Film Review of Braveheart

Film Review of Braveheart

Mel Gibson has reached an acting pinnacle, at least so far, with Braveheart. It is an epic

movie that is loosely based on historic events in Scotland. All the performances were great

and the cinematography was superb.

The film covers the life of William Wallace from the time he is a small boy, when

his Father dies, to his own death. The movie is set mostly in 13th Century Scotland, the

story's backdrop is William Wallace’s struggle against the unjust rule of the English King,

Longshanks, and how he gets almost the entire country of Scotland to back him up in his

struggle for freedom.

After the death of his Father at the hands of the English, William is raised by his

uncle who, being a great believer in education, takes William across the world where he

learns Latin, French and the manly arts of war. Eventually, he returns to his homeland, a

fully mature man, ready to settle down with his childhood sweetheart and raise a family.

The concerns of his countrymen over English rule take second place to his pursuit of the

beautiful Murron, his childhood sweetheart. Due to the half-hearted opposition of

Murron's Father and the English noble's rights to take a bride on her wedding night,

Wallace is married in secret. The honeymoon doesn't last long before their joy is shattered

by the results of an English soldier's attempted rape of Murron. While Wallace is able to

beat back the soldiers from his wife, she is captured as they flee in separate directions. The

local Lord then decides to bring Wallace into the open by executing his woman in a

particularly brutal scene. She is tied to an upright pole and her throat is cut.

So starts William Wallace's life long battle against the En...

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....” This whole scene shows how

William Wallace touched the lives of everyone. They begin to realize what he had

struggled so valiantly for. As he is being “gutted” in the end, he takes the pain with grace,

and the camera zooms in on his face and you can see the pain that he is withholding. In

his final words before he is beheaded he yells out not mercy but, “Freedom.”

The acting in this movie couldn’t have been better. Mel Gibson has his Scottish

accent perfect. He really throws himself into this role. Patrick McGoohan who plays

King Edward I does a spectacular job of playing the evil King who doesn’t care about his

men at all. Angus McFayden who plays the noble Robert the Bruce, had a key role in

portraying Wallace’s best friend and then betraying him. He realized the error of his ways

and in the end leads Scotland to victory and finally freedom.