When this film first came out some 12 years ago, I was only 13 and by no means could I fully appreciate this movie for what it was. Sure I remembered enough of it to catch the many allusions, homages and spoofs that came from it like a shout of "Freedom," or the half-blue painted faces, but quite frankly, the impact of the film and what was happening in the story was just over my head (in fact, I'm pretty sure I had several scenes mixed up with Rob Roy, another Scotland based historical film from the same year). So when the opportunity came to re-watch this film since my early teenage years, I took it, and I was definitely pleased with not only the rich story, but the overall epic feel of the movie.
William Wallace (Mel Gibson) is a Scottish man who, after having his family killed fighting off British invaders, is taken under the wing of his uncle and travels around Europe. Some years later, when both he and the girl he seemed to have a crush on are both grown up, Wallace returns to his clan in an attempt to once again lead a simple life.
Wallace and Murron MacClannough (Catherine McCormack) fall in love all over again and end up secretly wedding. One day, an attempted rape on Murron by one of the Governor's guards leaves her killed by the Governor himself in the center of town as an example to obey British laws. This, of course, sets Wallace off and he begins a chain reaction that will eventually launch him into legend. First, he and his fellow clansmen rally together and throw the British ruler out of their town, and then more people start to hear about his deed and join his band. The group travels from town to town, freeing each village as they go.
Eventually, Wallace's reputation precedes him and when he leads a decisive victory over the British when the Scots are outnumbered three-to-one and face over 300 horsed men, King Edward starts to take notice. A side plot of Braveheart is the country's decision as to who to make their ruler. Under the current occupation, the leader must be endorsed by Edward, but by the end of the film, that might be very different.
Like I hinted at in the beginning of this review, Braveheart has an epic feel to it, and while the movie is long, it doesn't feel like it because as soon as Wallace starts to get his vengeance and becomes determined to liberate his country, the movie is a non-stop series of battles and cunning. It's just plain old fun action.
On the second disc, not only are there features like a photo montage and the original trailers, but there are also interviews with the various cast members while on the set, as well as more historically correct information about the man and legend that was William Wallace, because while Braveheart is fun and contains a message, it is by no means completely historically accurate.
If you don't already have Braveheart on DVD, then the Special Collector's Edition is definitely the version to pick up. If you haven't seen it yet, or haven't watched it in a long time, then it is a must-view, even if you just rent the movie.
