Braveheart. (1995) Cert 15. Director - Mel Gibson. Writer - Randall Wallace. Starring - Mel Gibson, Patrick McGoohan & Sophie Marcueau.

Premise - Braveheart charts the rise and fall of Scottish hero Sir William Wallace as he rises an army of commoners against the English. If there is one film guaranteed to get the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end it's Mel Gibson's Braveheart. Yes, I'm Scottish, but I don't pin this reaction solely down to misplaced patriotism. Rather, I believe that Gibson's movie is the pinnacle of historical drama and is truly a breathtaking movie that sweeps the viewer away in it's epic scope. Like other historical drama's Braveheart takes some liberties with the facts. Although I have to defend the movie by saying that Gibson has filmed the bare bones of the story. Wallace rose an army of commoners, defeated the English at Stirling Bridge, was screwed by The Bruce at Falkirk, was captured by the English, hung drawn and quartered. That's the basic Wallace story and Gibson shows that. Other areas are not quite so 'on the money' . In reality Wallace was a minor noble from the lowlands and not a common highland crofter. Wallace did kill the local English magistrate, but not because of his wife (he never married), but because of a petty squabble. There was no relationship with the French princess, as she was in-fact only 5 years old when these events were taking place. These events were fabricated to make for a more enjoyable movie, to give the story a sense of romance. I have no problem with this. Gibson himself admits that Braveheart is not a true representation of the events that transpired. Back to the movie itself. Braveheart is a breathtaking film visually. The locations are lush, sure I can look out of my window and see scenery like this, but it looks so good on the screen. The set decoration is excellent and is a very accurate representation of how Scottish highland villages looked in that era. The battle scenes are fantastic, gritty and realistic. You get the feeling that if Braveheart were made today that Gibson would employ the same battle scene techniques from Private Ryan that every filmmaker and there uncle is using right now. The performances are all great. From McGoohan as the evil, sadistic English king Longshanks, to Marceau as the delicious French princess. Gibson is a tour de force and if you can forgive him the slightly dodgy accent (roll those r's!) I think this is his best role to date. His final scenes are heartbreaking and if you look closely you might just see a wee tear roll down my cheek. James Horners score is stunning and augments the action on screen perfectly. Braveheart is the kind of film that is being made all to infrequently these days. An epic story given the film treatment it so richly deserves. Truly a modern classic.

9/10 for Braveheart. Poster Quote - FREEDOM!