Boxoffice-July.1995

REVIEWS
That neither the fihii nor its characters
seem to know where they're headed adds
to the invigorating sense of spontaneity.
Occasionally dark, often hopeful but always
intriguing, "Smoke" is a triumph of
minimalist independent filmmaking— as
leisurely and natural as a Sunday drive,
and just as pleasurable. — VTrtde Major
BRAVEHEART •*••
Starring Mel Gibson, Patrick
McGoohan, Sophie Marceau and Catherine
McCormack.
Directed by Mel Gibson. Written by
Randall Wallace. Produced by Mel Gibson,
Alan Ladd Jr. and Bnice Davey.
A Paramount release. Drama. Rated
R for brutal medieval waifare. Running
time: 177 min.
It would be easy to say that director/star
Mel Gibson in "Braveheart" has
simply situated his Road Warrior in a
Middle Ages context. Based loosely on
the factual exploits of William Wallace, a
13th-century Scot whose ruthlessness
and talent for strategy helped his land
win independence, the film is filled with
enough battle carnage and hand-to-hand
combat to sate virtually any "Road Warrior"
fan's bloodlust. But this second Gibson-directed
film offers much more than
kinetic combat; it's a historical epic worthy
of comparison to "Spartacus" and
"Lawrence of Arabia."
Wallace (Gibson) initially wants no
part of his countrymen's move to drive
the oppressive English from their soil.
He's seen the toll taken in life and limb
on those who dared contest the authority
of the brutal King Edward (Patrick
McGoohan), and he'd rather settle down
with his lifelong love (Catherine McCormack)
to focus on raising a family. When
the cruelty of the occupation dashes that
dream, however, he leads a small insurrection
that snowballs into a revolutionary
army strong enough to vanquish the
king's previously indomitable troops.
As evidenced by director Gibson's first
directorial outing, the small and moving
"The Man Without a Face," the star is as
assured behind the camera as he is in
front of it. Despite the larger scale of this
period piece, he exhibits an even greater
control of the medium. As with Lean's
approach to Lawrence and (to a lesser
extent) Kubrick's take on Spartacus,
Gibson's presentation of Wallace never
lets the sprawling epic elements squash
the delicacy and elegance of the lead
character's personal motivations. Nor
does Gibson allow the protagonist's simply
told story to trivialize the grandeur of
that hero's historic exploits. Wallace's
motivations are as plain as the love of a
good woman, but that doesn't cheapen
the significance of battles that cost thousands
of lives and ultimately led to the
alteration of European geography. Exquisitely
shot by Oscar winner John Toll and
superbly acted by Gibson and his entire
supporting cast, "Braveheart" is enthralling
for all its three hours. —Jon Silberg
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Response No. 86