 Experience Braveheart like it was meant to be seen with pristine picture and over an hour of all-new bonus content. The richly detailed saga of power, passion, and the fight for freedom boasts Mel Gibson as William Wallace, a bold Scotsman who rallies his countrymen to liberation from oppressive English rule. Winner of five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Braveheart is "the most sumptuous and involving historical epic since Lawrence Of Arabia" (Rod Lurie, Los Angeles Magazine). Storyline: 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. Written by Anonymous Reviewer's Note: Reviewed by Martin Liebman on September 1, 2009 -- Your heart is free. Have the courage to follow it. --- The best movies are able to engender true meaning and unmistakable emotion in the midst of their stories. It sounds easy enough, but time and again audiences are met with movies with the potential to do something extraordinary but instead play it safe and fall back on special effects, amped-up action, or pretty faces to cover up a hollow center that's devoid of artistic, thematic, moral, or personal significance both for the on-screen characters and, in such cases, the truly detached audience. It's rare when a film comes along that not only features a fundamentally sound and accessible soul, but centers it in a film that captivates with lifelike performances, grisly but purposeful action, and breathtaking technical qualities that serve only to reinforce, rather than define, the film's spiritual core. Such a rare motion picture experience may be found in 1995's Braveheart, a stirring and emotionally satisfying epic that examines the price of freedom and the power of love to conquer all, each proving to be a force to be reckoned with that can reshape a man's heart -- and a nation -- forever. It's a time of great upheaval. The King of Scotland has died without a male heir to take the throne, and the King of England, Edward the Longshanks, has unceremoniously claimed the throne for himself. Fighting has broken out both against the Crown and amongst the Scots, leading to the death of young William Wallace's father. Years pass but nothing changes. William (Mel Gibson, The Patriot) has grown into a strapping, hardworking, and honest young man that eschews the very notion of becoming involved in local and national politics, instead longing only to make a life for himself and, he hopes, a future family with his childhood sweetheart, Murron MacClannough (Catherine McCormack, 28 Weeks Later). They marry in secret out of fear of the Crown's "primae noctis" decree. Soon thereafter, an overzealous English soldier attempts to rape Murron, but she's saved by Wallace's timely intervention. Nevertheless, Murron is unceremoniously murdered as an example to the people and a warning against further interference with Crown business. Wallace and the townsfolk retaliate, beginning a movement for Scottish independence that makes Wallace a folk hero to the people, and he proves to be a cunning leader on the battlefield. Time and again Wallace rejects bribes from the Crown in exchange for "peace" as his movement gains more traction and even the attention of Princess Isabelle (Sophie Marceau), future Queen of England. Though Braveheart is many things -- an epic adventure, an historical account, a bloody Action picture, and a moving Drama -- one aspect stands above the rest and completely defines the film and its every element: love. Braveheart is a love story through and through; that strongest, most important, and -- when true -- most unwavering of all human emotions shapes the film's very existence, evident both in the characters and through the work that went into crafting the picture. Love is central to the story; it defines Wallace's adult life, shapes his outlook on the world, and when that love is taken away from him, he lets loose with a vengeance that equals the pain that -- in but a fleeting moment of time -- has come to define his life. His love for Murron never fades, but it is soon equaled by love of country and -- far more importantly -- love for and want of freedom. Wallace leads a crusade that's rooted in personal pain but becomes a rallying cry for all of Scotland. Asking for no more and no less than to be left to his own accord, to live without the foolish rules and regulations that define life under the Crown, and free the people of Scotland from a future that promises to somehow, someday, be as painful as his present, Wallace forms a personal belief system rooted in a yearning for that which he will never have. Braveheart proves to be one of the most fascinating films in cinema history thanks to its unique juxtaposition of elements that contrasts beauty with brutality. For as savage as the film may be, it's just as, if not more so, serene and soothing. Braveheart spends little time developing the love story between Wallace and Murron, but it's handled with a tenderness befitting such a simple and honest lifelong romance that cannot help but touch the heart, particularly when contrasted both with the arranged marriage between Longhsanks' heir and his French bride and the carnage to follow. Besides the love story, Braveheart captures the scene-chewing Scottish landscape to perfection; the rolling green slopes of the countryside alone make the film worth watching, and even in the midst of battle, that beauty never fades. Its incessant serenity stands as a monument to the beauty of the world and the importance of calling it "home," a land that deserves only peace, happiness, and freedom. Lastly, Director Mel Gibson has fashioned Braveheart with a technical wherewithal that makes the film a true work of art from a purely visual perspective. Against the harsh backdrop of medieval warfare lies an eternal testament to the breathtaking power of motion pictures; Braveheart stuns in the power of its direction, cinematography, and editing. Each shot appears perfectly framed, taking full advantage of the scope presentation that lends to the film an epic feel that never once sacrifices the integrity of the story in exchange for artistic merit. Story and art become one in Braveheart, each fully complimenting the other and the resultant picture is nothing short of a masterpiece of filmmaking that's sure to remain a standard-bearer for the medium for decades to come. Deeper thematic elements and technical prowess aside, Braveheart makes for a superb Action picture that hits all the right notes. The battle scenes are framed against a meaningful backdrop and populated by heroes and villains that make them all the more easily digested in the classic good-versus-evil setup. In fact, Braveheart does a fantastic job of painting its villains as absolutely deplorable individuals, making it all the more easy cheer on the bloodletting in the first and second acts and physically and emotionally mourn during the devastating finale. It's exactly the reaction Mel Gibson wishes to get out of his audiences, and while the movie's thematic tone makes that possible, he reinforces it visually. Though killed on-screen, audiences do not see the blood spilled when Murron's throat is cut. On the other hand, when Wallace exacts revenge on her murderer by killing him in the same fashion, the camera makes sure to capture the wound and the resultant spilled blood center-frame. Likewise, the film's finale shies away from displaying its death scene; it doesn't obscure in the least that it actually happens, but it withholds the visual evidence, thereby increasing the dramatic elements and solidifying the idea behind the film's deliberate schism between murder and justified revenge and want of freedom at any price. The winner of five Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director and boasting an Oscar-nominated score from the legendary James Horner that's at once traditional, bold, and tender, Braveheart is a bona-fide classic that may not be the most historically accurate picture but is certainly one of cinema's most fundamentally sound from the top down. With pitch-perfect pacing, fabulous acting, well-written characters, exciting action sequences, and an unwavering emotional core, Braveheart may be found on a rather short list amongst the best of the best films in cinema history. Parmaount's Blu-ray and flagship "Sapphire Series" release is, in a word, superb. Boasting a high quality film-like 1080p transfer, a wondrous lossless soundtrack, and plenty of extras, Braveheart is one of the year's must-own titles and earns my highest recommendation. Cast Notes: James Robinson (Young William Wallace), Sean Lawlor (Malcolm Wallace), Sandy Nelson (John Wallace), James Cosmo (Campbell), Sean McGinley (MacClannough), Alan Tall (Elder Stewart), Andrew Weir (Young Hamish), Gerda Stevenson (Mother MacClannough), Ralph Riach (Priest No. 1), Mhairi Calvey (Young Murron), Brian Cox (Argyle Wallace), Patrick McGoohan (Longshanks - King Edward I), Peter Hanly (Prince Edward), Sophie Marceau (Princess Isabelle), Stephen Billington (Phillip). IMDb Rating (06/08/16): 8.4/10 from 725,955 users Top 250: #77
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