Outlaw King

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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 

The Patriot

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The Patriot is a 2000 action-war movie directed by Roland Emmerich and featuring a cast that includes Mel Gibson, Tom Wilkinson, Jason Isaacs, and the late Heath Ledger. Benjamin Martin (played by Gibson) is a man who was a soldier, and now just wants to live a normal, peaceful life. Things change for him when his eldest son, Gabriel (played by Ledger) joins the Revolutionary War for Independence. Throughout most of the movie, Martin finds himself at odds with the villainous Colonel Tavington (played by Isaacs). This is a movie I enjoy watching around the Fourth of July quite a bit. I would advise anyone not to go into this movie expecting it to be historically accurate, because it's not that kind of movie. There's a surprising amount of character development to the character of Benjamin Martin and his son Gabriel. They both have differing viewpoints, but you really understand where each man is coming from. Martin was a solider in his past, and knows what the atrocities of war can look like. Gabriel is still very youthful and optimistic, seeing the potential good in gaining independence. Both Gibson and Ledger play these parts to a tee. Unfortunately, the strong development doesn't really branch out beyond these two characters. Isaacs gives a fantastic performance as Tavington, I won't deny that. However, I'd be lying if I said he wasn't a little thin in terms of development. To be fair, I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. A similar observation could be made of the movie's overall story. This movie came out in 2000, so in its own way, it fits more as an  action movie of the 80s and 90s era. The hero is a retired soldier with a dark past. The villain threatens him and his family, and this puts the two at odds. The hero ultimately must come out of retirement to put a stop to the main villain. As I said earlier, The Patriot should not be viewed as a historically accurate epic. If you watch this movie with that thought process in mind, you are probably going to hate it. However, if you watch this from the aspect of an 80s-style action flick that just so happens to take place during the Revolutionary War, you'll probably have a lot of fun.

7 / 10 

Dunkirk

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Dunkirk is directed by Christopher Nolan and features an ensemble cast that includes Tom Hardy, Mark Rylance, Cillian Murphy, and Kenneth Branagh, This is a movie that just kind of throws you right into the actual event, which is an intriguing way to go about things. The character development feels pretty thin for the most part. Admittedly, I don’t think this was necessarily important to the movie because the event seemed like the most essential element of the movie more than anything. Most of the character development that actually seemed to be there was involved in the scenes with Mark Rylance and Cillian Murphy. You understand Rylance’s character, a man who isn’t officially part of the military, but is still willing to do what he can to help. You also under Murphy’s character, a man who is traumatized by the events of the war, even if you never actually see exactly what he saw. Because of this, these two stood out to me among a cast that was great all around. Christopher Nolan’s direction is phenomenal, as should be expected. Nowhere is this more evident than in the battle scenes (especially the dogfights). There’s a genuine level of grit and intensity to them. This movie is under two hours, and I think that is the perfect length for this movie. This is due to what they wanted to accomplish with this movie. The pacing didn’t always work for me. There were times where I legitimately felt that it dragged, and moments where I was starting to feel antsy. That could be because there were only two characters who truly felt developed to me, and two characters were only I felt fully invested in. In my opinion, the opening and the climax are fantastic, and they serve as perfect bookends for this movie. Do I think Dunkirk is the masterpiece it’s been built up to be? No. Do I think this movie ranks among Christopher Nolan’s best work? No. Is this movie flawed? Yes. Is this a good movie that is still worth a rent? Yes.

7 / 10       

Hacksaw Ridge

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Desmond Doss is a conscientious objector who enlists in the army during World War II, under the condition that he doesn’t carry or fire a weapon. He wishes to serve as a medic, opting to save lives rather than take them. During the course of his service, he rises from being mocked to being respected as a hero. Essentially, this is two movies joined seamlessly into one. The first half deals with Desmond Doss, the shaping of many of his beliefs, and his relationship with his parents, and with the woman who will become his wife. Director Mel Gibson and screenwriters Andrew Knight and Robert Schenkkan have crafted a powerful, impactful, and incredible war movie. Gibson films the war scenes with a horrific level of intensity, without really glorifying or relishing in it. Every actor brings their A-game. Andrew Garfield and Teresa Palmer give some their best performances, even showing great chemistry and what I believed was genuine affection. Vince Vaughn plays a drill sergeant, and completely avoids his usual Vince Vaughn persona. The quiet moments in between the war sequences work because they help build and define the characters. Many of the characters actually go through arcs and change. The absolute standout has to be Hugo Weaving. He plays the father of Desmond Doss, a man who was a veteran of the first world war. He is the character that truly shows how much war can change a man. If I have but one flaw, the CG fire used for the explosions and burning was a little distracting to me. I know it’s a nitpick, but everything else was just amazing. Hacksaw Ridge works as a powerful war movie that tells an incredible true story that I highly recommend.

9 / 10