Braveheart
4/4
Starring: Mel Gibson, Patrick McGoohan, Angus MacFayden, Sophie Marceau, Brendan Gleeson, David O'Hara, Catherine McCormack, Brian Cox
Rated R for Brutal Medieval Warfare
"Braveheart" is an epic of a grand nature. It's got all the required elements: a larger than life hero, a hissable villain, awesome battle scenes, emotional highs and lows, and of course, a passionate romance. When these movies work, especially to the extent that "Braveheart" does, they can be truly amazing experiences. It's a shame that there aren't more of them.
William Wallace (Gibson) is a young man who has just returned from abroad. After his father and brother were killed in battle against the tyrannical English king Longshanks (McGoohan), he was raised by his worldly uncle Argyle (Cox). Now he's back in Scotland intending to live a simple farmer's life. But resentment towards English rule, particularly after Longshanks institutes prima noctis, a barbaric practice where the ruling English lord has sexual rights to every bride on the first night of her marriage. Tragedy compels Wallace into action, and he scores a number of crushing victories against the English. But his success is making the Scottish nobles nervous; they fear that going against Longshanks will cost them their estates and titles.
There are four truly important roles in this film. Wallace, of course. His nemisis, Edward Longshanks. His ally, Robert the Bruce (MacFayden), and Princess Isabelle (Marceau), the princess who falls for Wallace. These four characters, in their own way, form the backbone of the story.
Before his humiliating and infuriating breakdown, Mel Gibson was once one of the most popular move stars working in Hollywood. And for good reason too. The man is a natural talent, exuding both charisma and presence. As William Wallace, Gibson radiates energy and passion, two crucial attributes for a mythical hero. But he's arguably more impressive in the quieter scenes. His relationship with his wife, Murron (McCormack), is the catalyst for his revolution, but he and McCormack are so good and have so much natural chemistry that it doesn't matter that they share few scenes together.
Patrick McGoohan is deliciously wicked as Longshanks. He's a complete psychopath; he cares for no one and nothing except gathering power, and will use anyone, no matter how close, as a pawn for his own gain (regardless of the danger). Longshanks is also intelligent, which makes him much more interesting. He may be ruthless, but his logic is sound and his strategy is keen. McGoohan never foams at the mouth (he leaves that to Gibson), but he uses his eyes and his voice to generate menace.
Angus MacFayden, a Scottish character actor who was chilling in his role in the Christian Bale thriller "Equilibrium" and went on to become a recurring character in the "Saw" franchise, is also very good as the conflicted noble. He wants to support Wallace, but doing so would compromise his holdings and his quest for the Scottish throne (however powerless that may be).
Finally, there's the French great Sophie Marceau. Marceau hasn't done much on this side of the Atlantic (apart from this, she's best known for playing Elektra King in the James Bond thriller "The World is Not Enough," although she made game tries for Hollywood stardom in the David Spade comedy "Lost & Found," and the unspeakably bad "Alex & Emma"). Isabella was married by Longshanks for political reasons, and her husband, Prince Edward (Peter Hanly), prefers to spend time with his best friend Philip (Stephen Billington) rather than her. She is taken by Wallace's love for Murron, and ends up falling for him herself. Marceau is a talented actress (not to mention a beautiful one), and she has great chemistry with Gibson.
This was Mel Gibson's second turn around the camera after his reportedly ambitious-but-uneven first effort, "The Man Without A Face" (he also directed a documentary called "Mel Gibson Goes Back to School"). Interestingly enough, Gibson almost wasn't the star or the director of this film. Gibson's production company, Icon Entertainment, had trouble financing the project. The studio wanted Gibson in the leading role, but Gibson thought he was too old and wanted to direct it instead. The reached a compromise: Gibson could direct if he agreed to play William Wallace.
The results speak for themselves. Gibson's debut may have been uneven, but that is not true of his sophomore effort (which has caused many a filmmaker to stumble). The Aussie actor has a good sense of rhythm, and he knows how far to push the scale of the scenes to get the appropriate response. The big scenes are big, but they're not bloated. And the quieter scenes are just that: quiet. Gibson switches tone without missing a beat. He's also skilled at manipulation; it gets spirits soaring and there are at least two scenes that will bring a tear to the eye. It helps that the cinematography by John Toll is superb, and the musical score by James Horner is beautiful.
There's little more that I can say about "Braveheart" other than it's a must see. But I hope I've made that point clear already. If not, here it is: see it.
