View source for Braveheart

{{short description|1995 film directed by Mel Gibson}}
{{about|the 1995 film}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Infobox film
| image          = Braveheart_s6bvs6wz.png
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Mel Gibson]]
| producer       = {{plainlist|
* Mel Gibson
* [[Alan Ladd Jr.]]
* [[Bruce Davey]]
}}
| writer         = [[Randall Wallace]]
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* Mel Gibson
* [[Sophie Marceau]]
* [[Patrick McGoohan]]
* [[Catherine McCormack]]
}}
| music          = [[James Horner]]
| cinematography = [[John Toll]]
| editing        = [[Steven Rosenblum]]
| studio         = {{plainlist|
* [[Icon Productions]]
* [[The Ladd Company]]
}}
| distributor    = {{plainlist|
* [[Paramount Pictures]] (United States and Canada)
* [[20th Century Fox]] (International)
}}
| released       = {{Film date|1995|5|18|[[Seattle International Film Festival|Seattle]]|1995|5|24|United States}}
| runtime        = 178 minutes
| country        = United States<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7d6e9599|title=Braveheart (1995)|work=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=March 28, 2017|archive-date=March 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329051714/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7d6e9599|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| language       = English
| budget         = $53–72{{nbsp}}million
| gross          = $209{{nbsp}}million
}}

'''''Braveheart''''' is a 1995 American [[epic film|epic]] [[historical drama|historical]] [[War film|war drama]] film directed and produced by [[Mel Gibson]], who portrays Scottish warrior [[William Wallace|Sir William Wallace]] in the [[First War of Scottish Independence]] against [[Edward I of England|King Edward I of England]]. The film also stars [[Sophie Marceau]], [[Patrick McGoohan]], [[Catherine McCormack]] and [[Angus Macfadyen]]. The story is inspired by [[Blind Harry]]'s 15th century [[epic poetry|epic poem]] ''[[The Wallace (poem)|The Actes and Deidis of the Illustre and Vallyeant Campioun Schir William Wallace]]'' and was adapted for the screen by [[Randall Wallace]].

Development on the film initially started at [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] (MGM) when producer [[Alan Ladd Jr.]] picked up the project from Wallace, but when MGM was going through new management, Ladd left the studio and took the project with him. Despite initially declining, Gibson eventually decided to direct the film and to star as Wallace. The film, which was produced by Gibson's [[Icon Productions]] and [[The Ladd Company]], was distributed by [[Paramount Pictures]] in the United States and Canada and by [[20th Century Studios|20th Century Fox]] in other countries.

Released on May 24, 1995, ''Braveheart'' was a critical and commercial success, receiving praise for its battle scenes, production design, musical score, and acting performances, though it received some criticism for its historical inaccuracies. The film also garnered numerous awards including the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]]. A [[legacy sequel]], ''[[Robert the Bruce (film)|Robert the Bruce]]'', was released in 2019.

==Plot==
In 1280, [[Edward I of England]], known as "Longshanks", conquers [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scotland]] following the death of the Scots' king, who left no heir. Young [[William Wallace]] witnesses the aftermath of Longshanks' execution of several Scottish nobles, then loses his father and brother when they resist the English. He leaves home to be raised by his uncle, Argyle. Years later, Longshanks grants his noblemen land and privileges in Scotland, including [[Droit du seigneur|''jus primae noctis'']], while his [[Edward II|son]] marries French princess [[Isabella of France|Isabelle]].<!--- name per credits ---> Meanwhile, a grown Wallace returns home and secretly marries his childhood friend Murron MacClannough. Soon after, Wallace rescues Murron from a soldier, but Murron is subsequently captured and executed. In retribution, Wallace and the locals overthrow the garrison, beginning a rebellion that soon spreads. Longshanks orders his son to stop Wallace while he campaigns in France. Wallace defeats an army sent by the prince at [[Stirling]], then invades England by sacking [[York, England|York]]. He also meets [[Robert the Bruce]], a contender for the Scottish crown.

After returning to England, Longshanks sends Isabelle to negotiate with Wallace as a distraction from the movement of Longshanks' forces. Meeting Wallace, Isabelle becomes enamored with him and warns him of Longshanks' plans. Wallace faces Longshanks at [[Falkirk]]. During the battle, nobles Mornay and Lochlan withdraw, having been bribed by Longshanks, resulting in Wallace's army being overwhelmed. Wallace also discovers Robert the Bruce had joined Longshanks. After helping Wallace escape, Robert vows to not be on the wrong side again. Wallace kills Mornay and Lochlan for their betrayal and foils an assassination plot with Isabelle's help. Wallace and Isabelle spend the following night together, while Longshanks' health declines. At a meeting in [[Edinburgh]], Wallace is captured. Realizing his father's role in Wallace's betrayal, Robert disowns his father. In England, Wallace is condemned to execution. After a final meeting with Wallace, Isabelle tells Longshanks, who can no longer speak, that his bloodline will end upon his death as she is pregnant with Wallace's child and will ensure that Longshanks' son spends as short a time as possible as monarch. At his execution, Wallace refuses to submit, even while being [[Disembowelment|disemboweled]]. The magistrate encourages Wallace to seek mercy and be granted a quick death. Wallace instead shouts, "Freedom!", while Longshanks dies. Before being [[Decapitation|beheaded]], Wallace sees a vision of Murron in the crowd.

In 1314, Robert, now Scotland's king, faces the English at [[Bannockburn]], and implores his men to fight with him as they did with Wallace. After Wallace's sword is thrown to land point-down in the ground, Robert leads the Scots to a final victory.

== Cast ==
<!--- [[WP:NOTDATABASE]] - cast and order per Main Cast closing tombstone stand-alone credits, roles per closing credits scroll --->
{{Cast listing|
* [[Mel Gibson]] as [[William Wallace]]
* [[Sophie Marceau]] as [[Isabella of France|Isabelle]]
* [[Patrick McGoohan]] as [[Edward I of England|Longshanks]]
* [[Catherine McCormack]] as Murron MacClannough
* [[Angus Macfadyen|Angus McFadyen]] as [[Robert the Bruce]]
* [[Brendan Gleeson]] as Hamish
* [[David O'Hara]] as Stephen
* [[James Robinson]] as young William Wallace
* [[Ian Bannen]] as Robert the Bruce's father
* [[James Cosmo]] as Campbell
* [[Brian Cox (actor)|Brian Cox]] as Argyle Wallace
* [[Peter Hanly]] as [[Edward II of England|Prince Edward]]
* [[Alun Armstrong]] as Mornay
* John Murtagh as Lochlan
* [[Seán McGinley]] as Murron's father
* [[Gerda Stevenson]] as Murron's mother
* [[Stephen Billington]] as Phillip
* [[John Kavanagh (actor)|John Kavanaugh]] as Craig
* [[Tommy Flanagan (actor)|Tommy Flanagan]] as Morrison
* [[Rupert Vansittart]] as Lord Bottoms
* [[Tam White]] as McGregor
* [[Michael Byrne (actor)|Michael Byrne]] as Smythe
* Martin Murphy as Talmadge
* [[Gerard McSorley]] as Cheltham
* [[Richard Leaf]] as the Governor of York
* [[Bernard Horsfall]] as Balliol
* [[Jimmy Chisholm]] as Faudron
* Jeanne Marine as Nicolette
* [[Sean Lawlor]] as Malcolm Wallace
* Sandy Nelson as John Wallace
}}

