12 Movie Deaths You Knew Were Coming (That Still Broke You)

The story of rebel hero William Wallace is common knowledge in many parts, and when Mel Gibson directed and starred in a big budget biopic of the warrior in 1995 it didn’t take a genius to guess which scene the film would conclude with—the titular hero wasn’t exactly likely to ride off into the sunset with his bonny bride given the fate of his real-life inspiration, after all.

That said, Gibson’s career-best turn in the role (dodgy accent aside), the soaring triumphant score, a set of stellar supporting roles, and particularly the film’s bruising, brutally realistic battle scenes meant we were distracted from the inevitable ending until it came around.

By then, his violent fate sealed, Braveheart’s last-gasp roar of “FREEDOM” was enough to leave anyone devastated despite technically knowing where the whole affair was headed before even arriving at the multiplex.