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Rated: R
Starring: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, et al.
Director: Mel Gibson Review
Mel Gibson's Oscar-winning 1995 Braveheart is an impassioned epic about
William Wallace, the 13th-century Scottish leader of a popular revolt
against England's tyrannical Edward I (Patrick McGoohan). Gibson cannily
plays Wallace as a man trying to stay out of history's way until events
force his hand, an attribute that instantly resonates with several of the
actor's best-known roles, especially Mad Max. The subsequent camaraderie
and courage Wallace shares in the field with fellow warriors is pure
enough and inspiring enough to bring envy to a viewer, and even as things
go wrong for Wallace in the second half, the film does not easily cave in
to a somber tone. One of the most impressive elements is the originality
with which Gibson films battle scenes, featuring hundreds of extras
wielding medieval weapons. After Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky, Orson
Welles's Chimes at Midnight, and even Kenneth Branagh's Henry V, you might
think there is little new that could be done in creating scenes of ancient
combat; yet Gibson does it. --Tom Keogh -----------
The Oscar winner for Best Picture 1995, Braveheart is a masterpiece. Mel
Gibson's epic tale of Scottish Patriot William Wallace certainly qualifies
as one of the top 5 movies of the 90's, and one of the greatest movies
ever made. I can't say enough about the battle scenes,
which certainly set the standard for movies to come. Films such as Saving
Private Ryan, Pearl Harbor and others owe a debt of gratitude to
Braveheart for setting the standard in terms of realism and accuracy.
Gibson did an amazing job depicting the brutality and violence of medieval
war-making. Those were the days when surgical strikes and friendly fire
were not a part of the vocabulary.
As for acting, well, you can't get much better than Mel
Gibson, Sophie Marceau and Patrick Mcgoohan (just to name a few). Patrick
was robbed by the Academy when they failed to nominate him for an Oscar in
his portrayal of King Edward I. I have to say that Mel has an incredible
talent for film making and casting is no exception. Every actor played
their part to perfection. The cinematography was
impeccable. This movie was one of the most beautiful movies I've ever
seen. The DVD contains a "making of" in which we learn that it rained most
of the time and Gibson decided to use that to his advantage rather than
work around it. I have to commend him for this, as it added character to
the film and only made the cinematography look that much better.
Finally the music was fabulous. Horner did a wonderful job
painting emotion with a soundtrack second to none. It's no wonder he was
chosen to create the soundtrack for another Oscar winning movie called
Titanic.
If you are a DVD collector, you must have this movie. NO
collection is complete without it.
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