I've no idea what the English ever did to Mel Gibson, but he's certainly sticking it to us - seemingly on a one-man mission to demonise the entire race.



What with this and the Patriot, I'm surprised he didn't recast the Romans as English in the Passion of Christ...



What of course he is doing is tapping in to an underlying sense of unease if not downright hatred Americans have for their former "rulers". Some of the scenes in the film are crude examples of this - the way the Irish are used as cannon fodder (hey, remind me to renew my subscription to the IRA) or the outrageously gay English prince cuckolded by the virile Celt (indeed, many English people are beginning to think we've been screwed by the Yanks for years).



As it happens the English king "Longshanks" was one of the more progressive rulers of his time and helped kick-start the parliamentary process in England - a much longer time coming for our long-suffering brethren across the border - which in turn would inspire the very values of liberty Americans hold so dear.



So when you next cheer on the put-upon colonists or Celts you might bear in mind that the people you are so keen on demonising defined the values you live by today.