== Production ==
=== Development ===
Producer [[Alan Ladd Jr.]] initially had the project at [[MGM-Pathé Communications]] when he picked up the script from Randall Wallace.<ref name="gaspare88">{{Cite AV media |title=Making Of Braveheart Behind The Scenes Documentary |date=February 7, 2018 |format=[[YouTube]] |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X20ii_zg_N4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190529214229/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X20ii_zg_N4&gl=US&hl=en |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 29, 2019 |access-date=October 26, 2018}}</ref> When [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] (MGM) was going through new management in 1993, Ladd left the studio and took some of its top properties, including ''Braveheart''.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_HtZAAAAMAAJ&q=Ladd+takes+Braveheart|title=Robin Hood: A Cinematic History of the English Outlaw and His Scottish Counterparts|last=Nollen|first=Scott Allen|date=January 1, 1999|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786406432|access-date=October 26, 2018|archive-date=June 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210630022548/https://books.google.com/books?id=_HtZAAAAMAAJ&q=Ladd+takes+Braveheart|url-status=live}}</ref> Mel Gibson came across the script and even though he liked it, he initially passed on it. However, the thought of it kept coming back to him, and he ultimately decided to take on the project.<ref name="gaspare88"/> [[Terry Gilliam]] was offered to direct the film, but he declined.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a648383/mel-gibson-pranks-historical-blunders-and-jason-patric-20-facts-about-braveheart/|title=20 things you never knew about Braveheart|website=[[Digital Spy]]|date=May 24, 2015}}</ref> Gibson was initially interested in directing only and considered [[Brad Pitt]] in the role of [[William Wallace|Sir William Wallace]], but later reluctantly agreed to play Wallace as well.<ref name="GB">{{cite magazine |title=Mel Gibson Once Threw an Ashtray Through a Wall During 'Braveheart' Budget Talks |date=2017-04-18 |magazine=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mel-gibson-once-threw-an-ashtray-a-wall-braveheart-budget-talks-994955 |access-date=April 18, 2017 |archive-date=April 18, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170418140834/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/mel-gibson-once-threw-an-ashtray-a-wall-braveheart-budget-talks-994955 |url-status=live}}</ref> He also considered [[Jason Patric]] for the role.<ref>{{cite news |title=That Championship Season's Outspoken Jason Patric Has Quite a Few Things to Say About Hollywood, Few of Them Nice |first=Kevin |last=Gray |date=March 15, 2011 |work=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]] |url=https://www.vulture.com/2011/03/jason_patric_interview_lost_bo.html |access-date=}}</ref> [[Sean Connery]] was approached to play King Edward, but he declined due to other commitments.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/politics/23184348.braveheart-fantasy-epic-perturbed-constitutionally-disturbed/ | title=Braveheart: The fantasy epic that perturbed the constitutionally disturbed | date=December 11, 2022 }}</ref> Gibson said that Connery's pronunciation of "[[Goulash]]" helped him for the Scottish accent for the film.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sundaypost.com/news/scottish-news/sean-connery-gave-mel-gibson-appetite-for-braveheart/ | title=Sean Connery gave Mel Gibson appetite for Braveheart | date=June 29, 2014 }}</ref>

Gibson and his production company, [[Icon Productions]], had difficulty raising enough money for the film. [[Warner Bros.]] was willing to fund the project on the condition that Gibson sign for another ''[[Lethal Weapon (franchise)|Lethal Weapon]]'' sequel, which he refused. Gibson eventually gained enough financing for the film, with [[Paramount Pictures]] financing a third of the budget in exchange for North American distribution rights to the film, and [[20th Century Studios|20th Century Fox]] putting up the other two-thirds in exchange for foreign distribution rights.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2005/film/markets-festivals/mel-tongue-ties-studios-1117926430/|title=Mel tongue-ties studios|author=Michael Fleming|date=July 25, 2005|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Daily Variety]]}}</ref><ref name="GB"/>

=== Filming ===
[[File:Scott Neeson on the set of Braveheart, 1995.jpg|thumb|Gibson (right) on set with 20th Century Fox executive [[Scott Neeson]]]]
Filming was initially due to take place fully in the United Kingdom, but most of the shoot was moved to [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] at late notice after lobbying from the Irish government and their offer to supply 1,600 members of the [[Reserve Defence Forces|Irish Army Reserve]] as extras. Shooting was planned to take 12 weeks on location in Ireland and at [[Ardmore Studios]], plus five weeks on location in Scotland.<ref name=SI>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Screen International]]|page=1|title=Gibson drops UK for Ireland|last=Barrett|first=Paddy|date=May 13, 1994}}</ref> Principal photography on the film took place between June 6, 1994, and October 28, 1994.<ref name="NotesTCM">{{Cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/69593/braveheart#notes|title=Braveheart (1995) – Misc Notes|website=Turner Classic Movies|access-date=2019-05-11|archive-date=May 11, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511203232/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/69593/Braveheart/misc-notes.html|url-status=live}}</ref> To lower costs, Gibson had the same extras portray both armies. The reservists had been given permission to grow beards and swapped their military uniforms for medieval garb.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.unison.ie/meath_chronicle/stories.php3?ca=41&si=1031035&issue_id=9666|title= ''Braveheart'' 10th Chance To Boost Tourism in Trim|work= Meath Chronicle|date= August 28, 2003|access-date= April 30, 2007|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150903212040/http://www.unison.ie/meath_chronicle/stories.php3?ca=41&si=1031035&issue_id=9666|archive-date= September 3, 2015|url-status= dead}}</ref> The film was shot in the [[anamorphic format]] with [[Panavision]] C- and E-Series lenses.<ref>{{cite journal | author=Chris Probst | title=Cinematic Transcendence| journal=[[American Cinematographer]] | publisher=[[American Society of Cinematographers]] | volume=77 | issue=6 | page=76 | location=[[Los Angeles, California]], United States | date=June 1, 1996 | issn=0002-7928 }}</ref> Gibson also later said that while filming a battle scene a horse nearly "killed him" but his stunt double was able to save him as the horse fell.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/movies/movie-news/i-almost-got-killed-filming-braveheart-says-gibson/30354934.html | title=I almost got killed filming 'Braveheart', says Gibson | date=June 15, 2014 }}</ref>

Gibson had to tone down the film's battle scenes to avoid an [[NC-17]] rating from the [[Motion Picture Association|MPAA]]; the final version was rated R for "brutal [[medieval warfare]]".<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.filmratings.com/ | title = Reasons for Movie Ratings (CARA) | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101211104428/http://www.filmratings.com/| archive-date = December 11, 2010| author1 = Classification and Rating Administration | author2 = Motion Picture Association of America}}</ref> Gibson and editor [[Steven Rosenblum]] initially had a film at 195 minutes, but [[Sherry Lansing]], who was the head of Paramount at the time, requested Gibson and Rosenblum to cut the film down to 177 minutes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/mel-gibson-reveals-secrets-from-behind-the-scenes-of-braveheart/news-story/cb19dbd81d2373b506884b3bc4099ecb|title=Mel Gibson reveals secrets from behind the scenes of Braveheart|website=www.news.com.au|access-date=January 1, 2019|archive-date=January 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190102002309/https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/movies/mel-gibson-reveals-secrets-from-behind-the-scenes-of-braveheart/news-story/cb19dbd81d2373b506884b3bc4099ecb|url-status=live}}</ref> According to Gibson in a 2016 interview with [[Collider (website)|''Collider'']], there is a four-hour version of the film, and he expressed interest in reassembling it if both Paramount and Fox were interested.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/film/1780785-1780785|title=Mel Gibson has a whole hour of unseen 'Braveheart' footage for an extended cut|last=Levine|first=Nick|date=October 26, 2016|website=NME|access-date=January 1, 2019|archive-date=January 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190102002405/https://www.nme.com/news/film/1780785-1780785|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Soundtrack ==
{{main|Braveheart (soundtrack)|l1=''Braveheart'' (soundtrack)}}
The score was composed and conducted by [[James Horner]] and performed by the [[London Symphony Orchestra]]. It is Horner's second of three collaborations with [[Mel Gibson]] as director. The score has gone on to be one of the most commercially successful soundtracks of all time. It received considerable acclaim from film critics and audiences and was nominated for a number of awards, including the [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Academy Award]], [[Saturn Award]], [[British Academy Film Awards|BAFTA Award]], and [[Golden Globe Award]].

