Film Review: "Outlaw King" (2018).

"Based on the Untold True Story." This is Outlaw King. This directed by David Mackenzie, and written by Mackenzie, Bash Doran and James MacInnes. In 14th-century Scotland, Robert the Bruce claims the crown and leads a fierce uprising to win back the country's independence from English rule.

By late August 2017, Chris Pine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Florence Pugh, Billy Howle, Tony Curran, James Cosmo, Callan Mulvey, Stephen Dillane, Steven Cree, Sam Spruell, Jamie Maclachlan, Benny Young, and Clive Russell were cast. Ben Foster was originally cast. While the project was in development, Foster dropped out and was later replaced by Taylor-Johnson. At the same time, with a budget of $120 million, principal photography commenced, and wrapped in November. Filming took place throughout England and Scotland, and was shot on the Panavision Millennium DXL camera with Panavision E-Series Lenses.

The film stars Pine, Taylor-Johnson, Pugh, Howle, Curran, Cosmo, Mulvey, Dillane, Cree, Spruell, Maclachlan, Young, and Russell. I expected a not half-bad historical account. But it was surprisingly much more, with unexpected great performances, especially from Pine as Robert the Bruce and Taylor-Johnson as James Douglas, Lord of Douglas. I'm not sure Jeff Pine makes a bad film anymore, but if he does, he is usually the bright spot. True to form, he plays his character well.

Unlike earlier entries in the genre, the movie blurs the line between good and bad and right and wrong. While it's completely entertaining, it's that added layer that makes the film completely satisfying. The great achievement here is its decadent atmosphere about its anti-corporative attitude, a depressing situation that can be the push that the neo-Western needs to return the genre to its true glory. Mitchell with Doran and MacInnes gave the film a poignant touch by setting the action in Scotland; here, the Scottish land hasn't quite disappeared, but it is forgotten. Direction, camera, sound, and performance coalesce as the film achieves the tricky balancing act of taking on many incongruous moods and making them complement one another perfectly. The joy of the film is in the shots of the wide, harsh landscapes and the empty towns, its way with words, the great acting all round from fine actors. None of the film's flaws are serious enough to sink it, and often it hits the sweet spot between glossing over the mud and blood of times past and over-the-top revelling in it. In truth, the hundred and twenty one minutes never seemed extended to me, since Mackenzie avoids wasting time with plot trivialities and goes straight to the point. The film is a handsome period piece featuring a strong turn from Pine, but ultimately feels like less than the sum of its parts. It starts slow but the last two acts hurry things up, and fans of royalty movies (like me) will probably like it the most. The film is enjoyable, but we demand more from the man behind Hell or High Water than an impersonal film that's entirely reliant on its actors' talent.

Simon says Outlaw King receives:

Also, see my review for Hell or High Water.