I would advise taking the film with a grain of salt and just enjoying the rousing adventure.
Tools:
Recommend review to a friend »
The first thing we see in "Braveheart" is the Scottish landscape, and along with the battle scenes it is probably what one remembers most about the film. Not that its star and director, Mel Gibson, doesn't make an impression as Sir William Wallace, Scottish national hero in his country's fight for independence from English rule in the thirteenth century. Indeed, Gibson's enthusiasm in the role is commendable, but it's hard to top the panoramic beauty of the highlands or the sight of thousands of charging soldiers on the field of battle. In fact, it's amazing that Gibson is able to infuse his character with enough spirit and nobility to be noticed at all. But he does, making Wallace both human and mythic at the same time. The film is deserving of its five Academy Awards for Best Picture, Director, Cinematography, Makeup, and Sound Effects Editing. It's also deserving of its beautiful DVD transfer, making it an essential requirement of any videophile library worthy of the name.
The story is based on some historical knowledge, some legend, and a lot of conjecture about the life and times of William Wallace. When we first meet him, he is a boy and the year is 1280 A.D. We are introduced to the movie's conflict immediately as young William witnesses the mass murder of a group of Scottish leaders who were invited to a peace summit by England's Edward I, known as "Longshanks," depicted in the film as a ruthless monarch bent on controlling all of Scotland at any cost. Edward is played brilliantly by a scene-stealing Patrick McGoohan ("Secret Agent," "The Prisoner"). McGoohan makes Edward the perfect villain, a butcher willing to sacrifice any number of his own men to maintain his power. McGoohan's performance also contributed to making Gibson a villain in the eyes of much of the British public, who feel that along with Gibson's more-recent "The Patriot" he is holding a grudge against them, unfairly giving a bad name to the country and its past. I would advise taking the film with a grain of salt and just enjoying the rousing adventure.
Anyway, after the English have killed the Scots at an agreed-upon unarmed parley, young William's father goes off and gets killed, too, which plants the seed of revenge in the boy. But he is basically a peace-loving fellow and grows up a farmer who rejects the idea of rebellion against England. He secretly marries his beautiful childhood sweetheart, Murron (Catherine McCormack), because her father thinks he's a coward for not joining the rebel ranks. Meanwhile, two developments occur in England. First, King Edward arranges a marriage between his effete son, Prince Edward (Peter Hanly), and Princess Isabelle (Sophie Marceau), the daughter of his enemy, the King of France. Second, he invokes the law of Prima Nocte ("First Night"), giving English nobles first sexual rights on the night of a commoner's wedding, another reason Wallace and Murron marry in secret. However, when the English murder his new wife, Wallace strikes back with a vengeance. He moves to action, joins the clans, and eventually becomes their leader. Before long (at least in the film), he is in charge of a huge rebel army of peasants marching across Scotland and driving the English before them. The Scottish nobles, though, are reluctant to take sides. They enjoy the comforts of land and prestige largely because they appease the English. Chief among the nobles is Robert the Bruce (Angus McFadyen), who, along with his father, is depicted in the film as a political opportunist, a schemer, a waverer drawn to compromise, a man who can be bribed by titles and money; unlike Wallace, who is portrayed as selfless, incorruptible, wanting nothing for himself, only freedom for his country.
As things go on, Wallace succeeds in driving out the English and then decides the only way to keep them out is for him and his army to invade England! This is almost accomplished while Longshanks is away fighting the French and while his weakling son is in charge. Nevertheless, the King returns in time to lead an army of his own to deal with Wallace. Wallace is tactically smart, but Edward is treacherous. The King tricks Wallace by paying the Scottish nobles to side with him! Beaten but not defeated, Wallace continues to press the attack by rounding up a new army of commoners. He is only finally bested when he agrees to seek a meeting with Robert the Bruce, where he is again betrayed, this time for good. He is brought back to London, tortured and executed, his body cut into pieces and sent to the four corners of the land. Before he dies, Wallace is asked to renounce his rebellion and acknowledge his allegiance to the King; his last word in the film is "freedom." Who knows; it could've happened.
I should mention, too, that along the way Wallace has an affair with Princess Isabelle, who comes to admire a man of such high principle. Regardless, little is made of this matter, except that it affords a convenient reason for Isabelle to provide Wallace with private information concerning various upcoming battle plans. No, it isn't really for any personal relationships or for any serious character development that one admires "Braveheart." It is mainly for Wallace's unflinching honesty, the director's well-paced storytelling, the gorgeous settings, and, of course, the scope of the movie's battles. The scenes of mass carnage involving thousands of men are bloody and brutal, yet they are choreographed with an almost balletic grace as well. They come off spectacularly (with the help of the Irish Reserve Army), and, besides, we get to learn why the Scots wore their kilts into combat--to flash the enemy!
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]5056[/release]