Braveheart
Braveheart
Enraged at the slaughter of Murron, his new bride and childhood love, Scottish warrior William Wallace slays a platoon of the local English lord's soldiers. This leads the village to revolt and, eventually, the entire country to rise up against English rule.
theLillyPad reviewedOctober 16, 2025
They don't make 'm like this anymore. Mel Gibson's Braveheart throws history to the wind in order to portray a powerful story about leadership, masculinity, love, and patriotism. You will belly laugh at some parts and be inspired by others. At some points, you'll want to go, grab a sword, and fight for freedom.
I pine for movies with universal themes like this nowadays. This isn't crowded out by modern political statements or stuck between two sides of the culture war. The fourth wall is firmly intact, there's no quips or undercutting, no expectations are being half-hazardly subverted. Men can be men, women can be women, and ideas we all hold valuable are championed.
Braveheart is inspiring, heart-wrenching, and beautiful. Its villains are evil, its heroes are heroic, and its women are beautiful. It perfectly executes everything it intends to do--just don't come looking for anything akin to historicity!