BRAVEHEART

Braveheart is that rarest of films: one that works well on many levels.

Firstly, and most viscerally, the battle scenes in this film are outstanding. Reminiscent of Spartacus, they succeed in conveying a little of what massed warfare in the middle ages must have been like: violent, frightening and fast. Superbly choreographed, the battles - particularly the Battle of Stirling Bridge - are gripping, edge-of-the-seat stuff.

Secondly, Braveheart succeeds as an epic. Recent cinema has not had many epics to boast of, but this film is a master of the genre. Slightly less than 3 hours in length, Braveheart tells the life story of Scottish freedom fighter and leader William Wallace, from his childhood days, through his inspirational leadership of the Scottish people, to his gruesome death. Never feeling strained or overlong, the film is paced just right, scenes of battle-oriented action well-balanced with less frantic plot-furthering episodes. Sweeping, stirring and moving, Mel Gibson's film stands right up there with Ben Hur, Spartacus and other classic epics of movie history.

Thirdly, the film works as a love story. So often introduced tenuously or just for the sake of it, the love interest in Braveheart is excellently done and genuinely moving. The scenes between Wallace and Myrrin are tender and gentle; they also provide a linked theme running through the narrative that reminds the viewer that Wallace is not merely a bloody warrior, but a passionate and sensitive human being also. Whether this is historically accurate or not is irrelevant - it provides some excellent cinema.

All the performances in Braveheart are impressive. Gibson himself - coping admirably with the Scottish accent - turns in an extraordinarily subtle performance, equally at home in the midst of battle as in a secret tryst in a moonlit glade. His evocation of utter disbelief and dejection when he learns of the Bruce's deception for example, is excellent. The fact that he directed the movie as well makes his performance doubly impressive and elevates Gibson to an important position in present-day film-making. The supporting cast is impressive also. Patrick McGoohan's ruthless Edward Longshanks is suitably sinister and repugnant; conversely Sophie Marceau's French princess is compassionate and tender. Wallace's men are also well-played, allowing some moments of light relief and also making the battle scenes more exciting as the viewer looks out for familiar faces in the midst of the carnage.

Films that make your spine tingle or that make you cry with genuine feeling are few and far between. Braveheart is one such film, sweeping the viewer up in its blood-soaked and heather-scented arms and carrying them to the inevitable and moving conclusion, having provided excellently-crafted entertainment along the way. A true classic, in every sense of the word.

Outstanding. 10/10