| In Mel Gibson's rousing epic Braveheart, you feel the heart and soul of one man's quest to free Scotland from English rule. Mel Gibson plays commoner William Wallace with conviction unseen in any of his other films. Wallace fights against Longshanks (Patrick McGoohan), a tyrant of a king, who decides that in order to keep Scotland his he will give the nobles sexual rights to Scottish Peasant's wives. Knowing this Wallace marries his wife in secret only to have her viciously murdered. This incites him into war. Wallace leads an uprising against Longshanks and tries to win their freedom. Although this may seem like it's simply a story of medieval warfare, there is a certain subplots that ring true. There is the alliance Wallace makes with Robert the Bruce (Angus McFayden), who quite possibly could betray him and the friendship Wallace has with Hamish (Brendan Gleeson), his boyhood friend. The film is set and was shot in Scotland, with beautiful scenery to spare. Gibson keeps the story moving along (which it must at 3 hours), with battle scenes in between the dramatic points. The real winner in the story is the performances. Gibson plays the savior of Scotland with a performance that is unparralled in any of his other work. Patrick McGoohan plays the villainous king with a flair for evil. The true testiment to this movie is that it moves you to emotions that very few cineamatic endeavors can. |  |