Braveheart (1995)

 

No, this isn't a film that is historically accurate. Yes, it is a great film nonetheless. And yes, it does prove that Mel Gibson can both act and direct, even if his attempt at a Scottish accent is a little iffy at best, but hey: you can't win them all, right?

'Braveheart' tells the epic tale of William Wallace, a Scottish commoner who rises up against the evil king Edward Longshanks and manages to instil the idea of freedom in the hearts and minds of the Scots. 

Heck, who doesn't love a good yarn about oppressed people longing for freedom?

Wallace decides to defy the English rule after a nasty English soldier wants to rape his wife (they married in secret). She of course defends herself and because of this, she is put to death. This makes William a rather irate William, and with a small band of rebels he sacks the local fort. More and more Scots join his cause and before he knows it, he has an army with which to stand up to the tyrant. 

But not all is well in the realm. Young Robert the Bruce wants to lead as William does, but his father is more interested in intrigue and gaining lands and riches. Heck, it's what most of the clan leaders are into and after William's early successes, they turn their backs on him in favour of more lands and titles. 

Guess who doesn't like that one bit?

In the meantime, Edward Longshanks discovers that his son is a poor leader in his absence, as the rebellion is getting out of hand. To quell Wallace's rampage, he sends his new daughter-in-law, a French princess, to broker peace. She is instantly smitten with William, and so the plot thickens. 

In the end, he is betrayed by several Scottish nobles and put to death, but his defiance has sparked a flame that will not die out that easily... 

So yes, there is some historical truth to this tale, even if it is obviously romanticised quite a bit here, but that's okay: it makes for a more engaging film. The photography is gorgeous, helped immensely by the breathtaking landscapes. Heck, these locations look stunning if the weather is piss poor. The acting is solid, even if sometimes, the accents don't all make sense. There are Irish actors portraying Scotsmen and vice versa and for non-Scots, this won't make that much of a difference, but it is a bit weird if you can spot the accents. Gibson is great as Wallace and he doesn't overdo his role with grandeur but keeps it more like a man who is forced to do this because no one else will. Brendan Gleeson is equally wonderful as his best friend Hamish, but you'd be hard pressed to find an instant where Brendan Gleeson isn't fun to watch. 

The supporting characters also do a great job. Sophie Marceau is intriguing as princess Isabelle. She might seem like a bit of an afterthought at first, but there's more to her than first glipses reveal, and she gets a gleefully nasty line in on Edward Longshanks' deathbed, which is great. Speaking of which, Patrick McGoohan is so much fun to watch as the evil Edward. He already has that voice and demeanor, but he is relishing in being wicked and twisted without it becoming too much of a caricature. Peter Hanly as his son prince Edward is a bit weak, but that could be because they made him play the role as a wussy gay character, and it's a little distracting and frankly bizarre. 

And how about those battle scenes? They are reminiscent of the glorious epics of the 40s where they actually had hundreds of people pretend to beat the everliving crap out of one another. Yes, they are also done with a lot of actors enthusiastically beating the snot out of the opponent, albeit a lot more graphic than before. You'll see quite a lot of blood and guts fly around, but no one ever believed these battles were nice and clean. But it is interspersed with enough drama, romance and nuance to keep you invested for the almost 3 hours of this epic.

Oh, and the music is glorious. Seriously: this is one soundtrack you need to have. Trust me. 

All in all, 'Braveheart' is one of those films that deserved all the praise it got and you can see why it won several awards. It is enthralling, engaging and a lot of fun, which isn't too shabby for what boils down to a love story interspersed with fighting for Scottish freedom. 

And that one rousing speech everyone knows by heart? Yep, that still sends chills down the spine.