== Release ==

''Braveheart'' premiered at the [[Seattle International Film Festival]] on May 18, 1995, and received its wide release in U.S. cinemas six days later.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19950518&slug=2121653|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205115332/https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19950518&slug=2121653|url-status=dead|title=Mel Gibson Opens Seattle Film Fest With 'Braveheart' &#124; The Seattle Times|archivedate=February 5, 2021|website=archive.seattletimes.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19960216&slug=2314366|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204230850/https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19960216&slug=2314366|url-status=dead|title=Epic Redemption – 'Braveheart' Battles Its Way To The Top &#124; The Seattle Times|archivedate=February 4, 2021|website=archive.seattletimes.com}}</ref>

=== Home media ===
''Braveheart'' was released on [[LaserDisc]] in both [[pan and scan]] and [[widescreen]] on March 12, 1996. That same day, it also was made available on [[VHS]] in pan and scan only and was re-issued in widescreen on August 27.

The film was released on [[DVD-Video|DVD]] on August 29, 2000. This edition included the film only in widescreen, a commentary track by Gibson, a behind-the-scenes featurette, along the [[trailer (promotion)|trailers]].<ref>{{Citation|last=Various|title=Braveheart|date=August 29, 2000|url=https://www.amazon.com/Braveheart-Various/dp/B00AEFXKUI/|publisher=Warner Bros.|access-date=May 15, 2018|archive-date=March 25, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325095235/http://www.amazon.com/Braveheart-Various/dp/B00AEFXKUI|url-status=live}}</ref>

It was released on [[Blu-ray]] as part of the ''Paramount Sapphire Series'' on September 1, 2009. It included the DVD features along with new bonus material.<ref name="Braveheart DVD Release Date">{{Cite web|url=https://www.dvdsreleasedates.com/movies/392/Braveheart-(1995).html|title=Braveheart DVD Release Date|website=DVDs Release Dates|access-date=May 15, 2018|archive-date=May 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516014508/https://www.dvdsreleasedates.com/movies/392/Braveheart-(1995).html|url-status=live}}</ref> It was released on [[4K resolution|4K]] [[Ultra HD Blu-ray|UHD Blu-ray]] as part of the 4K upgrade of the ''Paramount Sapphire Series'' on May 15, 2018.<ref name="Braveheart DVD Release Date"/>

== Reception ==
=== Box office ===
''Braveheart'' grossed $75.5{{nbsp}}million in the United States and Canada and $133.5{{nbsp}}million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $209.0{{nbsp}}million, against a budget of $53–$72{{nbsp}}million.<ref name=NUM>{{Cite The Numbers |id=Braveheart |access-date=2024-05-12}}</ref><ref name=SI/> It spent nine non-consecutive weeks in the Top 10 at the US box office{{snd}}its first seven weeks, then two more weeks during its fifth month in theatres.<ref name=BOMWeek>{{cite web |title=''Braveheart'' {{!}} Domestic Weekly |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |publisher=[[IMDb]] |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3594946049/weekly/?ref_=bo_rl_tab#tabs |access-date=2024-05-12}}</ref>

=== Critical response ===
{{RT prose|{{RT data|score}}|{{RT data|average}}|{{RT data|count}}|Distractingly violent and historically dodgy, Mel Gibson's ''Braveheart'' justifies its epic length by delivering enough sweeping action, drama, and romance to match its ambition.|ref=yes|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}} {{MC film|68|20|ref=yes|access-date=2024-05-13}} Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "A-" on an A+ to F scale.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cinemascore.com|title=Find CinemaScore|format=Type "Braveheart" in the search box|publisher=[[CinemaScore]]|access-date=November 17, 2025}}</ref>

[[File:Mel Gibson Cannes 2016 2.jpg|thumb|Gibson's work on ''Braveheart'' earned him the [[Academy Award for Best Director]].]]
[[Caryn James]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' praised the film, calling it "one of the most spectacular entertainments in years."<ref>{{cite news |title=Braveheart |first=Caryn |last=James |author-link=Caryn James |date=1995-05-23 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/filmarchive/braveheart.html |access-date=6 May 2021 |archive-date=May 6, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506081641/https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/filmarchive/braveheart.html |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Roger Ebert]] gave the film three and a half out of four stars, calling it "An action epic with the spirit of the Hollywood swordplay classics and the grungy ferocity of ''[[The Road Warrior]]''."<ref name=":0">{{cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |title=Braveheart movie review & film summary (1995) |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/braveheart-1995 |website=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |access-date=July 19, 2020 |archive-date=February 4, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170204132022/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/braveheart-1995 |url-status=live   |via=[[RogerEbert.com]]}}</ref> In a positive review, [[Gene Siskel]] wrote that "in addition to staging battle scenes well, Gibson also manages to recreate the filth and mood of 700 years ago."<ref>{{Cite news |title='Crumb' Digs Deep As the Oscars Come Up Empty |last=Siskel |first=Gene |author-link=Gene Siskel |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1995-05-26-9505260018-story.html |access-date=October 26, 2018 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=October 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026064537/https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1995-05-26-9505260018-story.html |url-status=live}}</ref> [[Peter Travers]] of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' felt that "though the film dawdles a bit with the shimmery, dappled love stuff involving Wallace with a Scottish peasant and a French princess, the action will pin you to your seat."<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Braveheart |last=Travers |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Travers |date=24 May 1995 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]  |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/braveheart-122937/ |access-date=July 19, 2020 |archive-date=June 30, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210630022551/https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/braveheart-122937/ |url-status=live}}</ref> The depiction of the [[Battle of Stirling Bridge|Battle of Stirling]] was listed by [[CNN]] as one of the best battles in cinema history.<ref>{{cite news |title=The best – and worst – movie battle scenes |date=2007-04-02 |work=[[CNN]] |url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/29/movie.battles/index.html |access-date=April 2, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070408081844/http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/29/movie.battles/index.html |archive-date=April 8, 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Not all reviews were positive. [[Richard Schickel]] of ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine argued that "everybody knows that a non-blubbering clause is standard in all movie stars' contracts. Too bad there isn't one banning self-indulgence when they direct."<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Cinema: Another Highland Fling |last=Schickel |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Schickel |date=May 29, 1995 |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,982369,00.html |access-date=October 26, 2018 |issn=0040-781X |archive-date=December 7, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207183739/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,982369,00.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Peter Stack of the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' felt "at times the film seems an obsessive ode to Mel Gibson machismo."<ref>{{Cite news |title=Film Review – Macho Mel Beats His Chest in Bloody 'Braveheart' |first=Peter |last=Stack |date=May 24, 1995 |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |url=https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/FILM-REVIEW-Macho-Mel-Beats-His-Chest-in-3032546.php |access-date=October 26, 2018 |archive-date=October 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026064532/https://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/FILM-REVIEW-Macho-Mel-Beats-His-Chest-in-3032546.php |url-status=live}}</ref> In a 2005 poll by British film magazine ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'', ''Braveheart'' was No. 1 on their list of "The Top 10 Worst Pictures to Win Best Picture Oscar".<ref>{{cite news |title=Mel Gibson's "Braveheart" Voted Worst Oscar Winner |date=2005-02-25 |agency=[[World Entertainment News Network]] |url=http://www.hollywood.com/news/Mel_Gibsons_Braveheart_Voted_Worst_Oscar_Winner/2435436 |access-date= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203230603/http://www.hollywood.com/news/Mel_Gibsons_Braveheart_Voted_Worst_Oscar_Winner/2435436 |archive-date=February 3, 2013 |url-status=}}</ref> ''Empire'' readers had previously voted ''Braveheart'' the best film of 1995.<ref name="Empire Award Past Winners - 1996">{{cite magazine |title=Empire Award Past Winners – 1996 |year=2003 |magazine=[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]  |url=https://www.empireonline.com/awards2003/pastwinners/1996.asp |access-date=September 16, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121014113022/http://www.empireonline.com/awards2003/pastwinners/1996.asp |archive-date=October 14, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Alex von Tunzelmann of ''[[The Guardian]]'' gave the film a grade of C−, saying: "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. "Historians from England will say I am a liar," intones the voiceover, "but history is written by those who have hanged heroes." Well, that's me told: but, regardless of whether you read English or Scottish historians on the matter, ''Braveheart'' still serves up a great big steaming haggis of lies."<ref>{{cite news|title= Braveheart: dancing peasants, gleaming teeth and a cameo from Fabio|work= [[The Guardian]]|date=2008-08-31|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/jul/30/3|access-date=2024-05-13}}</ref>
In a 2012 article, Nathan Kamal called the film "hugely overrated", criticizing the characters as one-dimensional.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://spectrumculture.com/2012/05/29/criminally-overrated-braveheart/ | title=Braveheart &#124; Criminally Overrated | date=May 30, 2012 }}</ref>

