BRAVEHEART
A film review by Chad Polenz
Copyright 1997 Chad Polenz
**** 1995, R, 177 minutes [2 hours, 57 minutes] [drama/adventure] starring: Mel Gibson (William Wallace), Patrick McGoohan (Longshanks - King Edward I), Angus McFadven (Robert The Bruce), Catherine McCormack (Murron), produced by Mel Gibson, Alan Ladd, Bruce Davey, written by Randal Wallace, directed by Mel Gibson.
"Braveheart" reminded me of "Star Wars" in a way, as both are essentially the same stories of rebels (who we know are righteous) fighting against impossible odds for their freedom from the evil oppressors.
The film starts out by giving us a sense of Scottish history and culture, as we learn a lot about the main characters and why they really are the "good guys" and why the oppressive British are such "bad guys." The Brits are tyrannical and cold hearted, they don't care about the Scots, except for taxing them and conquering their land (that sounds familiar). The interaction of the screenplay and directing captures the essence of the oppression and sympathizes with the rebellion.
The Scots' leader, William Wallace, falls in love with a woman, Murron (McCormack), but they must have secret affair because the British could separate them. When one of the British attempts to rape Murron,Wallace comes to her rescue and kills the officer. This causes a chain reaction as all the other villagers begin to revolt against the British, and thus the first major step towards freedom has begun.
In some ways, the violence in this film isn't much different from the typical action/adventure movies. We get a lot of fighting, but it seems justified and is more exciting because the villains are portrayed as such evil tyrants we're glad they get what they deserve. At other times the film starts to seem like something out of legends and fairytales (a la "Robin Hood"), but there are no magicians or dragons, nor any cartoony characters in this story, and that is why it works as well as it does. Gibson's breezy storytelling style and superb acting makes us sympathize with the Scots.
Like in any other movie, the villain must be hated, and Patrick McGoohan does an excellent job in portraying the relentless Longshanks - Kind Edward I, a king who considers the Scots to be scum and cannot believe it when he hears that some of his soldiers have lost battles.
The plotline to this film is so complex I cannot begin to describe it. It is your basic fight for freedom, but in a more poetic way than in most films. It relies heavily upon characterization to tell the story, as we know the Scots' love for their homeland and for each other is what really drives them.
"Braveheart's" sense of characterization and storytelling style make it a modern masterpiece. This is not just a story about the Scots' freedom, but about the price and value of freedom itself - we must never take freedom for granted.
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