In this epic historic drama released in 1995 and directed by Mel Gibson, he stars as the Scottish warrior William Wallace who led the first rebellion of Scots against the English king Edward I.
William Wallace is a Scottish commoner whose father was killed by the English when he was a child. In his later years his secret wife is also killed by the English soldiers who tried to rape her, and that proves to be too much for young Wallace who decides to take matters into his own hands and try to unite the Scottish tribes in his quest to push the English outside of Scottish territories. His efforts aren’t only hindered by the English, but also by some high ranking Scotts who believe that Wallace’s rebellion would be the death of them all. Wallace initially has plenty of military success against the English, but he loses at Falkirk, the deciding battle of the 1292 English invasion of Scotland, after he is betrayed by a few Scottish noblemen. Wallace manages to escape the battle ground and kicks off a one-man guerilla warfare against anyone who wronged him in his previous efforts. Ultimately, after a lot of enemy blood has been spilled, Wallace is captured and sentenced to death for high treason. Even though he dies, his struggle inspires the future rebellion which eventually freed the Scotts from English rule in 1314.
“Braveheart” received ten Academy Awards nominations and won five of them, including best motion picture and best director.