Magnificent moviemaking of medieval times; Mel Gibson deserves Oscar!

Rating: 10/10 (23 February 1999)

Very few film directors can thoroughly entertain us with historical epics. Spielberg and Lean come to mind. Now, Mel Gibson can be added to this prestigious list of names. BRAVEHEART is easily one of the best films of 1995. Watching it, you really get a sense of what movies are all about. I've always thought Mel has had a flair for giving audiences what they want. Even when he was working in Australia, doing such projects as The Bounty and the Mad Max films, I knew there was a creative genius behind those great and under-rated performances. His work in BRAVEHEART is exactly what I had in mind. This is truly a labor of love for Mel, showing real pride in the quality of his craft. I loved the power of this film, emotionally and visually. William Wallace is a savage, but he always represents what he consistently stands to achieve: love, happiness, and most importantly, freedom. You can feel the majesty of the story, weaving Shakespearean edges within it without making it seem like it was made for a privileged few. Patrick McGoohan, who got gipped for an Oscar nod, is brilliant as King Edward, despicable in a collected demeanor. There is even a sense of humour to boot in this epic, bringing a bit of Scottish wit to an intensely serious and bloody carnage of a film. In this regard, I would compare it to Shakespeare. The attention to detail, the emotion, the power of BRAVEHEART prove Mel Gibson definitely has a flair for genius and a gift for entertaining the public. This is not to be missed! Rating: Four stars.