator makes me think of movies like TROY or Alexander. So you see now how I might have found this comparison to be a bit unusual.

However, after some thought I realized that there are certain similarities. Both movies depict a man who was robbed off his life and beloved ones by an evil authority and their quest for revenge. Both of them also examine the society surrounding the each, and how they affected the shape of the "quest".

The problem though is that the two movies are still very different. This forced me to actually compare each of the components of the two movies seperately in order to come up with the conclusion.

1. History: While Gladiator explores the politics of the Roman Empire at an era where it was considered possibly the one civilization that ruled the world, BH is restricted to the conflict between the Scotts and the English on the Mainland of Britain.
WINNER: Gladiator

2. Accuracy: BH made alot of claims about historical accuracy when it was advertised. However, it is a well known fact that many historical mistakes were made (some were vital, like the use of the nickname Braveheart). On the other hand, Gladiator made no such claims, yet the movie portrayed the day-to-day life and the multi-cultural society of the Roman Empire in a very accurate yet fascinating fashion.
WINNER: Gladiator

3. Acting: I think that it is general concensus that Russell Crowe is pretty much up there where only a very few actors have ever reached. Mel Gibson is more of a "good" actor than an excellent one.
WINNER: Gladiator

4. Scenery: Gladiator explores quite a few different environments due to the vastness of the Roman Empire at the time. From Snowy Germania, to Sandy North Africa, to the Grandeose Rome. BH is pretty much all the same foggy, muddy Scotland all through the film. Not much variety there.
WINNER: Gladiator

5. Choreography: Although BH used really large numbers of people to depict large battles, those herds could not deliver the level of engagement viewers got from the gladiatorial fights in Gladiator. The scene near the end of the battle of Carthage after Maximus turns around with his horse, and plays his sword around in victory is probably one of the coolest scenes of all time.
WINNER: Gladiator

6. Story elements: I will break those down here:

(i) Sacrifice: Wallace (BH) gave his life for the freedom of his people. Maximus (despite his dedication to Rome) had already thought of his life as over and in a way this was all about his revenge.
WINNER: BH

(ii) Romance: Gladiator seemed to lack Romance almost entirely. Although personally I think this was done for the best because as a matter of fact doing it otherwise would have seemed unrealistic and "engineered". BH had alot of romantic content (Wallace pretty much sleeps with all the females in the movie) so it is hard to judge it.
WINNER: none (tie)

(iii) Comedy: Gladiator, again, concentrates more on being realistic and serious. Thus, it was somewhat lacking when it comes to comic content. On the other hand, BH invovled alot of funny moments.
WINNER: BH

(iv) Character Development: Albeit a very long movie, BH only seeks to explore a very limited selection of its characters. Many characters who you might consider vital to the storyline where only explored slightly more than the "townsfolk". Gladiator on the other hand does much more when it comes to its characters, making sure you spend enough time with each of them and allowing you to understand them very well.
WINNER: Gladiator

I could go on further, but I believe that at the point it is clear who the winner is. However, I must add that as I said earlier, even without thinking I knew that Gladiator is definately my preferred movie of the two (and trust me, I LIKE BH). Gladiator is a truly profound experience and to those who never watched it, HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.