Braveheart

A simple message but even today, over seven hundred years later, there are far too many captive to their cultures, governments and institutions. They take a large slice, sometimes all of the freedoms William Wallace and so many others fought for. Keep up the fight because, like the tide, those oppressive forces wont curtail.

A rousing piece of cinema, you can forgive the historical inaccuracies in order for it to tell a hugely engaging and inspirational story full of hope, although it leaves you under no illusion of mans inhumanity to man and the vile and despicable things that can be done in the name of greed, power and control.

I'm a fan of super intense acting performances. Intensity to me is what I think people call star power or charisma. Lethal Weapon is one of those movies where his intensity is on full display but he has a different kind of thing going on here. He's a tad older, wiser, gets accosted personally and his livelihood, so his intensity is of a different ilk. He's crazy in Lethal Weapon but in Braveheart he's completely intense while being completely sane at the same time. All of his actions in this film are justified. You're rooting for him from frame one. This is the best film he's ever been in and possible ever will be.

I remember seeing this movie for the first time in late 2003, and I was impressed. I saw it again last night, and I was even more impressed. The acting is amazing, and the ending was brilliant. For me, all my guesses were incorrect. Everything that happens in this movie in unpredicted. The last half hour itself was highly unpredictable, and it had a powerful message. When a scene was meant to be dramatic, they did a great job at it. I don't know about everybody else, but the ending did make me cry. The message the movie sent kept me thinking for a while. The amount of courage and bravery was inconceivable, there was barely any faults or anything wrong with the movie. For a movie of 1995, they did a great job.

I absolutely guarantee this movie to anybody who enjoys action and war with a bit of drama mixed in. One of the best, or maybe even the best movie of the 20th century.

My old dad used to treat this Mel Gibson Best Picture Oscar-winner with utter scorn and derision, especially with reference to the actual facts as known. He always started off with the respective differences in size between the real William Wallace's true dimensions and the much less imposing Mel Gibson while anyone who does the mildest of diligence into the historical facts will see just how much licence director Gibson and his screenwriter Randall Wallace took with the Scottish rebel-hero's story. I know and knew all this even as I rewatched the film again but despite the overwhelming number of plot contrivances served up, I have to admit as an independence-leaning Scot myself, the film never fails to stir my own blood.

We follow the young Wallace from his early childhood, almost literally blooded early in life to hate the occupying English army under the rule of their despotic King Edward Longshanks played with real brio by Patrick McGoohan. When he loses his father and older brother in another betrayal by Edward, it's clear that the now fully-grown, long-haired Wallace is only awaiting one final provocation before he accepts the freedom-fighter mantle and takes up the cudgels on behalf of his downtrodden people.

For those who don't know very much about Scottish history, it is filled with glorious failures and almost as often double-dealing, back-stabbing intrigue so that it's no surprise when his heroics are brought to an end by a combination of underhand scheming on the part of Edward and the connivance of the corruptible Scottish nobility, in particular the treachery of the future "try, try again" hero - King Robert the Bruce. But Wallace has the last word in more ways than one with his martyr's death and impregnation of the future English queen.

Certainly one of Hollywood's more outrageous retellings of a story from history, the movie bludgeons its way into the viewer's consciousness down to the twin combination of Gibson's muscular, gritty direction and his athleticism and conviction in the lead role. Sure, the accents across the cast are occasionally as convincing as a King's promise, but with effective use of crowd scenes and the gory, no holds-barred depictions of battleground warfare, laced with earthy humour and even a good old Highland romance, Gibson delivers a powerfully uplifting if historically inaccurate feature which has thrilled the Scottish national psyche and no doubt the freedom-seeking aspirations of many another country ever since.

This epic tale of patriotism, love and conflict opens with a birds eye view which takes you through mist and air out onto an open loch with scenic mountains in the background. This is accompanied by stirring bagpipe music, and shortly by the start of a narrative by Robert the Bruce.

After a short introduction of a young William Wallace, involving his fathers death and his first step into warrior-hood, we are taken to present day England where Edward Longshank's tight rule over Scotland is getting increasingly harsh. Enter a fully grown Wallace (a rugged long-haired Gibson) who is back to start a family and a new life. He soon meets Muran, a girl who he remembered from way back. He and Muran fall in love and shortly get a private nighttime marriage, as a public one would result in the 'Prima Nocte' rule being enforced.

Unfortunately, one of the English soldiers controlling their village confronts a scared Muran and forces her into a quiet spot. William leaps to Muran's rescue and all hell ensues. The commanding officer executes Muran promptly for assault on one of the King's men as she bit him whilst defending herself. She was supposed to meet William at a secret spot after she was rescued but was knocked off the horse.

William returns to the village on horseback to give himself in, but he has other plans. The uprising that ensues is one of the most pulse racing and exciting fights that has ever graced the silver screen IMO. This is the spark that starts off the Scottish revolution for freedom. Soon, other clans join Wallace, then whole towns stand by him. He soon finds himself on the fields of Stirling for a real showdown. I thought I'd give you the first hour in a nutshell, the rest of the movie revolves around Wallace, Longshanks and the Queen of France as they all fight for their own cause.

The battle scenes are ground breaking and upfront, the senses of comradeship, love, patriotism and courage all take a stand throughout the film. The music adds further to the epic, be it sad and haunting tunes, or strong and stirring bagpipe anthems. Wallace is portrayed as a beacon of strength and power, not to mention a much honoured leader. Sometimes Gibson takes his character a little too far, but the title Braveheart is one that is implied to Wallace's qualities. The films dramatic and moving ending is a good finish to a superb and powerful film.