Outlaw King

image source

After the death of his father and an incident following William Wallace's defeat, capture, and execution, Robert the Bruce (played by Chris Pine) rebels against King Edward I (played by Stephen Dillane). His people crown him to be the "king of Scots." However, since Scotland is under English rule, this marks him as an outlaw, hence the title. This leads to a series of battles in order to achieve freedom. First things first, I legitimately enjoyed this movie. But, I will be the first to admit that I can't speak to how historically accurate the movie is. The acting in the film is genuinely good from all parties involved. Chris Pine is excellent in the lead role. He truly sells being a husband, father, and king who is just trying to do right by his people, even when he is told he made the wrong decision by his own council. Florence Pugh is also strong in the film as Robert's wife Elizabeth. She is English, but she willingly supports her husband's decision. I also love the chemistry between Pugh and Pine. The two are stuck together in an arranged marriage. Things are seemingly made more complicated by the fact that Robert has a daughter. But, the two actually come to love each other. The final performer that I truly feel deserves praise (and the man I feel is truly the standout performer of the movie) is Aaron Taylor-Johnson as James Douglas. In the beginning, he attempts to pledge loyalty to King Edward in an attempt to return dignity to his name. When this fails, he pledges his loyalty to the Bruce. Seeing this man go from broken low-life to a hardened warrior is excellent. Part of what I feel helps with these three characters (and performances) is that they have the most depth to them. The battle sequences are amazing as well. The cinematography (another legitimate highlight of the film) is a huge help. There's this incredible style that gives the battle scenes something of an epic scope and feel to them. The opening scene is an excellent one-take shot. Or, at the very least, it is filmed so seamlessly that it looks that way. On the other hand, there are some legitimate problems with this movie. As great as the battle sequences are, they have their moments where they lean a little too heavily on shaky cam for my tastes. Near the beginning of the film, I was worried about the time leaps. I wasn't sure that the filmmakers had a good grasp on the passage of time. However, I was able to get over this very quickly. While I feel that Robert, James, and Elizabeth were well developed, I don't think there was particularly strong development given to any of the rest of the characters. There were times where people died, and I just couldn't bring myself to care. Overall, Outlaw King worked as a solid film, despite its noticeable rough patches. 

6 / 10