An excellent and very moving film

Rating: Null/10 (9 January 1999)

Congratulations to all concerned with the making of this excellent film. I can only think of words of praise. The background set in the highlands of Scotland with its gripping scenery in the barbaric 13th Century brought both the realism and conditions under which people who lived in those times had to endure. The film did not rely on gimmicks, but pure storyline and professional acting. Even the brutality of mediaeval warfare was handled with accuracy and not used to shock but to portray reality. Essentially based on the power of love,freedom and national pride, Mel Gibson takes the character from the boy who sees his father killed, his new wife murdered and his country controlled by a foreign power through Scottish nobles who were only concerned at protecting their own selfish interests and survival. For me it was the last scene when Wallace endures public torture and death before giving up his principle - the importance of Freedom which embodies everything that drives the human spirit. Again an excellent film. This is what film making should be about. I look forward to seeing the sequel.