BRAVEHEART (1995)

Country: U.S.A.

Genre(s): Action / Adventure / Epic / War

Director: Mel Gibson

Cast: Mel Gibson / Angus MacFadyen / Patrick McGoohan

Plot

Scottish commoner William Wallace rallies his people in rebellion against the tyranny of English King Edward I.

What I Liked

One would be hard-pressed to find a movie as inspirational as “Braveheart.”  From its few versus the many plot, unforgettable dialogue, and rousing battle scenes to its stirring romance, visceral violence, and gorgeous cinematography, the film refreshes the passion to be found in the simplicity of a standard good versus evil conflict.

Marvelously acted, every character is portrayed exactly as heroic, mad, soulful, dastardly, or cowardly as he or she needs to be.  In short, the actors, director, and screenwriter have given us characters that we can’t help but root for or against with unselfconscious enthusiasm.

Though its notoriously graphic violence might render it difficult to watch for some, it is nonetheless one of those fantastic films with something for everyone, providing the perfect amount of cheers and tears to satisfy every kind of viewer.

What I Disliked

“Braveheart” does rely on certain conventions and stereotypes as a means of inspiring love, awe, and derision from its audience.  Easily discernible among these is the portrayal of King Edward’s son, who, it is strongly insinuated, is gay.  It is true that the historic Edward II was widely rumored to be homosexual or bisexual.  However, the Edward portrayed in this movie is self-centered and weak, both of which are assumed to be byproducts of his sexuality.  It is a less than creative approach relying on age-old misconceptions.  Just because someone is gay does not of course mean they are automatically weak or selfish.  Of course, it is also true that someone being gay doesn’t preclude them from being those things either.  So there’s no way of telling for sure if the filmmakers are in this case horribly prejudice or just lazy.  Either way, none of this gets in the way of the film’s entertainment value at all.

That screenwriter Randall Wallace and director Mel Gibson took poetic license with the historical facts of the William Wallace story is like saying a Superman comic book takes liberties with scientific facts; which is to say that the factual errors are egregious and often ridiculous.  But, as with the Superman comic, who the hell cares?  If you want just the facts, go to the library and do the research.  The rest of us will be having a great time watching one of film history’s most powerful adventure stories.

Most Memorable Scene
*spoiler alert*

The hard-to-watch depiction of William Wallace’s final moments on Earth are something of an emotional microcosm of the whole film.  There are moments of profound sadness, anger, respect, exultation, and love, all crammed into a few minutes of on-screen torture.  That so much feeling pervades this scene is really a tribute to the overall impact of experiencing this film as a whole.

My Rating: 5 out of 5