Gibson's Braveheart: A Valiant Film

Rating: 9/10 (21 April 2004)

Mel Gibson's second directorial effort is a very good one, but stops just short of greatness. It's the story of William Wallace, a Scottish hero, who fought for Scotland's freedom from England's rule early in the 14th century. The film reveals Wallace as a simple man turned romantic/idealist in a time when there were too few of them to count. Some have taken issue with the story of William Wallace according to Mel Gibson. However, it's clear, and the film makes this known, that we really know very little about the real William Wallace. Therefore, the film is a fictionalization of his life. The film takes a while to build from Wallace's days as a child until the adult (Gibson). There's one real touching scene with Wallace being consoled as a child. When Gibson appears on the scene, the film really picks up. He plays Wallace as an intelligent, intense man, who becomes a leader of men by necessity in order to fight for his country's freedom. There's action in the form of bloody, brutal battle scenes. We see a variety of weaponry from the era, some may not be. Several of the close-ups we see in battle seem designed to shock us rather than to propel the story or illustrate character, with the exception of those clips we see of Gibson hacking away.
Indeed, heads, hands, legs, and disembowelments pervade the screen. We get the message that fighting in those days must have been gruesome. The lovely Catherine McCormack is Gibson's childhood love interest, who inspires strength in Gibson throughout his life. Brendan Gleeson, James Cosmo, and David O'Hara play Gibson's cohorts in fighting for freedom. Their performances are all rather good, and they're well drawn characters. Angus McFadyen aptly portrays the troubled Scottish noble, Robert the Bruce, as a man faced with competing loyalties to his father, the other nobles, and Wallace. His conflicting thoughts demonstrate just how hard it is for any political figurehead to please everyone. Patrick McGoohan is evil incarnate as Edward I, the English King. Sophie Marceau is very good as the princess with divided loyalties as well. Peter Henly is the foppish unmanly son of Edward I, who is unable to meet his royal responsibilities in more ways than one. The film has a few lulls in it, and after a while, it seems like there's a huge battle scene every fifteen minutes. McGoohan, as the English King, is entirely believable and fantastic, and he is one of the main reasons the film is so compelling. It always helps when both hero and villain are equally well cast, have great dialog, and demand attention for every scene they are in. Randall Wallace gets credit for the great screenplay. The cinematography won an Oscar for John Toll, who also won for Legends Of The Fall the year before. James Horner's sweeping, majestic, musical score is simply sublime. Gibson won Oscars for best direction and best picture. ***1/2 of 4 stars.