This is an essay I wrote back in 2002, about a year after the Fellowship of the Ring film first came out in theaters. This defense of Boromir was written as a result of ongoing discussions at a Lord of the Rings discussion board that began in advance of the films, which I joined because I loved talking with others about my favorite LotR characters, and with the coming of the films, there was a renewed interest in something that had held my attention for many years already. I had read the books many times prior to 2001 when the FotR film debuted, so I had a well-developed love for Boromir by that time; but it became evident to me that my opinion of him differed to some extent from the common view! Thus I sought to share my understanding of the kind of man he was, referencing both the book and the film. My writing style has changed a bit over the years, but this essay is still "not too shabby" as they say, 11 years or so later. I've edited it just a bit to avoid myself some embarrassment, but for the most part, it is as it was when I first posted it.