BRAVEHEART Movie Review
1995 Mel Gibson
Big-budget American movies are driven by star power, and this overachieving sword-and-kilt epic has so much celestial wattage that its many lapses and cliches are almost covered up. But despite all the awards and honors, Braveheart is still a cold-climate gladiator flick—an expensive and ambitious gladiator flick, to be sure—that is built on a stereotyped structure and an over-reliance on cinematic cliches in the clinches. That's not to say it isn't entertaining as a classy guilty pleasure.
Writer-producer Mel Gibson also stars as William Wallace, folk hero and savior of 14th century Scotland, which suffers under the cruel yoke of Longshanks, King Edward I (Patrick McGoohan), who seduces the local aristocracy with grants of land in England and installs his own nobles in the Highlands. In a genuinely chilling opening scene, the young Wallace sees the results of Longshanks's treachery after he kills a number of rebellious Scots. But when Wallace grows up, he turns his back on politics. Instead, he wants only to settle down with the lovely Murron (Catherine McCormack), until those plans are ruined by the rapacious invaders. At the same time, Longshanks's son Edward (Peter Hanly) is a mincing homosexual who finds himself unhappily married to Princess Isabelle (Sophie Marceau) of France. When Wallace raises an army to challenge the Brits, Robert the Bruce (Angus MacFadyen) has to scramble to maintain his carefully balanced power base between the other Scottish lords and the King.
Gibson and writer Randall Wallace embellish the story with unrestrained romanticism. Every emotion is larger than life, and the graphic physical violence is splashed across the screen with equal enthusiasm. From Wallace's mystic psychic visions, to the decaying leper (Ian Bannen) who advises Robert the Bruce, to McGoohan's wonderfully reptilian interpretation of Long-shanks, the film revels in excess. And it works well enough. Mostly.
Before the first big battle, Gibson declaims, “I am William Wallace and I see a whole army of my countrymen here in defiance of tyranny. You have come to fight as free men and free men you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight?... They may take our lives but they'll never take our freedom!” Yes, it's a far cry from Henry V's St. Crispin's Day speech, but Gibson brings it off, and he follows it with a spectacular battle that begins with a “heavy horse” charge and brutal hand-to-hand combat. With the assistance of hundreds of extras provided by the Irish army, Gibson spins a stirring, if fanciful, approximation of medieval warfare.
Other moments are less successful. For example, during his first confrontation with the English, while he's being pursued by dozens of soldiers, Wallace drags one of them into a hut and then emerges with the man's tunic, helmet, and spear. Of course, the clever trick fools his adversaries. Why not? It worked for the Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion when they needed to get into the Witch's castle, and Bugs Bunny used it effectively countless times. But when an Oscar-quality film resorts to such easy gimmicks, can anyone take it seriously? Not really.
For escapism, Braveheart is rousing, energetic stuff. The political elements provide a little welcome complexity. James Horner's score gives the emotional moments a gravity they'd otherwise lack, and Scottish locales are a superb setting. In theatrical release, the film was a huge commercial success, and it has been just as popular on the small screen. Millions enjoy it as entertainment; no one should look for any real insight or historical understanding.
Cast: Mel Gibson (William Wallace), Sophie Marceau (Princess Isabelle), Patrick McGoohan (King Edward I—Longshanks), Catherine McCormack (Murron), Brendan Gleeson (Hamish), James Cosmo (Campbell), David O'Hara (Stephen), Angus McFadyen (Robert the Bruce), Peter Hanly (Prince Edward), Ian Bannen (Leper), Sean McGinley (MacClannough), Brian Cox (Argyle Wallace), Stephen Billington (Phillip), Barry McGovern (King's Advisor), Alun Armstrong (Mornay), Tommy Flanagan (Morrison); Written by: Randall Wallace; Cinematography by: John Toll; Music by: James Horner. Producer: Mel Gibson, Alan Ladd Jr., Bruce Davey, Stephen McEveety, Icon Productions; released by Paramount Pictures. Awards: Academy Awards '95: Best Cinematography, Best Director (Gibson), Best Makeup, Best Picture; British Academy Awards '95: Best Cinematography; Golden Globe Awards '96: Best Director (Gibson); MTV Movie Awards '96: Best Action Sequence; Writers Guild of America '95: Best Original Screenplay; Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards '95: Best Director (Gibson); Nominations: Academy Awards '95: Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Original Screenplay, Best Sound, Best Original Dramatic Score; British Academy Awards '95: Best Director (Gibson), Best Score; Directors Guild of America Awards '95: Best Director (Gibson); Golden Globe Awards '96: Best Film—Drama, Best Screenplay, Best Score; MTV Movie Awards '96: Best Film, Best Male Performance (Gibson), Most Desirable Male (Gibson). Budget: 72M. Boxoffice: 202.6M. MPAA Rating: R. Running Time: 178 minutes. Format: VHS, Beta, Closed Caption.