PLOT:
Towards the end of the 19th century, Spanish colonial rule over the Philippines comes to an end and the country gains its independence. Unwilling to face humiliation, Spain secretly sells the archipelago to the victorious Americans for $20,000,000 during the Treaty of Paris.
At the Barasoain Church in Malolos, during a cabinet meeting over the growing American presence in the Philippines, cabinet members Felipe Buencamino and Pedro Paterno propose to form an alliance with the Americans to avoid open conflict but this angers Generals Antonio Luna and José Alejandrino, both of whom prefer to fight the new invaders. Meanwhile, President Emilio Aguinaldo attempts to negotiate with the Americans over the control of Manila, which is still under Spanish control. They eventually learn that the Spaniards and Americans have staged a battle which ended with the complete control of Manila transferred to the latter, thereby bringing the Philippines under American control. After an incident between American and Filipino soldiers in Manila, Aguinaldo starts a brutal resistance against the Americans to protect the country's independence.
Luna and his trusted officers – Colonel Francisco “Paco” Román, Captain Eduardo Rusca, and the Bernal brothers Captain José and Major Manuel – begin an arduous campaign against the Americans, only to face some setbacks. During a battle, Luna asks for reinforcements from the Kawit battalion but their commander Pedro Janolino refuses as the order did not come from Aguinaldo himself. Infuriated, Luna brutally humiliates and demotes Janolino. Luna then declares his infamous "Article One", which states that those refusing to follow his orders shall be executed on the spot, to put insubordinate soldiers and officers under his control while mobilizing more men for the army. In another meeting, Buencamino and Paterno propose to have the country become a protectorate under American rule in an attempt to secure peace, prompting Luna to arrest them as traitors. Luna's campaign is soon undermined by General Tomás Mascardo, who defies his orders. While the two generals prepare to clash in Pampanga, the Americans advance steadily, forcing the Filipino army to retreat up north alongside Aguinaldo. Distraught over the growing disunity within the Filipino army, Luna attempts to resign. Aguinaldo rejects Luna's request but he approves his other request to establish a headquarters in the north where they can launch a guerilla campaign against the Americans.
Not long after, Luna is summoned to the President's headquarters in Cabanatuan after receiving news that he has been given a position in the President's new cabinet. Despite suspicions from his officers, Luna goes with Rusca and Román beside him. Upon arrival, he discovers that Aguinaldo has left, with Buencamino, who has been released, the only cabinet member remaining. After a heated argument with Buencamino, Luna encounters Janolino and his men who brutally murder him. Román is also killed in his failed attempt to save his commander while a wounded Rusca surrenders. In the aftermath, most of Luna's officers are arrested while some are tortured and killed, including the Bernal brothers. Meanwhile, Aguinaldo requests Luna and Román be buried with full military honors while the killers are never arrested and tried for their crimes. Several decades after the war, Aguinaldo denies his involvement in Luna's assassination, calling him his most brilliant and capable general.
In a mid-credits scene, General Gregorio del Pilar prepares to cover Aguinaldo's retreat to the north. He inspects Luna's remaining men and orders his aide, Colonel Vicente Enríquez, to select 60 of them for the coming battle.
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