Gibson's best as director- melodramatic in better than expected measure, with bloody violence

Rating: 9/10 (28 April 2000)

It was too much to take in upon first trying to watch Braveheart when I was younger. It's story is not terribly complicated, in fact it almost resembles (when taking it out historical context, which is not completely accurate to the film anyway) a 13th century Scottish version of the Mad Max series- Wallace's wife gets killed by the English, he gets revenge, and then some; he faces off in battles to finally gain freedom for Scotland. Clad in blue make-up, using his "they may take our lives, but they'll never take our freedom!" speech, charging ahead, and getting into a truly bloody battle that is only rivaled in 90s war/epic movie-making by Saving Private Ryan, this was what I remembered most from Braveheart when also first writing my comments. Seeing it today it's a totally different experience, as taking in the story it's very well told, with excellent performances that emphasize- unlike in Gibson's Passion of the Christ- that he can really get belief out of melodramatic performances. And when he does get his cameras up into the nitty gritty of violent confrontations, be them small (when he first takes his vengeance on the British after his wife's slaughtered, which itself is a very powerful scene) or large (previously mentioned battle), it's with a vitality and viciousness that rarely gets into Hollywood productions. There are even moments of fun (flashing the British, to 'kiss arse') and close-to-poetry (Wallace's death). It's a handsomely done work that should stand the test of time in Gibson's oeuvre. One of the best films of 1995.