=== Effect on tourism ===
The European premiere was on September 3, 1995, in [[Stirling]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12089373.Scotland_a_nation_again_for_a_night/ |title=Scotland a nation again for a night |work=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]] |location=Glasgow |date=September 4, 1995 |access-date=July 10, 2016 |archive-date=August 17, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160817072050/http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12089373.Scotland_a_nation_again_for_a_night/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1996, the year after the film was released, the annual three-day "Braveheart Conference" at [[Stirling Castle]] attracted fans of ''Braveheart'', increasing the conference's attendance to 167,000 from 66,000 in the previous year.<ref>{{cite book | last=Zumkhawala-Cook | first=Richard | year=2008 | title=Scotland as We Know It: Representations of National Identity in Literature, Film and Popular Culture | publisher=McFarland | isbn=978-0-7864-4031-3 | page=147 }}</ref> In the following year, research on visitors to the Stirling area indicated that 55% of the visitors had seen ''Braveheart''. Of visitors from outside Scotland, 15% of those who saw ''Braveheart'' said it influenced their decision to visit the country. Of all visitors who saw ''Braveheart'', 39% said the film influenced in part their decision to visit Stirling, and 19% said the film was one of the main reasons for their visit.<ref>{{cite book | last1=MacLellan | first1=Rory | last2=Smith | first2=Ronnie | year=1998 | title=Tourism in Scotland | publisher=Cengage Learning EMEA | isbn=978-1-86152-089-0 | page=230 }}</ref> In the same year, a tourism report said that the "''Braveheart'' effect" earned Scotland £7&nbsp;million to £15&nbsp;million in tourist revenue, and the report led to various national organizations encouraging international film productions to take place in Scotland.<ref>{{cite book | last=Martin-Jones | first=David | year=2009 | title=Scotland: Global Cinema – Genres, Modes, and Identities | publisher=Edinburgh University Press | isbn=978-0-7486-3391-3 | page=14 }}</ref>

The film generated huge interest in Scotland and in [[Scottish history]], not only around the world, but also in Scotland itself.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Braveheart celebrates its 30th Anniversary - News {{!}} VisitScotland.org |url=http://www.visitscotland.org/news/2025/braveheart-anniversary |access-date=2025-11-18 |website=www.visitscotland.org |language=en}}</ref> At a ''Braveheart'' Convention in 1997, held in Stirling the day after the [[Scottish Parliament#History of the Scottish Parliament|Scottish Devolution]] vote and attended by 200 delegates from around the world, ''Braveheart'' author Randall Wallace, Seoras Wallace of the Wallace Clan, Scottish historian David Ross and Bláithín FitzGerald from Ireland gave lectures on various aspects of the film.{{citation needed|date=November 2018}} Several of the actors also attended including James Robinson (Young William), Andrew Weir (Young Hamish), Julie Austin (the young bride) and Mhairi Calvey (Young Murron).{{citation needed|date=November 2018}}

=== Awards and honors ===
''Braveheart'' was nominated for many awards during the 1995 awards season, though it was not viewed by many{{who|date=May 2022}} as a major competitor to films such as ''[[Apollo 13 (film)|Apollo 13]]'', ''[[Il Postino: The Postman]]'', ''[[Leaving Las Vegas]]'', ''[[Sense and Sensibility (1995 film)|Sense and Sensibility]]'', and ''[[The Usual Suspects]]''.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Oscar Flashback: The Braveheart Year |url=https://www.awardsdaily.com/2017/01/oscar-flashback-braveheart-year/ |access-date=2024-07-12 |website=Awardsdaily |language=en-US}}</ref> It wasn't until after the film won the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director]] at the [[53rd Golden Globe Awards]] that it was viewed as a serious Oscar contender.<ref name=":1" />

When the nominations were announced for the [[68th Academy Awards]], ''Braveheart'' received ten Academy Award nominations, and a month later, won five including [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]], [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]] for Gibson, [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]], [[Academy Award for Best Sound Editing|Best Sound Effects Editing]], and [[Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling|Best Makeup]].<ref name="Oscars1996">{{cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1996 |title=The 68th Academy Awards (1996) Nominees and Winners |access-date=October 23, 2011 |work=oscars.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120929190404/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/68th-winners.html |archive-date=September 29, 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref> ''Braveheart'' became the ninth film to win Best Picture with no acting nominations and is one of only four films to win Best Picture without being nominated for the [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture]], the others being ''[[The Shape of Water]]'' in 2017, [[Green Book (film)|''Green Book'']] in 2018, and ''[[Nomadland (film)|Nomadland]]'' in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/%27BRAVEHEART%27+CONQUERS%5CGibson%27s+epic+wins+Best+Picture%5CSarandon,+Cage...-a083931988|title='BRAVEHEART' CONQUERS\Gibson's epic wins Best Picture\Sarandon, Cage take acting honors. – Free Online Library|website=www.thefreelibrary.com|access-date=January 1, 2019|archive-date=January 2, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190102002337/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/%27BRAVEHEART%27+CONQUERS%5CGibson%27s+epic+wins+Best+Picture%5CSarandon,+Cage...-a083931988|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/shape-water-best-picture-win-mirrors-a-braveheart-first-oscars-2018-1090971|title=Oscars Avoids "Envelopegate" Repeat as 'The Shape of Water' Takes Home Best Picture Prize|website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=March 4, 2018|access-date=January 1, 2019|archive-date=March 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311054530/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/shape-water-best-picture-win-mirrors-a-braveheart-first-oscars-2018-1090971|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/oscars-2019-green-book-wins-best-picture-61289300|title=Oscars 2019: 'Green Book' wins best picture|last=America|first=Good Morning|website=Good Morning America|access-date=2019-02-27|archive-date=February 28, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228070102/https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/culture/story/oscars-2019-green-book-wins-best-picture-61289300|url-status=live}}</ref>

