Brilliant Film (but a lot of artistic license)

Rating: 9/10 (7 January 2020)

I saw this for the first time recently and wow.. I was very impressed! It's not perfect and the good (Scots) against the evil (English) is a bit too black and white. What I mean by that is that the English and King Longshanks are historically portrayed as completely cruel and evil. I know some of the history and in spite of being English myself I think the Scots had every right to defend their land and fight for independance. The film just makes out all the English characters to be comic bad guys and the Scots, of course, the good. I am not saying there were no bad English, I just think the real history would have been more conveluted. But I am not one of these anoraks, that pick out the helmets being the wrong diameter. It's entertainment and it serves that at a premium throughout. There are few boring parts in this great film.
Patrick McGoohan, in what must have been one of his last roles (RIP), is brilliant as the dry humored nemesis to Mel Gibson's William Wallace. I think the sets and the filming was all done superbly. You can really feel that wet Scottish landscape & the art director deserves praise. The action scenes are also excellant and very gritty. They use a lot of close ups of faces and nasty pointy weapons. This really makes you feel among the battles. None of the Alan Ladd-esque pantomime violence. There is plenty of blood and guts and soldiers (as in reality) not simply keeling over and being whisked to heaven. But lying in agony, painfully waiting for the reaper. This gritty style has been copied since. But this, along with Kenneth Brannaghs Henry V were among the first wave.
Charecter development is second to none. You really feel for the characters, I liked big hamish. A slightly simple, but good natured Scottish giant. When his father is cut down in battle and he weeps, it really resonated with myself.
As I said before the action and film direction is top notch. Yes the history is not as black and white. Yes Longshanks is a bit of a pantomime villain. But you can still take in most of the timeline of important events. Including the fact that Wallace was tortured horribly once caught. His severed body being sent to the four corners of England.
Well worth a look if you haven't seen it and like me, an old fashioned bloke that loves action and beautiful women (love interests).