History Film / HeneralLuna

** An ImagineSpot/flashback of Andres Bonifacio's messy death by machete .

* BadassInCharge: Guess who?

* WorthyOpponent: How the Americans view Luna, ironically showing how much the enemy had more respect for him than his own fellow countrymen.

** Gregorio del Pilar makes an appearance, as an up-and-coming commander in the Philippine army. [[spoiler: TheStinger being the lead-up to the Battle of Tirad Pass, which in turn results in his heroic death.]]

** Heroes (''[[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment relatively speaking]]''):

** Villains (''[[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment relatively speaking]]''):

* FiveBadBand (''[[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment relatively speaking]]''):
** BigBad: Emilio Aguinaldo.
** BiggerBad: The Americans.
** CoDragons / {{Evil Genius}}es / ThoseTwoBadGuys: Felipe Buencamino and Pedro Paterno.
** TheBrute: Tomás Mascardo and his men.
** TheDarkChick: [[GenderFlip Apolinario Mabini.]] (In RealLife, he actually recommended Luna's removal from the Revolutionary Army due to his HotBlooded-ness.)

** TheLeader: Antonio Luna.
** TheLancer: Paco Román. José Alejandrino sometimes plays the role.
** TheSmartGuy: Eduardo Rusca, ever the guy with the [[DeadpanSnarker smartest remarks]].
** TheBigGuy: The Bernal brothers.
** TagalongKid: Joven Hernando. Who is technically also a [[JustForPun Tagalog Kid]].

** As for the Philippine flag, GenreSavvy and knowledgeable viewers might wonder why it is displayed "correctly" in it's "peacetime" position every time it is on screen. The Philippine flag should be inverted during times of war, such as the time of the movie; this would be considered a historical innacuracy, or at least FridgeLogic, except that the one time it isn't (and brace yourself for the FridgeBrilliance): [[spoiler:is when Aguinaldo is proclaiming his innocence. So the Philippines was only ever at war with itself.]] Make of that what you will.[[note]] [[https://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1998/ra_8491_1998.html RA 8491 Section 10]], which depicts how the flag should be positioned during wartime and peacetime, was drafted on February 12, 1998, a century after the events of the film, making this symbolism an AnachronismStew. [[/note]]

** As for the Philippine flag, GenreSavvy and knowledgeable viewers might wonder why it is displayed "correctly" in it's "peacetime" position every time it is on screen. The Philippine flag should be inverted during times of war, such as the time of the movie; this would be considered a historical innacuracy, or at least FridgeLogic, except that the one time it isn't (and brace yourself for the FridgeBrilliance): [[spoiler:is when Aguinaldo is proclaiming his innocence. So the Philippines was only ever at war with itself.]] Make of that what you will.[[note]] [[https://www.lawphil.net/statutes/repacts/ra1998/ra_8491_1998.html RA 8491 Section 10]], which depicts how the flag should be positioned during wartime and peacetime, was drafted in February 12, 1998, a century after the events of the film, making this symbolism an AnachronismStew. [[/note]]

** As for the Philippine flag, GenreSavvy and knowledgeable viewers might wonder why it is displayed "correctly" in it's "peacetime" position every time it is on screen. The Philippine flag should be inverted during times of war, such as the time of the movie; this would be considered a historical innacuracy, or at least FridgeLogic, except that the one time it isn't (and brace yourself for the FridgeBrilliance): [[spoiler:is when Aguinaldo is proclaiming his innocence. So the Philippines was only ever at war with itself.]] Make of that what you will.[[note]] RA 8491 Section 10, which depicts how the flag should be positioned during wartime and peacetime, was drafted in February 12, 1998, a century after the events of the film, making this symbolism an AnachronismStew. [[/note]]

** As for the Philippine flag, GenreSavvy and knowledgeable viewers might wonder why it is displayed "correctly" in it's "peacetime" position every time it is on screen. The Philippine flag should be inverted during times of war, such as the time of the movie; this would be considered a historical innacuracy, or at least FridgeLogic, except that the one time it isn't (and brace yourself for the FridgeBrilliance): [[spoiler:is when Aguinaldo is proclaiming his innocence. So the Philippines was only ever at war with itself.]] Make of that what you will.[[note]] RA 8491 Section 10, which depicts how the flag should be positioned during wartime and peacetime, was drafted in February 12, 1998, a century after the events of the film, making this symbolism an AnacronismStew. [[/note]]

** As for the Philippine flag, GenreSavvy and knowledgeable viewers might wonder why it is displayed "correctly" in it's "peacetime" position every time it is on screen. The Philippine flag should be inverted during times of war, such as the time of the movie; this would be considered a historical innacuracy, or at least FridgeLogic, except that the one time it isn't (and brace yourself for the FridgeBrilliance): [[spoiler:is when Aguinaldo is proclaiming his innocence. So the Philippines was only ever at war with itself.]] Make of that what you will.