The film also won the [[Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-03-19-ca-48578-story.html|title=WGA Members Prize 'Sensibility' and 'Braveheart'|last=WELKOS|first=ROBERT W.|date=1996-03-19|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=2019-03-19|issn=0458-3035|archive-date=May 31, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160531210852/http://articles.latimes.com/1996-03-19/entertainment/ca-48578_1_writers-guild-award|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2010, the [[Independent Film & Television Alliance]] selected the film as one of the 30 Most Significant Independent Films of the last 30 years.<ref>{{cite web| title = UPDATE: How "Toxic" Is IFTA's Best Indies?| url = https://deadline.com/2010/09/iftas-toxic-best-indie-film-list-65871/| work = Deadline| date = September 10, 2010| access-date = January 23, 2017| archive-date = February 2, 2017| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170202022156/http://deadline.com/2010/09/iftas-toxic-best-indie-film-list-65871/| url-status = live}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Recipient(s)
! Result
|-
| rowspan="5"| 20/20 Awards
| Best Cinematography
| [[John Toll]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Costume Design
| [[Charles Knode]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Makeup
| [[Peter Frampton (make-up artist)|Peter Frampton]], [[Paul Pattison]] and [[Lois Burwell]]
| {{won}}
|-
| Best Original Score
| [[James Horner]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| colspan="2"| Best Sound
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="10"| [[68th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]
| [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]
| [[Mel Gibson]], [[Bruce Davey]] and [[Alan Ladd Jr.]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| Mel Gibson
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen]]
| [[Randall Wallace]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
| John Toll
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]]
| Charles Knode
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Film Editing|Best Film Editing]]
| [[Steven Rosenblum]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling|Best Makeup]]
| Peter Frampton, Paul Pattison and Lois Burwell
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Dramatic Score]]
| James Horner
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Sound|Best Sound]]
| [[Andy Nelson (sound engineer)|Andy Nelson]], [[Scott Millan]], [[Anna Behlmer]] and [[Brian Simmons (sound engineer)|Brian Simmons]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Sound Editing|Best Sound Effects Editing]]
| [[Lon Bender]] and [[Per Hallberg]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[American Cinema Editors#Eddie Awards|American Cinema Editors Awards]]
| [[American Cinema Editors Award for Best Edited Feature Film – Dramatic|Best Edited Feature Film]]
| Steven Rosenblum
| {{won}}
|-
| American Cinema Foundation Awards
| colspan="2"| Feature Film
| {{won}}
|-
| [[American Society of Cinematographers|American Society of Cinematographers Awards]]
| [[American Society of Cinematographers Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases|Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases]]
| John Toll
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="10"| Awards Circuit Community Awards
| Best Director
| Mel Gibson
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Original Screenplay
| Randall Wallace
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Art Direction
| [[Thomas E. Sanders]] and [[Peter Howitt (set decorator)|Peter Howitt]]
| {{won}}
|-
| Best Cinematography
| John Toll
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Costume Design
| Charles Knode
| {{won}}
|-
| Best Film Editing
| Steven Rosenblum
| {{nom}}
|-
| Best Makeup & Hairstyling
| Peter Frampton, Paul Pattison and Lois Burwell
| {{won}}
|-
| Best Original Score
| James Horner
| {{won}}
|-
| colspan="2"| Best Sound
| {{nom}}
|-
| colspan="2"| Best Stunt Ensemble
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="7"| [[49th British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Awards]]
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Direction|Best Direction]]
| Mel Gibson
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
| John Toll
| {{won}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]]
| Charles Knode
| {{won}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Original Music|Best Film Music]]
| James Horner
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Makeup and Hair|Best Makeup]]
| Peter Frampton, Paul Pattison and Lois Burwell
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Production Design|Best Production Design]]
| Thomas E. Sanders
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Sound|Best Sound]]
| Andy Nelson, Scott Millan, Anna Behlmer and Brian Simmons
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Camerimage]]
| Golden Frog
| John Toll
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Cinema Audio Society Awards]]
| [[Cinema Audio Society Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Live Action|Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Motion Pictures]]
| Andy Nelson, Scott Millan, Anna Behlmer and Brian Simmons
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Círculo de Escritores Cinematográficos|Cinema Writers Circle Awards]]
| Best Foreign Film
| rowspan="2"| Mel Gibson
| {{won}}{{efn|Tied with ''[[Ed Wood (film)|Ed Wood]]''.}}
|-
| [[1st Critics' Choice Awards|Critics' Choice Awards]]
| [[Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards 1995|Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Film|Best Picture]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
| John Toll
| {{won}}
|-
| [[48th Directors Guild of America Awards|Directors Guild of America Awards]]
| [[Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film|Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures]]
| Mel Gibson
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[1st Empire Awards|Empire Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[Empire Award for Best Film|Best Film]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Flaiano Prizes]]
| Best Foreign Actress
| [[Catherine McCormack]]
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="4"| [[53rd Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama|Best Motion Picture – Drama]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Director|Best Director – Motion Picture]]
| Mel Gibson
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Motion Picture]]
| Randall Wallace
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score – Motion Picture]]
| James Horner
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[Motion Picture Sound Editors|Golden Reel Awards]]
| [[Golden Reel Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Dialogue and ADR for Feature Film|Best Sound Editing – Dialogue]]
| Mark LaPointe
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Golden Reel Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Sound Effects and Foley for Feature Film|Best Sound Editing – Sound Effects]]
| Lon Bender and Per Hallberg
| {{won}}{{efn|Tied with [[George Watters II]] for ''[[Crimson Tide (film)|Crimson Tide]]''.}}
|-
| [[International Film Music Critics Association#IFMCA Awards|International Film Music Critics Association Awards]]
| [[International Film Music Critics Association Award for Best New Archival Release of an Existing Score – Re-Release or Re-Recording|Best Archival Release of an Existing Score – Re-Release or Re-Recording]]
| James Horner, Dan Goldwasser, Mike Matessino, Jim Titus and Jeff Bond 
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Jupiter Award (film award)#18th Jupiter Award / 1996|Jupiter Awards]]
| Best International Director
| Mel Gibson
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Movieguide Awards]]
| colspan="2"| Best Movie for Mature Audiences
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="4"| [[1996 MTV Movie Awards|MTV Movie Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[MTV Movie Award for Best Movie|Best Movie]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[MTV Movie Award for Best Performance|Best Male Performance]]
| rowspan="2"| Mel Gibson
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[MTV Movie Award for Most Desirable Male|Most Desirable Male]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[MTV Movie Award for Best Action Sequence|Best Action Sequence]]
| Battle of Stirling
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[National Board of Review Awards 1995|National Board of Review Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[National Board of Review: Top Ten Films|Top Ten Films]]
| {{draw|9th Place}}
|-
| Special Filmmaking Achievement
| Mel Gibson
| {{won}}
|-
| Publicists Guild of America Awards
| colspan="2"| Motion Picture
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="3"| [[22nd Saturn Awards|Saturn Awards]]
| colspan="2"| [[Saturn Award for Best Action or Adventure Film|Best Action/Adventure Film]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]]
| Charles Knode
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Saturn Award for Best Music|Best Music]]
| James Horner
| {{nom}}
|-
| Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Picture
| {{draw|2nd Place}}
|-
| [[Turkish Film Critics Association|Turkish Film Critics Association Awards]]
| colspan="2"| Best Foreign Film
| {{draw|3rd Place}}
|-
| [[48th Writers Guild of America Awards|Writers Guild of America Awards]]
| [[Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screenplay]]
| Randall Wallace
| {{won}}
|}

;[[American Film Institute]] lists
* [[AFI's 100 Years ... 100 Thrills]] – No. 91
* [[AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers]] – No. 62

=== Cultural effects and accusations of Anglophobia ===
[[Lin Anderson]], author of ''Braveheart: From Hollywood To Holyrood'', credits the film with playing a significant role in affecting the [[Politics of Scotland|Scottish political landscape]] in the mid- to late 1990s.<ref>{{cite web|last=Boztas |first=Senay |url=http://www.braveheart.info/news/2005/sunday_herald/2007-07-31/51063.html |title=Wallace movie 'helped Scots get devolution' – [Sunday Herald&#93; |publisher=Braveheart.info |date=July 31, 2005 |access-date=February 27, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130702163829/http://www.braveheart.info/news/2005/sunday_herald/2007-07-31/51063.html |archive-date=July 2, 2013 }}</ref> [[Peter Jackson]] cited ''Braveheart'' as an influence in making [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|the ''Lord of the Ring''s film trilogy]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Parker |first=Dylan |date=2021-03-17 |title=This Was The Key To Adapting 'The Lord Of The Rings', According To Peter Jackson |url=https://www.thethings.com/this-was-the-key-to-adapting-the-lord-of-the-rings-according-to-peter-jackson/ |access-date=2022-10-09 |website=TheThings |language=en-US}}</ref> However, noted medieval historian Robert Bartlett was certain that “The portrayal of the English who appear in the film does indeed support the view that ''Braveheart'' is Anglophobic.”<ref>Bartlett, Robert. 2022. The Middle Ages and the Movies. London: Reaktion Books. 35.</ref>

