Mel Gibson’s Epic R-Rated War Movie With Masterful Brutal Battle Scenes Is Leaving Streaming Very Soon

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Mel Gibson has a few war epics to his name, and one is now about to leave Netflix.

Written by Oscar nominee Randall Wallace, Braveheart features Mel Gibson as William Wallace, a Scottish warrior who ignited a rebellion against the harsh English rule of his homeland. This uprising became known as the First War of Scottish Independence. Gibson not only starred in the film but also directed and produced it, making it his second directorial project.

Okay, so I just found out some really disappointing news! Braveheart, one of my all-time favorite movies, is going to be removed from all the streaming services I use – Netflix, Paramount+, even the free options like YouTube and the library apps Kanopy and Hoopla. Apparently, it’s all happening on March 1st. And to make things worse, there’s no word yet on where it might end up streaming next! I’m going to miss being able to watch it whenever I want.

Despite a difficult production process, Braveheart, featuring a cast of renowned actors like Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan, Angus Macfadyen, Brendan Gleeson, and Brian Cox, became a huge commercial success when it was released in 1995, earning over $209 million globally. Critics generally praised the film, and it received 10 Academy Award nominations, winning five, including Best Picture and Best Director for Mel Gibson.

For decades, one of the most praised aspects of Braveheart has been its large-scale battle scenes. Director Mel Gibson had to be resourceful with the film’s budget, cleverly using the same extras to portray both the English and Scottish armies. Filming these scenes wasn’t without its dangers – Gibson himself narrowly avoided being injured by a horse. While he did need to reduce some of the on-screen violence, these battles have since inspired many other famous productions, including Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy and the “Battle of the Bastards” episode of Game of Thrones.

Although Braveheart is famous for its powerful ending, it’s also well-known for getting a lot of historical details wrong – it was even once called the second-most inaccurate historical film ever made. Over the years, both William Wallace (the subject of the film) and Mel Gibson (the director and star) have explained why they took creative liberties. The screenwriter said he mainly relied on a 15th-century poem about Wallace, while Gibson felt that his changes made the movie more exciting and dramatic than a completely accurate portrayal would have.

Surprisingly, Braveheart gained renewed attention more than two decades after it first came out with the release of its follow-up, Robert the Bruce. Like Mel Gibson before him, Angus Macfadyen produced, starred in, and co-wrote the sequel. However, due to independent funding and delays caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the film didn’t perform well in theaters. Critics generally had mixed reactions, acknowledging the film’s scope but finding its execution lacking, resulting in a 44% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

It’s surprising to see Braveheart disappear from so many streaming services simultaneously. It’s especially odd that it’s leaving Paramount+, as the studio originally released the film in North America and wouldn’t typically have to pay to keep it on their platform. Since 20th Century Fox handled international distribution, it will be interesting to see if the movie ends up on Hulu or Disney+ once it’s gone from Netflix and other services.

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2026-02-15 18:49