Braveheart

Scotland at the end of the 13th century: William Wallace (Gibson) purposes to free his country from the tyranny of Edward Longshanks (McGoohan). From the opening shots, swirling through the mists o' time over snowy peaks and silvery lochs, to the final torture scenes in which disembowelment provokes only a brave grimace, Gibson's epic offers a stew of Hollywood clichés. Political analysis is not on the menu; this is a tale of heroes 'n' villains, pure and simplistic. The Sassenachs are rude stereotypes, while the Scots are either macho hunks or, should they be aristos, dour quislings. The battle scenes are staged effectively, but for the most part this is a vehicle for Gibson, graduating from cocky Lethal Weapon register to something more one-dimensional and rhetorically solemn. Pure hokum.