Braveheart (1995)

Braveheart (1995)

Movie Info

Mel Gibson, long-time heartthrob of the silver screen, came into his own as a director with Braveheart, an account of the life and times of medieval Scottish patriot William Wallace and, to a lesser degree, Robert the Bruce's struggle to unify his nation against its English oppressors. The story begins with young Wallace, whose father and brother have been killed fighting the English, being taken into the custody of his uncle, a nationalist and pre-Renaissance renaissance man. He returns twenty years later, a man educated both in the classics and in the art of war. There he finds his childhood sweetheart Murron (Catherine McCormack), and the two quickly fall in love. There are murmurs of revolt against the English throughout the village, but Wallace remains aloof, wishing simply to tend to his crops and live in peace. However, when his love is killed by English soldiers the day after their secret marriage (held secretly so as to prevent the local English lord from exercising the repulsive right of prima noctae, the privilege of sleeping with the bride on the first night of the marriage), he springs into action and single-handedly slays an entire platoon of foot soldiers. The other villagers join him in destroying the English garrison, and thus begins the revolt against the English in what will eventually become full-fledged war. Wallace eventually leads his fellow Scots in a series of bloody battles that prove a serious threat to English domination and, along the way, has a hushed affair with the Princess of Wales (the breathtaking Sophie Marceau) before his imminent demise. For his efforts, Gibson won the honor of Best Director from the Academy; the movie also took home statuettes for Best Picture, Cinematography, Makeup, and Sound Effects.

Jeremy Beday, Rovi

R (for brutal medieval warfare)

Braveheart is the (exceedingly tall) story of William Wallace, a man who united the common people of Scotland to rise up against their English oppressors in the 13th century. Of course the historical "facts" vary between the dubious and the ludicrous, particularly those involving the princess of Wales but I for one am not complaining about having to look at Sophie Marceau. It's easy to pick holes in it's accuracy, but if it were true to real events it probably would be a hell of a lot duller. This film is about rooting for the underdog; cheering on the good guys and booing the bad guys with some fantastically bloody action along the way. Gibson's accent is more Crocodile than Dundee, but he plays the part with just the right mix of charm and humour and has a great supporting cast to back him up, Patrick McGoohan being the best of the bunch as the deliciously malevolent Edward Longshanks (Boo! Hiss!) Often ridiculous, but a hugely entertaining old school swashbuckler. And where else can you see a story where a dirty hankie changes history.

"Every man dies, but not every man really lives" Excellent Film! 1995 Best Picture! The acting is amazing, and the ending was brilliant. For me, all my guesses were incorrect. Everything that happens in this movie in unpredicted. The last half hour itself was highly unpredictable, and it had a powerful message. When a scene was meant to be dramatic, they did a great job at it. The message the movie sent kept me thinking for a while. The amount of courage and bravery was inconceivable, there was barely any faults or anything wrong with the movie. For a movie of 1995, they did a great job. Everything in this film was done tastefully. I love Robert's last line "You have bled with Wallace! Now bleed with me!" and the army stands and continues their struggling battles for freedom! This is such an inspirational movie with a powerful message "Every man dies, but not every man really lives" to a tearful ending that will make anyone shed a tear to a terrific heartfelt sound track, it's no wonder this won best picture with other Oscars. This is a movie, a terrific one that everyone should enjoy and watch. Well recommended! Go see this if you haven't! William Wallace is a Scottish rebel who leads an uprising against the cruel English ruler Edward the Longshanks, who wishes to inherit the crown of Scotland for himself. When he was a young boy, William Wallace's father and brother, along with many others, lost their lives trying to free Scotland. Once he loses another of his loved ones, William Wallace begins his long quest to make Scotland free once and for all, along with the assistance of Robert the Bruce.

it was a very well thought out film, and the main reason to see this movie is the music and the fight scenes, mainly because the music is all done in bagpipes which is a tribute to Scotland being how the bagpipe was invented there. and the fights are spectacular to look at and very epic