Sections of the English media accused the film of harbouring [[Anti-English sentiment]]. ''[[The Economist]]'' called it "[[Xenophobia|xenophobic]]",<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/PrinterFriendly.cfm?story_id=6941798 |title=Economist.com |publisher=Economist.com |date=May 18, 2006 |access-date=February 27, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629214649/http://www.economist.com/PrinterFriendly.cfm?story_id=6941798 |archive-date=June 29, 2011 }}</ref> and [[John Sutherland (author)|John Sutherland]] writing in ''[[The Guardian]]'' stated that: "''Braveheart'' gave full rein to a toxic Anglophobia".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2003/aug/11/religion.world |work=The Guardian |location=London |title=John Sutherland |date=August 11, 2003 |access-date=April 26, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090820010057/http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2003/aug/11/religion.world |archive-date=August 20, 2009}}</ref><ref name="timesonline1">{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article546776.ece |title=''Braveheart'' battle cry is now but a whisper |newspaper=Times Online |date= July 24, 2005|access-date=February 27, 2009 | location=London |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629142251/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/scotland/article546776.ece |archive-date=June 29, 2011 |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite book
 |last=Colin
 |first=McArthur
 |title=Brigadoon, ''Braveheart'' and the Scots: Distortions of Scotland in Hollywood Cinema
 |publisher=I. B. Tauris
 |year=2003
 |page=5
 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XMOUo5VUkoQC
 |isbn=978-1-86064-927-1
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130610030239/https://books.google.com/books?id=XMOUo5VUkoQC&printsec=frontcover
 |archive-date=June 10, 2013
 |url-status=dead
}}</ref> In ''[[The Times]]'', Colin McArthur said "the political effects are truly pernicious. It's a xenophobic film."<ref name="timesonline1"/> Ian Burrell of ''[[The Independent]]'' has said, "The ''Braveheart'' phenomenon, a Hollywood-inspired rise in [[Scottish nationalism]], has been linked to a rise in anti-English prejudice".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/most-race-attack-victims-are-white-the-english-exiles-1069506.html | title=Most race attack victims 'are white': The English Exiles – News | newspaper=[[The Independent]] | date=February 8, 1999 |access-date=February 27, 2009 | location=London | first=Ian | last=Burrell| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131219024934/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/most-race-attack-victims-are-white-the-english-exiles-1069506.html | archive-date=December 19, 2013 }}</ref>

=== Wallace Monument ===
[[File:Braveheart Statue Sep 2007.jpg|thumb|Tom Church's controversial statue of Gibson as Wallace]]
In 1997, a {{convert|12|ft|adj=on}}, {{convert|13|t|adj=on}} [[sandstone]] statue depicting Mel Gibson as William Wallace in ''Braveheart'' was placed in the car park of the [[Wallace Monument]] near [[Stirling]], Scotland. The statue, which was the work of Tom Church, a [[Stonemasonry|monumental mason]] from [[Brechin]],<ref name="courer">{{cite web|url=http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2009/10/16/newsstory13954661t0.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091020180051/http://www.thecourier.co.uk/output/2009/10/16/newsstory13954661t0.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 20, 2009 |work=[[The Courier (Dundee)|The Courier]] |title=Wallace statue back at home of sculptor |access-date=October 17, 2009 |date=October 16, 2009 }}</ref> included the word 'Braveheart' on Wallace's shield. The installation became the cause of much controversy; one local resident stated that it was wrong to "desecrate the main memorial to Wallace with a lump of crap".<ref>{{cite web|author=Hal G. P. Colebatch |url=http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=10191 |title=The American Spectator |publisher=Spectator.org |date=August 8, 2006 |access-date=February 27, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012014011/http://spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=10191 |archive-date=October 12, 2007}}</ref>

In 1998, someone wielding a hammer vandalized the statue's face. After repairs were made, the statue was encased in a cage every night to prevent further vandalism. This only incited more calls for the statue to be removed, as it then appeared that the Gibson/Wallace figure was imprisoned. The statue was described as "among the most loathed pieces of public art in Scotland".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/williamwallace/They-may-take-our-lives.2565370.jp |title=They may take our lives but they won't take Freedom |author=Kevin Hurley |work=[[Scotland on Sunday]] |date=September 19, 2004 |access-date=October 16, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091101183916/http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/williamwallace/They-may-take-our-lives.2565370.jp |archive-date=November 1, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2008, the statue was returned to its sculptor to make room for a new visitor centre being built at the foot of the Wallace Monument.<ref name="bbc_statue_removed">{{cite news |title=Wallace statue back with sculptor |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/8310614.stm |work=BBC News |date=October 16, 2009 |access-date=October 16, 2009 |archive-date=August 24, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824174510/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/8310614.stm |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Historical inaccuracy ==
Randall Wallace, who wrote the screenplay, has acknowledged [[Blind Harry]]'s 15th-century [[Epic poetry|epic poem]] ''[[The Wallace (poem)|The Acts and Deeds of Sir William Wallace, Knight of Elderslie]]'', as a major inspiration for the film.<ref name="anderson">{{cite book|author=Anderson, Lin| title=Braveheart: From Hollywood to Holyrood| publisher=Luath Press Ltd.|date=2005|page= 27}}</ref> In defending his script, Randall Wallace has said, "Is Blind Harry true? I don't know. I know that it spoke to my heart and that's what matters to me, that it spoke to my heart."<ref name = anderson/> Blind Harry's poem is not regarded as historically accurate, and although some incidents in the film that are not historically accurate are taken from Blind Harry (e.g. the [[Barns of Ayr|hanging of Scottish nobles]] at the start),<ref name=Riddy>''Unmapping the Territory: Blind Hary's Wallace'', Felicity Riddy's chapter in Edward Cowan's ''The Wallace Book'' (2007, {{ISBN|978-0-85976-652-4}})</ref> there are large parts that are based neither on history nor Blind Harry (e.g. Wallace's affair with Princess Isabella).<ref name=white>{{cite news |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article6738785.ece |title=The 10 most historically inaccurate movies |last=White |first=Caroline |work=[[The Sunday Times]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615070116/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article6738785.ece |archive-date=June 15, 2011 |access-date=November 15, 2013}}</ref> The reign of [[Edward I of England|King Edward I of England]] is one of the most well documented by contemporary chroniclers in the Middle Ages, but these sources were entirely ignored by the screenwriter in favour of the non contemporary source written more than two centuries after the events it pretends to portray.

Elizabeth Ewan describes ''Braveheart'' as a film that "almost totally sacrifices historical accuracy for epic adventure".<ref name = "ewan">{{cite journal| author=Ewan, Elizabeth|title=Braveheart|journal= American Historical Review |volume=100|number= 4 |date=October 1995|pages= 1219–21|doi=10.2307/2168219|jstor=2168219}}</ref> It has been described as one of the most historically inaccurate modern films.<ref name=white/><ref>{{Cite news |title=Eight blockbuster films that got history wrong |date=November 2018 |work=[[BBC Bitesize]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/zbrb7nb |access-date=2021-09-29}}</ref>
Sharon Krossa noted that the film contains numerous historical inaccuracies, beginning with the wearing of [[belted plaid]] (''feileadh mór léine''), which was not introduced until the 16th century,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.authenticireland.com/scottish+kilts |title=A History of Scottish Kilts &#124; Authentic Ireland Travel |publisher=Authenticireland.com |access-date=June 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205224244/http://www.authenticireland.com/scottish%2Bkilts/ |archive-date=December 5, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> by Wallace and his men. In that period "no Scots [...] wore belted plaids (let alone [[kilt]]s of any kind)." Moreover, when Highlanders finally did begin wearing the belted plaid, it was not "in the rather bizarre style depicted in the film". She compares the inaccuracy to "a film about Colonial America showing the colonial men wearing 20th-century business suits, but with the jackets worn back-to-front instead of the right way around."<ref>{{cite web|first = Sharon L.| last = Krossa| title = Braveheart Errors: An Illustration of Scale| url=http://medievalscotland.org/scotbiblio/bravehearterrors.shtml| date=October 2, 2008|access-date = June 15, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131009105036/http://medievalscotland.org/scotbiblio/bravehearterrors.shtml| archive-date = October 9, 2013}}</ref> In a previous essay about the film, she wrote, "The events aren't accurate, the dates aren't accurate, the characters aren't accurate, the names aren't accurate, the clothes aren't accurate—in short, just about nothing is accurate."<ref name="Krossa">{{cite web| first=Sharon L.|last = Krossa
| url=http://www.medievalscotland.org/scotbiblio/braveheart.shtml|title = Regarding the Film Braveheart|date=October 31, 2001|access-date = November 26, 2009| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121113162027/http://medievalscotland.org/scotbiblio/braveheart.shtml| archive-date = November 13, 2012}}</ref> Peter Traquair has referred to Wallace's "farcical representation as a wild and hairy highlander painted with [[Isatis tinctoria|woad]] (1,000 years too late) running amok in a [[tartan]] kilt (500 years too early)."<ref name="traquair">{{cite book | first=Peter|last=Traquair|title=Freedom's Sword |publisher=HarperCollins|year=1998}} p. 62</ref> Caroline White of ''[[The Times]] ''described the film as being made up of a "litany of fibs."<ref>{{cite web| url=https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/110075 | title=The 10 most historically inaccurate movies &#124; History News Network | date=August 4, 2009 }}</ref> Irish historian Seán Duffy remarked that "the [[battle of Stirling Bridge]] could have done with a bridge."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.historyireland.com/medieval-history-pre-1500/braveheart-brave-attempt/|title=History Ireland|date=January 28, 2013|access-date=January 30, 2016|archive-date=October 31, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031222612/http://www.historyireland.com/medieval-history-pre-1500/braveheart-brave-attempt/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2009, the film was second on a list of "most historically inaccurate movies" in ''The Times''.<ref name=white/> In the humorous non-fictional historiography ''An Utterly Impartial History of Britain'' (2007), author [[John O'Farrell (author)|John O'Farrell]] claims that ''Braveheart'' could not have been more historically inaccurate, even if a [[Plasticine]] dog had been inserted in the film and the title changed to "''William [[Wallace & Gromit|Wallace and Gromit]]''".<ref>{{cite book| first=John| last = O'Farrell| title = An Utterly Impartial History of Britain| year = 2007| publisher = Doubleday| location = New York City| page = 126|isbn=978-0-385-61198-5}}</ref>

