Daily Beast slammed for describing Mel Gibson's 'Braveheart' as a 'sadomasochistic fantasy'

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Media top headlines June 28

A reporter accused of passing along misleading information about Gov. Ron DeSantis' response to the condo collapse and ABC's Jonathan Karl urging Sen. Joe Manchin to use his leverage to pressure Republicans round out today's top media headlines.

Fans of Mel Gibson's "Braveheart" ripped The Daily Beast on Monday for publishing a piece that described the Oscar-winning film as a "sadomasochistic fantasy" that has attracted evangelical Christians with its "exaltation of violent, macho religion."

"Braveheart," released in 1995, is based on the story of 13th-century Scottish leader William Wallace as he led the Scots in the First War of Scottish Independence against England's King Edward I. Gibson directed and starred in the film, which took home both the Best Director and Best Picture awards at the 1996 Academy Awards. The film amassed glowing reviews at the time, but The Daily Beast was not so kind in its recent write-up of the film.

"Mel Gibson’s sadomasochistic fantasy is beloved by evangelical Christians (and William Wallace wannabes like Ted Cruz), who wallow in its exaltation of violent, macho religion," The Daily Beast author wrote Monday.

The Daily Beast author suggests that evangelicals flocked to the theater to watch Gibson shout "Freedom!" and lead his men into battle because society at that time was moving away from traditional gender norms. Evangelicals loved "Braveheart," The Daily Beast's Kristin Kobes Du Mez wrote, "for its righteous warrior motif, for its portrayal of rugged masculinity, feminine purity, and for its call to heroic action."

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas tweeted a fiery response to The Daily Beast author, noting that the author has a history of hating macho male figures in film.

EXPERTS SOUND OFF ON THE MEDIA'S ‘NEGATIVE’ OR ABSENT COVERAGE OF RELIGION: ‘INCOMPLETE AT BEST’

Other critics joined in to defend the movie, noting that the film has more than just evangelical fans.

Some critics pointed out that The Daily Beast's piece appeared to be yet another example of the media getting religion wrong.

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Observers recently sounded off on the media's tenuous grasp of religion, punctuated by questionable reporting on President Joe Biden and the Catholic Church. Biden is typically described as devout and "deeply" religious despite his support of some pro-abortion policies.

Timothy Head, executive director of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, told Fox News that Christians are frustrated by what they perceive to be absent or overwhelmingly negative coverage.

"I would give it at best an incomplete, at worst a failing grade because not only do they not cover it … But also most of the coverage tends to be on the negative side," Head stated.