Mel Gibson makes physical danger convincing, as an actor and a director. We rate his handling of action more highly than his judgement of drama, particularly when Braveheart asks us to admire a hero it barely questions.
Fi1m perspective
Men and horses collide in Braveheart (1995), and the fighting remains clear even as it turns bloody. We flinched at those collisions because Gibson lets the brutality interrupt the pleasure of watching an army move. John Toll's photography keeps the armies legible, while Steven Rosenblum's editing gives each impact force without breaking the action into unrelated blows. Gibson knows how to stage violence on this scale, though the certainty with which he presents William Wallace is harder to admire.
That physical conviction was useful long before he started directing. His breakthrough came with Mad Max (1979) and Gallipoli (1981), followed by Hollywood stardom with Lethal Weapon (1987). The troubled action heroes of the Mad Max and Lethal Weapon series gave his intensity a practical use. He made his directing debut with The Man Without a Face (1993), before directing and starring in Braveheart.
As Wallace, Gibson supplies the conviction Randall Wallace's screenplay needs, but the character is allowed so few complications that his bravado grows tiring. Catherine McCormack's Murron MacClannough gives the romance a dignity that does not depend on reinforcing the hero's importance. Her presence makes the shortage of such moments elsewhere more noticeable. Across 178 minutes, the broad division between goodness and malice leaves little room for the actors to surprise us.
Thomas E. Sanders's production design gives the fighting a solid physical setting and makes the collisions feel heavier. James Horner's music presses the emotion harder than the drama needs, particularly when a scene has already made its point. Gibson lets the brutality disturb us, but the music and the insistence on Wallace's importance leave less room to respond at our own pace.
He went on to direct The Passion of the Christ (2004), Apocalypto (2006) and Hacksaw Ridge (2016). The first two continued his interest in violent historical filmmaking, including dialogue in non-English languages. Start with Braveheart if the battles are the attraction; do not expect the quieter scenes to be equally absorbing.
Biography
Mel Gibson is an actor, director and producer. Born in Peekskill, New York, he moved with his family to Australia at the age of 12 and studied acting at the National Institute of Dramatic Art in Sydney.
He first gained prominence in the Mad Max films and the Lethal Weapon series. Gibson directed, produced and played the title role in Braveheart (1995), which won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director. He later directed The Passion of the Christ (2004) and Apocalypto (2006).
