Outlaw King ★★★½
STREAMING services like Netflix can be both godsend and curse for film fans.
On the one hand, you get to catch up with recent films like Apostle and The Night Comes For Us, that previously wouldn’t appear in Australian screens for months after international release, if at all.
But, on the flipside, you will never get to first experience these films in a cinema.
A case in point is Outlaw King, the new film from David McKenzie, the director of crime/western crossover Hell and High Water and the intense prison drama Starred Up.
This 2018 release is a period action/adventure set in Scotland in the early 1300s and tells the true story of Robert the Bruce, the Scottish Lord who led a rebellion against oppressive British rule.
Photographed by Barry Ackroyd, whose previous credits include Captain Phillips, Detroit, The Hurt Locker and United 93, the film is at times visually stunning and showcases two engrossing and chaotic battle sequences.
These include an expertly-staged re-enactment of the Battle of Loudon Hill in 1307 in which the Scottish rebellion, first started by William Wallace, finally had its successful origins.
But the sweeping vistas and feverish battle scenes are diminished somewhat by the size of the home screen leaving you to wonder how much more impactful they might have been.
The other problem for the film is a significant one – the casting of Chris Pine as the lead historical figure.
I gather in real life Robert the Bruce may not have been the enigmatic figure that William Wallace had struck, as famously portrayed by Mel Gibson in Braveheart.
But Pine’s laid-back portrayal makes you realise why Robert the Bruce may have struggled to unite the clans and wonder how he was ever able to convince armies to follow him into battle.
Much better is Florence Pugh as Robert’s wife Elizabeth de Burgh who shows more defiance, charisma and leadership quality in one scene than Pine shows throughout the entire film.
It’s a shame because some of the supporting cast around Pine are also strong in their roles, in particular Stephen Dillane as Edward I and Billy Howle as the Prince of Wales, a vicious father and son pairing if ever there was one.
The story is engagingly told and the production design, costuming and other authentic elements depicted across 40 different Scottish locations are constantly eye-catching.
The final battle features hundreds of extras and must have been an incredible feat of logistics and choreography.
It’s handled by one of Britain’s most experienced stunt performers, Rob Inch, who is given the second unit direction duties for the first time. It alone is worth your investment of time in Outlaw King.