Oscar-winning epic praised for its 'incredible action sequence' is on TV tonight
Braveheart, starring Mel Gibson, was released back in 1995 and tells the story of Scottish warrior William Wallace in the First War of Scottish Independence against King Edward I of England.
The film also stars Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Brendan Gleeson, Angus McFadyen, Brian Cox and James Cosmo.
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The story is inspired by Blind Harry's 15th-century epic poem The Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William Wallace.
The film tells the story of Wallace, who lead a rebellion against the King in the late 13th century. Despite early successes, Wallace faces betrayal and the brutal forces of the English army.
He is eventually captured, tortured and executed by the English and, in his final moments, shouts "freedom".
Directed and produced by Gibson, the film which had a budget of around $50m-$70m, was a huge box office and commercial success.
It was also lauded-over by the critics and was nominated for ten Oscars at the 68th Acaemdy Awards. The film picked up five awards, including for Best Picture and Best Director.
With a 76% rating on Rotton Tomatoes, the film also scored favourable reviews with a lot of critics - both at the time and more recently.
Awards Daily describes Braveheart as: "A huge film with incredible action sequences, an emotional love story, and a few technical wonders."
Jay Carr at the Boston Globe said of the film: "Braveheart is a big, strapping medieval sword-and-arrow movie with more fighting than romance, a surprising abundance of lush and sensuous imagery considering its brutal strife, and Gibson fiercely inciting it to stand up and march."
However, not all reviewers were glowing with some critics taking issue with the 178 minute runtime and historical inaccuracies. Alex von Tunzelmann of The Guardian wrote in 2008: "Seemingly intended as a piece of anti-English propaganda, Braveheart offers an even greater insult to Scotland by making a total pig's ear of its heritage."
Braveheart is on Film4 on Thursday, April 3, at 9pm.
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