Hero of the Scots

Rating: 8/10 (24 January 2005)

It is good to see materials that enhance your culture and knowledge of history, and this is the case with this film about William Wallace, a Scotish patriot of the 13th Century who was able to unite most of his people in the fight for the independence of Scotland. The film directed and starred by Mel Gibson has too many violent scenes, one may say that this is the mode of Gibson, but historically the film goes well. It is seen when William's father is killed and also his young wife by the English soldiers, the fights uniting Scots, some of them wealthy and susceptible to betray. The battle of Falkirk is an example of betrayal by those Scots looking for their personal profits and less interested in the sovereignty of their country. This battle was practically the end of Wallace. Although he hid himself for a while he was captured, brought to London, where he was tried, convicted and executed (the history said that this happened in 1305). One of the things I am not sure is that the son of princess Isabelle (Sophie Marceau) was really a product of her relations with Wallace. In any case, the film is interesting and exciting from the beginning till its end.