In the [[DVD]] [[audio commentary]] of ''Braveheart'', Mel Gibson acknowledged the historical inaccuracies but defended his choices as director, noting that the way events were portrayed in the film was much more "cinematically compelling" than the historical fact or conventional mythos.<ref name=white/>

=== ''Jus primae noctis'' ===
[[Edward I of England|Edward Longshanks]] is shown invoking ''[[Droit du seigneur|Jus primae noctis]]'' in the film, allowing the lord of a medieval estate to take the virginity of his serfs' maiden daughters on their wedding nights. Critical medieval scholarship regards this supposed right as a myth: "the simple reason why we are dealing with a myth here rests in the surprising fact that practically all writers who make any such claims have never been able or willing to cite any trustworthy source, if they have any."<ref>{{cite book|first=Albrecht|last=Classen|title=The medieval chastity belt: a myth-making process|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r_hncxYRQIoC&pg=PA147|year=2007|publisher=Macmillan|location=London|page=151|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130609130238/https://books.google.com/books?id=r_hncxYRQIoC&pg=PA147 |archive-date=June 9, 2013|isbn=9781403975584}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/weddings/customs/droit.asp |title=Urban legends website |website=Snopes.com |date=July 6, 2008 |access-date=June 20, 2013}}</ref>

=== Occupation and independence ===
The film suggests Scotland had been under English occupation for some time, at least during Wallace's childhood, and in the run-up to the [[Battle of Falkirk]] Wallace says to the younger Bruce, "[W]e'll have what none of us have ever had before, a country of our own." In fact, Scotland had been [[Wars of Scottish Independence#Background|invaded by England]] only the year before Wallace's rebellion; before the death of [[Alexander III of Scotland|King Alexander III]] it had been a fully separate kingdom.<ref>Traquair p. 15</ref> Scriptwriter [[Randall Wallace]] puts the words “hundred years of theft, rape, and murder” into the mouth of William Wallace which entirely misunderstands the relationship between [[England]] and [[Scotland]] in the [[13th century|thirteenth century]]. The sister of [[Edward I of England|King Edward I of England]], [[Margaret of England]], was married to Alexander III. They had been married at [[York Minster]] in 1251 amidst friendly relations between the two royal families. As Robert Bartlett wrote “ In fact, in the hundred years before 1297, the year of that battle [of Dunbar], the king of England had led an army into Scotland only once, for ten days in January 1216.” <ref>Bartlett, Robert. 2022. The Middle Ages and the Movies. London: Reaktion Books Ltd. 38.</ref>

=== Portrayal of William Wallace ===
As [[John Shelton Lawrence]] and Robert Jewett writes, "Because [William] Wallace is one of Scotland's most important national heroes and because he lived in the very distant past, much that is believed about him is probably the stuff of legend. But there is a factual strand that historians agree to", summarized from Scots scholar Matt Ewart:

{{blockquote|Wallace was born into the gentry of Scotland; his father lived until he was 18, his mother until his 24th year; he killed the sheriff of [[Lanark]] when he was 27, apparently after the murder of his wife; he led a group of commoners against the English in a very successful battle at Stirling in 1297, temporarily receiving appointment as [[Guardian of Scotland|guardian]]; Wallace's reputation as a military leader was ruined in the same year of 1297, leading to his resignation as guardian; he spent several years of exile in France before being captured by the English at [[Glasgow]], this resulting in his trial for treason and his cruel execution.<ref>{{cite book | first1=John|last1=Shelton Lawrence|first2=Robert|last2=Jewett |title=The Myth of the American Superhero | url=https://archive.org/details/mythofamericansu00lawr_0| url-access=registration|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans |location=Grand Rapids, Michigan|year=2002 |page=[https://archive.org/details/mythofamericansu00lawr_0/page/163 163]}}</ref>}}

A. E. Christa Canitz writes about the historical William Wallace further: "[He] was a younger son of the Scottish gentry, usually accompanied by his own chaplain, well-educated, and eventually, having been appointed [[Guardian of Scotland|Guardian of the Kingdom of Scotland]], engaged in diplomatic correspondence with the [[Hanseatic League|Hanseatic cities]] of [[Free City of Lübeck|Lübeck]] and [[History of Hamburg|Hamburg]]". She finds that in ''Braveheart'', "any hint of his descent from the lowland gentry (i.e., the lesser nobility) is erased, and he is presented as an economically and politically marginalized Highlander and 'a farmer'—as one with the common peasant, and with a strong spiritual connection to the land which he is destined to liberate."<ref name="Canitz">{{cite book | year=2005 | first=A.E. Christa|last=Canitz | chapter='Historians ... Will Say I Am a liar': The Ideology of False Truth Claims in Mel Gibson's ''Braveheart'' and Luc Besson's ''The Messenger'' | editor1-last=Utz | editor1-first=Richard J. | editor2-last=Swan | editor2-first=Jesse G. | title=Studies in Medievalism XIII: Postmodern Medievalisms | publisher=D.S. Brewer |location=Suffolk, United Kingdom|pages=127–142 | isbn=978-1-84384-012-1 }}</ref>

Colin McArthur writes that ''Braveheart'' "constructs Wallace as a kind of modern, [[Nationalism|nationalist]] [[Guerrilla warfare|guerrilla]] leader in a period half a millennium before the appearance of nationalism on the historical stage as a concept under which disparate classes and interests might be mobilised within a nation state." Writing about ''Braveheart''{{'}}s "omissions of verified historical facts", McArthur notes that Wallace made "overtures to [[Edward I of England|Edward I]] seeking less severe treatment after his defeat at Falkirk", as well as "the well-documented fact of Wallace's having resorted to [[conscription]] and his willingness to hang those who refused to serve."<ref>{{cite book |first=Colin|last=McArthur |year=1998 |chapter=''Braveheart'' and the Scottish Aesthetic Dementia |editor-first=Tony |editor-last=Barta |title=Screening the Past: Film and the Representation of History |publisher=Praeger |pages=167–187 |isbn=978-0-275-95402-4}}</ref> Canitz posits that depicting "such lack of class solidarity" as the conscriptions and related hangings "would contaminate the movie's image of Wallace as the morally irreproachable ''[[primus inter pares]]'' among his peasant fighters."<ref name="Canitz"/>

=== Portrayal of Isabella of France ===
[[Isabella of France]] is shown spending a night with Wallace after the [[Battle of Falkirk]]. She later tells Edward I she is pregnant with Wallace's child, implied to be [[Edward III of England|Edward III]]. In reality, Isabella was a child and living in France at the time of the Battle of Falkirk, was not married to Edward II until he was already king, and Edward III was born seven years after Wallace's execution in 1305.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Ewan | first=Elizabeth | date=October 1995 | title=Braveheart |journal=The American Historical Review | publisher=Indiana University Press | location=Bloomington | volume=100 |issue=4 | pages=1219–21 | issn=0002-8762 | oclc=01830326 | doi=10.2307/2168219| jstor=2168219 }}</ref><ref name=white/> The breakdown of the couple's relationship over his liaisons, and the menacing suggestion to a dying Longshanks that she would overthrow and destroy Edward II mirror and foreshadow actual facts; although not until 1326, over 20 years after Wallace's death, Isabella and her lover [[Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March|Roger Mortimer]] would depose – and later allegedly murder – Edward II.<ref>{{cite book|last=Phillips|first=Seymour|date=2011|title=Edward II|publisher=New Haven, CT & London, UK: Yale University Press|isbn=978-0-300-17802-9}}</ref>

