Outlaw King

Outlaw King sets out it's stall with a fantastic 9 minute long opening shot. One that introduces us to nearly every main character, sets up the story and all it's tensions and conflict, gets in a duel and ends with the destruction of a castle via a massive trebuchet filled with greek fire. It's pure showing off from director David Mackenzie but it's a technically astounding way to start a film and it instantly throws you into the middle of muddy proceedings. It's the best part of the film. Which isn't really a good thing when there's another 112 minutes to come.

The Scottish rebellion of 1297-1305 has been quashed and Edward the 1st (Stephan Dillane) is back in full control of Scotland. Robert The Bruce (Chris Pine) is forced to swear loyalty to the English king and in doing so earns both a high position of power and a new wife called Elizabeth (Florence Pugh). Not everyone is happy with the division of power and a killing committed in a fit of rage soon sees Robert on the run and struggling to build an army while the forces of England, led by King Edward's son, Edward the Prince of Wales (Billy Howle), slowly marches north. A clash of broadswords becomes inevitable.

It must be a heartbreaker for English people when they watch films like this. Their royalty depicted as snivelling cowardly snakes. Their infantry as vicious sneaky honourless thugs. For the rest of us though it's a joy. They make a great enemy and for this reason I assumed I'd love this. A second teaming of Pine & Mackenzie who made 2016's magnificent modern western Hell Or High Water in a film about the evil empire being sliced and diced. But there's something missing. For all its treacherous politics and ultra gory combat it's just.....well dull.

Maybe it's the drab and muddiness of proceedings. It could be the lack of explanation of the political landscape meaning it's hard at times to feel involved in the machinations. It might be the sidelining of nearly every actor bar Pine, Pugh, Howle and Aaron Taylor-Johnson (a blast as a blood crazed James Douglas) meaning the supporting cast blends into one bearded blob thus ensuring their bloody deaths mean nothing to us. Maybe it's hiring great Scottish actors like James Cosmo and Tony Curran and giving them nothing to do, a bad move in a film about Scottish people. Or maybe it's just me. I dunno, I found Braveheart and Rob Roy far more engaging despite their Hollywood sheen and myriad of historical anachronisms. Having a story like this at your disposal and somehow making it dull just isn't on and no amount of blood and guts thrown at the screen will cover that up.

It's a very violent film. Mackenzie hasn't held back there and has taken full advantage of Netflix's freedoms. The final battle scene makes similar battles in Braveheart look like skirmishes from the A-Team in comparison and one instance of summary execution using an infamous medieval method will be the moment when a large chunk of the audience nopes out of the film. Mackenzie's refusal to water down the harsher aspects of 14th century life is admirable but that kind of gore will alienate and probably see the film being ignored come award season.

And that's a pity because there's no denying it's a well made film. It's recreation of Scotland at that time is superb. All dirt and mud, grit and poverty and a surprising amount of chickens. Swooping shots of the ragged landscape are augmented with subtle CGI to remove modern day touches and the result gives the film a bit of an epic edge. It's more historically accurate than similar films and some of the scenes that feel invented to inject drama genuinely did occur. One very Hollywoody moment of peril felt right out of Game Of Thrones but was actually a real Scottish punishment. They're a strange bunch tbh. Too much Irn-bru I think.

Chris Pine surprises too. His showing in Hell Or High Water proved he has the acting chops but his take on a Scottish accent is far more successful than Mel Gibson's was. He underplays the part too. His Robert is a man prone to introspection and quiet conversations rather than bombast and it suits the part well. Aaron Taylor Johnson as James Douglas steals all the scenes he's in though. Wild eyed, thirsty for blood, hammy as all hell, he's fierce entertaining and the movie could have used a wee bit more of the fun he injects. Florence Pugh as Elizabeth gets a few nice moments too, especially her dealings with Robert post marriage and her bond with his daughter. Not surprisingly she gets shunted out of the way as soon as the bloodshed starts.

Outlaw King is a worthy watch. A quasi sequel to Braveheart that bests it in accuracy but not in terms of enjoyment.