''Heneral Luna'', released September 9, 2015, is a historical biopic film depicting General Antonio Luna and his exploits while leading the Philippine Revolutionary Army against the United States during the Philippine-American War.

"Set during the Philippine-American war, a short-tempered Filipino general faces an enemy more formidable than the American army: his own treacherous countrymen.

In 1898, General Antonio Luna (John Arcilla), commander of the revolutionary army, is spoiling for a fight. The Philippines, after three hundred years as a Spanish colony, has unwillingly come under American rule. General Luna wants to fight for freedom but members of the elite would rather strike a deal with the United States. The infighting is fierce in the new cabinet but General Luna and his loyal men forge ahead even as his military decisions are met with resistance from soldiers who are loyal only to President Aguinaldo (Mon Confiado). [[ForegoneConclusion Ultimately, it is the general’s legendary temper and pride that bring him to his death when a pack of presidential guards assassinate him in broad daylight.]] While American newspapers are quick to point the blame to Aguinaldo, the mystery has never been completely solved and the General’s killers were never put to justice."[[http://henerallunathemovie.com/#Synopsis (Taken from the film's official synopsis.)]]

* GenreRelaunch: The film resurrected the historical biographic films of Philippine national heroes since Marilou Diaz-Abaya's 1998 biographic film of Jose Rizal. Of course, there are other films of these genre such as the biographic film of Emilio Aguinaldo and Andres Bonifacio but these got iffy results and were later forgotten. There were also plans of having another film about Gregorio Del Pilar and later, Manuel L. Quezon if there are enough revenues.
** The aforementioned movies about Aguinaldo (''El Presidente'') and Bonifacio (''Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo'') were later recut and relaunched in Philippine cinemas to cash on the public interest in historical biopics generated by ''Heneral Luna's'' box office success.

** [[spoiler: Luna getting shot multiple times at close range and hacked to death at the end]]

** To recent big-budget films on Philippine history - the 2012 Aguinaldo biopic ''El Presidente'' and the 2014 Bonifacio biopic ''Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo'' (''Bonifacio: The First President'').
** Because of the film's indie nature it can also be considered a successor to recent historical indie films, which only got limited release - 2010's ''Ang Paglilitis ni Andres Bonifacio'' (''The Trial of Andres Bonifacio'') and 2012's ''Supremo'', both starring Alfred Vargas as Bonifacio. Fun fact: Mon Confiado, who here plays his enemy Aguinaldo, played his friend Macario Sakay in the latter. [[note]]Speaking of Sakay, an even earlier precedent would be the 1993 film ''Sakay'', a similar movie portraying the title character's resistance to American invasion and occupation. He lasted longer than Luna but was accused of banditry and eventually hanged in the middle of the decade of the 1900s, after the Philippine-American War had officially ended.[[/note]]

A [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYK_6W_seNg sequel]] with the same cast and crew, ''[[Film/GoyoAngBatangHeneral Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral]]'' (''Goyo: The Boy General'') about Luna's contemporary General Gregorio del Pilar is currently in production and scheduled for a 2018 release. A third film about UsefulNotes/ManuelQuezon, President of the later Philippine Commonwealth is also planned. [[SequelHook Both men appear here in small roles.]]

Compare ''{{Film/Amigo}}'', which is set roughly around the same time, in the same war, but doesn't directly deal with RealLife personalities — it depicts a more generalised flashpoint of the Philippine-American War, set in a fictional village. Fun fact: Gen. Luna's actor himself, John Arcilla, was a minor supporting character in ''Amigo'' as the parish boy Nenong.

Compare ''{{Film/Amigo}}'', which is set roughly around the same time, in the same war, but doesn't directly deal with RealLife personalities—it depicts a more generalised flashpoint of the Philippine-American War, as seen through the eyes of the natives of the fictional Luzon barrio of San Isidro. The protagonist there is the barrio chief Rafael Dacanay, who's torn between forced collaboration with the Americans and the necessary assistance to Aguinaldo's rebel army, where his brother's fighting. Fun fact: Gen. Luna's actor himself, John Arcilla, was a minor supporting character in ''Amigo'' as the parish boy Nenong.

A [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYK_6W_seNg sequel]] with the same cast and crew, ''Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral'' (Goyo: The Boy General) about Luna's contemporary General Gregorio del Pilar is currently in production and scheduled for a 2018 release. A third film about Manuel Quezon, President of the later Philippine Commonwealth is also planned. [[SequelHook Both men appear here in small roles.]]

* MajoredInWesternHypocrisy: Like most of his generation of ''ilustrados'' (intellectuals), Luna studied in Europe; the long [[TheOner single-shot flashback]], well, flashes back to his European studies—he went to Spain, of course, but also to Belgium, where he did his military studies. Even his brother Juan (the famous painter) had gone there before him.

