"Whether you fight for god, or country, or family, I do not care. So long as you fight."
There are mentions of William Wallace throughout ‘Outlaw
King’ as the events of this film almost seem to live in the shadow of those now
famed events, and the characters look back to Wallace’s actions and try to
learn from his victories and failings. That almost serves as a strange meta-narrative
for ‘Outlaw King’, a movie about a medieval Scottish rebellion that will
inevitably earn comparisons to ‘Braveheart’ for its subject matter alone.
Though I would not regard Mel Gibson’s film as flawless by any means it is a
daunting comparison given its enduring legacy and popularity.
After being crowned King of Scotland, legendary warrior
Robert the Bruce (Chris Pine) is declared an outlaw and forced into exile by
the English. Rallying the support of some nobles from across Scotland, Bruce
begins planning a revolt that he hopes has the strength to overthrow the
English and reunify his homeland as one kingdom.
David Mackenzie has a skill for crafting films that don’t
fit into any specific genre classification. Right up to his most recent efforts
such as ‘Starred Up’ and ‘Hell or High Water’, each of them had the dressing of
a certain genre but defied expectations by engaging in strong character
studies, interpersonal dynamics or larger socio-political themes. On a basic technical
level ‘Outlaw King’ is an impressive achievement, however it lacks a certain
substance that would elevate its story to compelling levels and feels disappointingly
conventional compared to what we have expected from Mackenzie.
Another disappointment is Chris Pine’s performance. Despite
usually carrying a great sense of charisma and gravitas with each of his roles
(most of all in his previous collaboration with Mackenzie, ‘Hell or High Water’),
there’s a pervasive flatness to his portrayal of Robert the Bruce in ‘Outlaw
King’. I can’t fault Pine for his accent and it would be unfair to say there
are any glaring errors in his acting in a momentary sense. But over the course
of the movie it feels as if there is a distinct lack of range on display. Maybe
Pine was trying to convey a sense of a man heavily repressing emotions but if
that is the case the film never follows this as a key theme. Instead I was left
with an impression that Pine’s performance seemed mostly static throughout the
movie, rarely generating a sense of urgency, desperation or passion from Bruce’s
crusade and the cause that motivated it.
That being said, it is not as if the script gave Pine much
substance to work with. While Bruce’s actions are chronicled in great detail
there’s not much time devoted to his personal trials. So much of the film seems
determined to place Bruce within his historical context that it hardly stops to
examine him on a personal level. You could leave ‘Outlaw King’ with an
understanding of what Bruce did (or not since complete historical accuracy and
movies have never really meshed well together) but not much of a compelling
narrative as to who he was. The film doesn’t provide much of characterisation
for him nor does it present an evocative arc.
It’s for this reason why the battles, while technically
brilliant, do not feel as involving as they should. ‘Outlaw King’ goes out of
its way to lecture the audience about the historical significance of each
conflict but lacks the personal investment that makes the difference between
spectacle and involvement. Mackenzie shoots these action scenes with brutal
ferocity that is very striking to behold. Each clash feels hard fought and the
impact of every confrontation is keenly felt on a raw, visceral level. It’s
just a shame that none of that is applied to a more intimate staging. When
Wallace cries out in ‘Braveheart’, first and foremost we feel an individual
with all his passion and charisma, which in turn ripples backwards to inspire
thousands. That is where the emotional impact comes from.
‘Outlaw King’ is worthy of being compared to ‘Braveheart’ in
the scope of its production though. The impeccable costume design and wide
environments make for an epic spectacle. Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd allows
the full sweeping weight of the landscape to fill the screen and the result is
a highly immersive palette from which to stage some picturesque set pieces. The
score and sound design are also worth commending, one communicating the epic
scope of these historically meaningful battles whilst the other communicates
the intimate grittiness of daily life and brutal battles.
There are so many inklings of interesting themes throughout ‘Outlaw
King’, many of which are brought up directly through the conversations
characters have. The price of ruling, the sacrifice of rebellion, the courage
to persevere when all seems lost. All interesting concepts but none of them are
explored or pursued by the script. Instead it seems content with trudging from
one battle scene to the next, which not only creates a repetitive pace to the
movie but leaves behind any compelling narrative that would have made Robert’s
cause emotionally resonant. It’s tragic to see such effort put into recreating
epic battles only to realise I had no reason to care for them.
‘Outlaw King’ is appropriately epic and technically proficient,
but lacks any intimate emotional involvement to make its story feel compelling
for its entire runtime.
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