Robert Bruce's struggle underscores the film

Rating: Null/10 (28 July 2002)

Kudos to Mel Gibson for an epic story and a wonderfully heroic character. I found myself, however, emotionally drawn more to the Robert Bruce character. Upon reflection, I realized that, contrasted to Wallace's war with the English, Bruce's war is with himself. His struggle embodies a universal theme that everyone can identify with - namely, do I follow my heart or do I follow my head? Who hasn't, at some point in their life, wrestled with this? In Bruce's case, he must choose between giving in to his passion and joining Wallace's crusade, or being coldly pragmatic and following the "realpolitik" advice of his father.
The scenes where Angus MacFadyen shows Bruce wrestling with his conscience and letting his turmoil surface are quite powerful and provide a more compelling and deeper emotional layer to the film.