Braveheart (1995)

In the sequel, the ghost of William Wallace just slaps Benny Hill around...

Genre: Period Action War Drama

Starring: Mel Gibson (Mad Max; Lethal Weapon), James Cosmo (The Four Feathers; To End All Wars)

Directed By: Mel Gibson (The Passion Of The Christ; Apocalypto)

Overview: The story of the 13th century warrior Scotsman William Wallace and his attempt to make Scotland free from the grip of King Edward the Longshanks.

Performance:

The acting in this movie is actually quite astounding. Every scene drips with drama and expression. Sure Mel Gibson is overly expressive on occasion but this is the perfect movie to do that in, war epics make everything bigger. I was quite pleased.
Rating: 8

Cinematography:

The images were grand and the historical accuracy is as good as I can imagine. Those battle scenes from the skirmish at the beginning to the battle of Falkirk, even the "riding up to the noble bedroom" scene, the action is epic and the gore is just enough for us to be properly moved. The panoramic shots of Scotland and the costumes, seriously this is spectacular.
Rating: 9

Script:

The writing was terrific! They bordered on the melodramatic, with all of Wallace's glorious ideas of the purity of freedom and love, contrasted with Longshank's tyrannous hold on the country. Great stuff.
Rating: 8

Plot:

The story unfolds in a grand epic manner. It's neat when real life tells tales greater than fiction... William Wallace and his ideals that spurn the bravery of his countrymen, leading to betrayal and all the little twists and political machinations along the way. Sure this was dramatic, but every scene is grand, taking its time but showing everything that we need until the grand conclusion. Excellent. Loved it.
Rating: 9

Mood:

The mood set in this movie is epic, with its vast panoramas, slow motion combat scenes with hundreds of actors, burning keeps and costumed nobles. You'll find yourself really sucked into the characters and the era, the historical accuracy and more than anything, every battle scene, be it skirmish or all out war.
Rating: 8

"CRY FREEDOM... for Smurfs!"

Overall Rating: 84% (Brave This Epic!)

Aftertaste:

Who knew Gibson could do epic so well? This won the Academy Award, and you know, I'm not surprised. It's absolutely amazing, inspiring, gets your blood boiling. I totally hate the English. I went outside and punched one in the face the minute I finished watching this. Thanks Mel! I waited too long to see this and I regret it, because I'd have seen it a couple of times by now, for sure.