Released: November 2018
Director: David Mackenzie
Rated R
Run Time: 121 Minutes
Distributor: Netflix
Genre: Historical Drama/Action
Cast:
Chris Pine: Robert the Bruce
Stephan Dillane: King Edward I of England
Rebecca Robin: Queen Margaret of England
Billy Howle: Edward, Prince of Wales
Sam Spruell: Aymer de Valence, Earl of Pembroke
Tony Curran: Angus Og Macdonald, Lord of Islay
James Cosmo: Robert Bruce Senior
Florence Pugh: Elizabeth Burgh
Over the past few days, I’ve been on a tangent about direct to video movies and how they are no longer the black sheep of the industry. The quality of these films has been increasing despite the lack of budget and proper distribution outside of DVD. When Netflix entered the picture, it was nothing more than an online DVD rental service, but it made a mark and ran stores like Blockbuster Video and Hollywood Video out of business. I mean, why drive 5-10 miles to rent a DVD when you can just have one sent to you? But with the advent of technology, DSL and cable internet started to become commonplace with higher bandwidth, so Netflix started experimenting with streaming movies on the service. Not only did business really pick up with Netflix streaming movies and TV Shows, other platforms began to surface like Hulu and Amazon Video. Home video and movies in general would change in a way that Hollywood would never have imagined. Now, that Netflix and the others have some years of experience with streaming, they began to produce their own content, because they were making money hand-over-fist. While some of the earlier attempts at original content were met with skepticism, some of the best streaming content can only be found on these platforms. I recently got back into the online streaming with Netflix, and I’m glad I did, because I would’ve missed movies like Outlaw King.
Shortly after William Wallace’s defeat at Falkirk, Wallace went into hiding while the ruthless King Edward I enforced his rule on Scotland and its people. Robert the Bruce, who took part in Wallace’s rebellion, discovers that Wallace was captured, tortured, and drawn-and-quartered, with one of his limbs being displayed outside his castle. Knowing how much Wallace meant to the people, Robert was forced to begin an armed rebellion against the English for the freedom of Scotland. When Mel Gibson’s Braveheart came out back in 1995, it was lauded for being an incredibly epic film with astounding battle sequences. Historians on the other hand, tore the film to pieces for its blatant inaccuracy regarding the film’s portrayal of William Wallace. The dates were wrong, the battles were in the wrong areas and Robert the Bruce never betrayed William Wallace. Ultimately, William Wallace failed in his bid to free his country from English rule. It fell to Robert the Bruce to do so. I have to say, I love me some good historical epics, but they have to respect history. Braveheart didn’t respect the history at all. Outlaw King does…mostly. The story is incredibly epic for a two-hour film. Braveheart spent a lot of time beating around the bush, being as inaccurate as it was. Outlaw King doesn’t waste time, it gets straight to the point. It’s a compelling story about a man’s struggle to unite his people against tyranny. It just draws you in with the characters and settings and it’s just fantastic.
The acting in Outlaw King is superb. Chris Pine is simply magnetic and compelling as Robert. He brings the right amount of tenacity, vulnerability, and viciousness that’s required of the character. Most people would recognize Chris as Captain Kirk, and while he was awesome in those movies, he puts on a very different kind of persona with Robert the Bruce. The character was previously played by Angus MacFadyen in Braveheart, but Chris Pine just nails it and then some. One of my biggest issues with Braveheart was with the portrayal of the villains. They came across as more cartoonish than threatening. Stephan Dillane, of Game of Thrones, brings a much more nuanced approach to the character. He’s not seen as outright evil, but as someone who was willing to do whatever it took to maintain the peace. Billy Howle plays the king’s son, Edward II(before he was proclaimed as such). If there’s a character to truly hate, it would be Edward II. But he’s phenomenal as the ruthless son of the king. Florence Pugh plays the lovely Elizabeth Burgh, the wife of Robert the Bruce, and she’s fantastic. Early on, she gets in front of a soldier and tells him that the child won’t be conscripted. She exudes bravery and compassion at the same time. So, yeah, the acting is leagues above and beyond Mel Gibson’s movie.
This is more of a war film than it is an action movie in many respects, especially in terms of its authenticity. This movie is far more violent than Braveheart could ever hope to be. It doesn’t shy away from brutality. People are hanged, gutted, impaled on large spikes, and eviscerated in so many ways. The battle sequences are incredible. Early on, they tend to be smaller skirmishes, but the final battle of the film is so incredibly epic, brutal, and bloody, that it puts Braveheart to shame. The film’s accuracy extends to Bruce’s tactics. While early on he would get his ass handed to him by Valence, he would learn to use the terrain of his home country against the English. From John Comyn’s murder to the execution of Robert’s brother Neil, the movie doesn’t skimp on accuracy in order to tell the story. Unlike Braveheart, the accuracy extends not just to the tactics of the main character, but also to the smaller details like the clothing and armor that the Scots actually wore during that time period, at least according to my readings. The effects are also mostly practical. This is a very bloody movie, and the Battle of Loudoun Hill just goes all in and doesn’t stop.
They say the devil’s in the details. Well, let me tell you, the details in Outlaw King are important, not just in terms of the story and setting, which is shot on location in Scotland, by the way, but detail is also important in maintaining historical accuracy, and this film does a phenomenal job at doing that. If there’s one issue I have with the film, it’s that Chris Pine’s Scottish accent doesn’t always come across very well, but it’s a minor detail in what is otherwise a fantastic performance. The only CGI that I see in the film is used for distance shots of 14th century London, otherwise the film is really on point. Outside of that, the film gets the dates right and basically delivers a powerhouse experience that I would love to see on the big screen, but Netflix did right by producing this in-house and streaming it. I can’t recommend this one enough. Is it enough for movie of the year material? It very could be. It’s going to be a crowded list, I can tell you that. So, do I recommend this? Hell, yes, I do!! This is an amazing film, and I can’t praise the film-makers and actors enough for bringing it to life. When it comes to movies about Scottish independence, this is the movie to see, not Braveheart.
My Final Recommendation: 10/10. I love this movie, and I think any fan of historical epics is going to dig it. I don’t know if historians will like it. They’re a finicky bunch.