=== Portrayal of Robert the Bruce ===
[[Robert the Bruce]] did change sides between the Scots loyalists and the [[England|English]] more than once in the earlier stages of the [[Wars of Scottish Independence]], but he probably did not fight on the English side at the [[Battle of Falkirk]] (although this claim does appear in a few medieval sources).<ref>{{cite book|last=Penman|first=Michael|title=Robert the Bruce: King of the Scots|year=2014|location=New Haven|publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0300148725}} pp. 58-59</ref> Later, the [[Battle of Bannockburn]] was not a spontaneous battle soon after Wallace's execution; he had already been fighting a guerrilla campaign against the English for eight years.<ref>Traquair pp. 128-176</ref> His title before becoming king was [[Earl of Carrick]], not Earl of Bruce.<ref>Traquair p. 58</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://thehande.wordpress.com/2011/12/05/braveheart-the-10-historical-inaccuracies-you-need-to-know-before-watching-the-movie/|title=BraveHeart – the 10 historical inaccuracies you need to know before watching the movie|date=5 December 2011|access-date=February 13, 2020|archive-date=February 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200213020453/https://thehande.wordpress.com/2011/12/05/braveheart-the-10-historical-inaccuracies-you-need-to-know-before-watching-the-movie/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Robert de Brus, 6th Lord of Annandale|Bruce's father]] is portrayed as an infirm [[leper]], although it was Bruce himself who allegedly suffered from leprosy in later life. The actual Bruce's machinations around Wallace, rather than the meek idealist in the film, suggests the father–son relationship represent different aspects of the historical Bruce's character.<ref>Traquair p. 254</ref><ref>Penman pp. 302–304</ref> In the film, Bruce's father betrays Wallace to his son's disgust, calling it the price of his son's crown, when in real life Wallace was betrayed by the nobleman [[John de Menteith]].<ref>Traquair p. 123</ref>

=== Portrayal of Longshanks and Prince Edward ===
The actual [[Edward I of England|Edward I]] was ruthless and temperamental, but the film exaggerates his negative aspects for effect. Edward enjoyed poetry and harp music, was a devoted and loving husband to his wife [[Eleanor of Castile]], and as a religious man, he gave generously to charity; the film's scene where he scoffs cynically at Isabella for distributing gold to the poor after Wallace refuses it as a bribe would have been unlikely. Furthermore, Edward died almost two years after Wallace's execution, not on the same day.<ref>Traquair p. 147</ref>

The depiction of the future [[Edward II of England|Edward II]] as an [[Effeminacy|effeminate]] homosexual drew accusations of [[homophobia]] against Gibson.

{{blockquote|We cut a scene out, unfortunately ... where you really got to know that character [Edward II] and to understand his plight and his pain ... But it just stopped the film in the first act so much that you thought, 'When's this story going to start?'<ref>{{cite news|work=USA Today|date= May 24, 1995|title=Gibson has faith in family and freedom|author=Della Cava, Marco R. }}</ref>}}

Gibson defended his depiction of Prince Edward as weak and ineffectual, saying:

{{blockquote|I'm just trying to respond to history. You can cite other examples—[[Alexander the Great]], for example, who conquered the entire world, was also a homosexual. But this story isn't about Alexander the Great. It's about Edward II.<ref>{{cite news|work=San Francisco Chronicle|date=May 21, 1995| title=Mel Gibson Dons Kilt and Directs|author= Stein, Ruth}}</ref>}}

In response to Longshanks' murder of the prince's lover, Phillip, Gibson replied: "The fact that King Edward throws this character out a window has nothing to do with him being gay ... He's terrible to his son, to everybody."<ref>{{citation|work=Daily News |title=Gay Alliance has Gibson's 'Braveheart' in its sights |date=May 11, 1995 |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/gossip/1995/05/11/1995-05-11_gay_alliance_has_gibson_s__b.html |access-date=February 13, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604232204/http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/gossip/1995/05/11/1995-05-11_gay_alliance_has_gibson_s__b.html |archive-date=June 4, 2011 }}</ref> Gibson asserted, without evidence, that the reason Longshanks kills his son's lover is that the king is a "[[Psychopathy|psychopath]]".<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.dallasobserver.com/1995-05-25/film/icon/ | title=Icon: Mel Gibson talks about Braveheart, movie stardom, and media treachery | author=Matt Zoller Seitz |work=Dallas Observer |date=May 25, 1995 | access-date=August 19, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071222002830/http://www.dallasobserver.com/1995-05-25/film/icon/ |archive-date=December 22, 2007}}</ref>

=== Wallace's military campaign ===
"MacGregors from the next [[glen]]" joining Wallace shortly after the [[action at Lanark]] is dubious, since it is questionable whether [[Clan Gregor]] existed at that stage, and when they did emerge their traditional home was [[Glen Orchy]], some distance from Lanark.<ref>{{cite book|author=Way, George|author2=Squire, Romily|name-list-style=amp|title= Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia|date= 1994|pages= 220–221}}</ref>

Wallace did win an important victory at the [[Battle of Stirling Bridge]], but the version in ''Braveheart'' is highly inaccurate, as it has no bridge (or [[Andrew Moray]], joint commander of the Scots army, who was fatally injured in the battle). Later, Wallace did carry out a large-scale raid into the north of England, but he did not get as far south as York, nor did he kill Edward I's nephew.<ref>Traquair pp. 77–79</ref>

The "Irish conscripts" at the [[Battle of Falkirk]] are unhistorical; there were no Irish troops at Falkirk (although many of the English army were, in fact, [[Welsh people|Welsh]]).<ref>Traquair pp. 81–84</ref>

The two-handed long swords used by Gibson in the film were not in wide use in the period. A one-handed sword and shield would have been more accurate and more efficient, since in the enemy army there were a lot of archers.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Matt|first1=Easton|title=Two-handed swords in Ironclad, Braveheart, Robin Hood & Kingdom of Heaven|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA4TxBZEOR8|website=YouTube|date=September 22, 2015 |access-date=February 26, 2016|archive-date=June 30, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210630022819/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bA4TxBZEOR8|url-status=live}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=March 2021}}

==Sequel==
{{Main|Robert the Bruce (film)|l1=''Robert the Bruce'' (film)}}
A sequel, ''Robert the Bruce'' (2019), continues directly on from ''Braveheart'' and features Robert the Bruce, with Angus Macfadyen reprising his role from ''Braveheart''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2018/02/angus-macfadyen-robert-the-bruce-cast-1202283227/|title=Angus Macfadyen-Led Action Drama 'Robert The Bruce' Drafts Jared Harris, Patrick Fugit & Others|last=Busch|first=Anita|date=February 9, 2018|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]|access-date=February 11, 2018}}</ref>

==See also==
*''[[Outlaw King]]'', which depicts events that occurred immediately after the events in ''Braveheart''
*''[[Rob Roy (1995 film)|Rob Roy]]'', a historical action drama film featuring Robert Roy MacGregor, an 18th-century Scottish clan chief, also released in 1995
*[[Pàtria (2017 film)|Pàtria]], an independent film from Spain's [[Catalonia]], depicting the fictional Catalan national hero, [[Otger Cataló]]'s fight to [[Reconquista|liberate]] Catalonia from the [[Moors]]

== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}

== Bibliography ==
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{Cite book |last=Bartlett |first=Robert |title= The Middle Ages and the Movies |publisher=Reaktion Books Ltd |year=2022 |isbn=9781789145533 |location=London}}
{{refend}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links |b=no |s=Author:Braveheart |v=no |wikt=no}}
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{Mojo title}}

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