Starring: Mel Gibson, Patrick McGoohan, Angus MacFayden, Sophie Marceau, Brendan Gleeson, David O'Hara, Catherine McCormack, Brian Cox
Rated R for Brutal Medieval Warfare
"Braveheart" is an epic of a grand nature. It's got all the required elements: a larger than life hero, a hissable villain, awesome battle scenes, emotional highs and lows, and of course, a passionate romance. When these movies work, especially to the extent that "Braveheart" does, they can be truly amazing experiences. It's a shame that there aren't more of them.
William Wallace (Gibson) is a young man who has just returned from abroad. After his father and brother were killed in battle against the tyrannical English king Longshanks (McGoohan), he was raised by his worldly uncle Argyle (Cox). Now he's back in Scotland intending to live a simple farmer's life. But resentment towards English rule, particularly after Longshanks institutes prima noctis, a barbaric practice where the ruling English lord has sexual rights to every bride on the first night of her marriage. Tragedy compels Wallace into action, and he scores a number of crushing victories against the English. But his success is making the Scottish nobles nervous; they fear that going against Longshanks will cost them their estates and titles.
There are four truly important roles in this film. Wallace, of course. His nemisis, Edward Longshanks. His ally, Robert the Bruce (MacFayden), and Princess Isabelle (Marceau), the princess who falls for Wallace. These four characters, in their own way, form the backbone of the story.
Before his humiliating and infuriating breakdown, Mel Gibson was once one of the most popular move stars working in Hollywood. And for good reason too. The man is a natural talent, exuding both charisma and presence. As William Wallace, Gibson radiates energy and passion, two crucial attributes for a mythical hero. But he's arguably more impressive in the quieter scenes. His relationship with his wife, Murron (McCormack), is the catalyst for his revolution, but he and McCormack are so good and have so much natural chemistry that it doesn't matter that they share few scenes together.
Patrick McGoohan is deliciously wicked as Longshanks. He's a complete psychopath; he cares for no one and nothing except gathering power, and will use anyone, no matter how close, as a pawn for his own gain (regardless of the danger). Longshanks is also intelligent, which makes him much more interesting. He may be ruthless, but his logic is sound and his strategy is keen. McGoohan never foams at the mouth (he leaves that to Gibson), but he uses his eyes and his voice to generate menace.
Angus MacFayden, a Scottish character actor who was chilling in his role in the Christian Bale thriller "Equilibrium" and went on to become a recurring character in the "Saw" franchise, is also very good as the conflicted noble. He wants to support Wallace, but doing so would compromise his holdings and his quest for the Scottish throne (however powerless that may be).
Finally, there's the French great Sophie Marceau. Marceau hasn't done much on this side of the Atlantic (apart from this, she's best known for playing Elektra King in the James Bond thriller "The World is Not Enough," although she made game tries for Hollywood stardom in the David Spade comedy "Lost & Found," and the unspeakably bad "Alex & Emma"). Isabella was married by Longshanks for political reasons, and her husband, Prince Edward (Peter Hanly), prefers to spend time with his best friend Philip (Stephen Billington) rather than her. She is taken by Wallace's love for Murron, and ends up falling for him herself. Marceau is a talented actress (not to mention a beautiful one), and she has great chemistry with Gibson.
This was Mel Gibson's second turn around the camera after his reportedly ambitious-but-uneven first effort, "The Man Without A Face" (he also directed a documentary called "Mel Gibson Goes Back to School"). Interestingly enough, Gibson almost wasn't the star or the director of this film. Gibson's production company, Icon Entertainment, had trouble financing the project. The studio wanted Gibson in the leading role, but Gibson thought he was too old and wanted to direct it instead. The reached a compromise: Gibson could direct if he agreed to play William Wallace.
The results speak for themselves. Gibson's debut may have been uneven, but that is not true of his sophomore effort (which has caused many a filmmaker to stumble). The Aussie actor has a good sense of rhythm, and he knows how far to push the scale of the scenes to get the appropriate response. The big scenes are big, but they're not bloated. And the quieter scenes are just that: quiet. Gibson switches tone without missing a beat. He's also skilled at manipulation; it gets spirits soaring and there are at least two scenes that will bring a tear to the eye. It helps that the cinematography by John Toll is superb, and the musical score by James Horner is beautiful.
There's little more that I can say about "Braveheart" other than it's a must see. But I hope I've made that point clear already. If not, here it is: see it.
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