text: The English are a little too evil, the Scots are a bit too<br /><br />heroic. The dialogue is overly dramatic at times, and the<br /><br />transitions between scenes could be smoother.<br /><br />Still, "The Bruce" has the feel of authentic, if unpolished,<br /><br />history ... even if it does play loosely with some important<br /><br />facts.<br /><br />Sandy Welch is no Gibson or Branagh, but he makes a stalwart<br /><br />Bruce. And Brian Blessed chews the scenery in delightful<br /><br />villainy as Edward I.<br /><br />While lacking the budget needed to make the final battle truly<br /><br />impressive, they still marshalled an impressive crowd for the<br /><br />English and Scottish armies. It is, according to filmmakers, the<br /><br />"largest filmed reconstruction of medieval battle ever staged in<br /><br />the British Isles."<br /><br />Allowing for a few failings and shortcomings, the film still<br /><br />does a convincing portrayal.