** An unintentional one. Buencamino, the name of one of Aguinaldo's ministers, is Spanish for "good road"—to critics of the present-day Aquino administration's ''Daang Matuwid'' ("Straight Path") policy, which has been fraught with accusations of government incompetence and petty politicking, this counts as a cynical BilingualBonus.

* AmbiguouslyBrown: Many characters are some form of ''mestizo'', which is TruthInTelevision, given how Filipinos generally tend to be mixed.

** Because of the film's indie nature it can also be considered a successor to recent historical indie films, which only got limited release - 2010's ''Ang Paglilitis ni Andres Bonifacio'' (''The Trial of Andres Bonifacio'') and 2012's ''Supremo'', both starring Alfred Vargas as Bonifacio. Fun fact: Mon Confiado, who here plays his enemy Aguinaldo, played his friend Macario Sakay in the latter. (Speaking of Sakay, an even earlier precedent would be the 1993 film ''Sakay'', a similar movie portraying the title character's resistance to American invasion and occupation. He lasted longer than Luna but was accused of banditry and eventually hanged in the middle of the decade of the 1900s, after the Philippine-American War had officially ended.)

** Because of the film's indie nature it can also be considered a successor to recent historical indie films, which only got limited release - 2010's ''Ang Paglilitis ni Andres Bonifacio'' (''The Trial of Andres Bonifacio'') and 2012's ''Supremo'', both starring Alfred Vargas as Bonifacio. Fun fact: Mon Confiado, who here plays his enemy Aguinaldo, played his friend Macario Sakay in the latter.

** Also, to the 2010 American indie ''Amigo'', a Philippine-American War film directed by Creator/JohnSayles. Fun fact: John Arcilla himself played a supporting role in ''Amigo'': as Nenong, a parish altar boy.

It's the Philippines' 2015 entry for [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAwardForBestForeignLanguageFilm Best Foreign-Language Film]] in the 88th [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Academy Awards]]. [[http://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/shortlist-foreign-film-oscar-announced/ It didn't make it into the shortlist of nominees]].

!! ''Heneral Luna'' contains examples of the following tropes:

* AmbiguouslyBrown[=/=]ButNotTooForeign: Many characters are some form of ''mestizo'', which is TruthInTelevision, given how Filipinos generally tend to be mixed.

* AnOfferYouCantRefuse: Luna's "Article One".
--> ''"Article One: Anyone who willingly commits insubordination against the Commander-General of War Operations shall be stripped of his rank and promptly executed without benefit of a court-martial."''
** Note that Luna [[spoiler:doesn't actually kill anyone on-screen; the only Filipino he shot at on-screen for deserting was the son of Buencamino, who is implied to be alive and well when Luna gets into a heated argument with his father later in the film. This bites him in the back later when all the people he spared, but humiliated, decide to do to him what he failed to do to them: brutally execute him.]]

* DownerEnding

* FiveBadBand (''[[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment relatively speaking]]''):
** BigBad: Emilio Aguinaldo.
** BiggerBad: The Americans.
** CoDragons / {{Evil Genius}}es / ThoseTwoBadGuys: Felipe Buencamino and Pedro Paterno.
** TheBrute: Tomás Mascardo and his men.
** TheDarkChick: [[GenderFlip Apolinario Mabini.]] (In RealLife, he actually recommended Luna's removal from the Revolutionary Army due to his HotBlooded-ness.)

* MarriedToTheJob
** [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]]: While Isabel is the only lover in Luna's life (well, Movie!Luna's life, anyway), she considers herself to be just his mistress nonetheless, as in her eyes the foremost thing in his heart will always be "the war".

* PetTheDog: Antonio Luna submitted a resignation letter, but Aguinaldo refused it. The president encouraged Luna to lead the whole army and praised his competency. [[spoiler:This is just moments before the plot to assassinate Luna was formed.]]
** [[EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas Aguinaldo's scenes with his mother.]] But the trope can go both ways.

* UndyingLoyalty: A lot of soldiers who served under Luna was this to him, especially Eduardo Rusco, Paco Román, and the Bernal brothers.

* RatedMForManly: Luna's {{Badass}}erry was emphasized throughout the film.

* LeeroyJenkins: [[DespairEvenHorizon Faced with imminent defeat]], Luna [[DoNotGoGentle decides to make one last stand]] and charges at the American lines on horseback while indiscriminately firing his revolver. Emboldened by their General's decision, the Filipino troops [[ZergRush abandoned their positions in the trenches and charged the enemy lines head-on]]. The opposing General [=MacArthur=] [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] how stupid this tactic is he decided to just pull out his troops and call it a day.

** [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]]: While Isabel is the only lover in Luna's life, she considers herself to be just his mistress nonetheless, as in her eyes the foremost thing in his heart will always be "the war".

* FilipinosWithFirearms: The films protagonists ''and'' main antagonists.

* YanksWithTanks: The film's (secondary) antagonists.

* OutOfContextVillain: The Americans to a degree, as the Filipinos were originally fighting the Spaniards for freedom before the US intervened.