Review #1,422: 'Outlaw King' (2018)

For all its thrilling battle scenes and quotable dialogue, Mel Gibson's Braveheart was hardly a textbook of historical accuracy, particularly with the way it seemed to promote William Wallace as Scotland's one and only saviour, and relegated the future king, Robert the Bruce, to coward and turncloak. A movie to set the record straight always seemed inevitable and necessary, but it took a long time coming. 23 years after Braveheart took home 5 Academy Awards, David Mackenzie's biopic of Bruce, Outlaw King, has finally arrived. It almost works as a quasi-sequel to Gibson's crowd-pleaser, beginning with the King of England gathering various Scottish nobles to sign a peace treaty that will signal an end to the fighting and climaxing with a bloody battle at Loudoun Hill. Times have changed since 1995, and Mackenzie seems intent on infusing the story with a gritty realism and greater attention to historical fact, meaning that there'll be no defiant final cry of "Freedom!" here.

Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival and released on Netflix two months later, this sullen tale of bearded men going at each other with huge swords sets out to impress from the very get go. The likes of Robert the Bruce (Chris Pine), his father (James Cosmo), and their main rival for the Scottish crown John Comyn III (Callan Mulvey), have been summoned to the tent of Edward I (Stephen Dillane) to metaphorically lay down their swords and accept the invading English as their rulers. The camera glides across the room as they exchange pleasantries between gritted teeth, before moving outside for an impromptu sword fight between Robert and the Prince of Wales (Billy Howle). Filmed in one continuous take, the scene ends with the King demonstrating his power with his newest weapon, a ginormous catapult, which he fires into the besieged Stirling Castle. Both Edward and Mackenzie are showing off here, but its a thrilling moment nonetheless, and if anything is a sure sign of Netflix's intent to flex their own industry muscles. It propels the film into a breathless first half, as Robert defies the English by crowning himself King after Wallace is executed, and takes his threadbare army off to war.

The story moves at a relentless pace, with Robert suffering catastrophic defeats at the hands of both the English and rebellious Scottish clans, and his following grows increasingly smaller. Following these early skirmishes, Outlaw King struggles to fully engage, and this is mainly down to the portrayal of Robert himself. Pine is a highly charismatic actor with some serious chops (just look at Mackenzie's previous film, Hell or High Water), but the film never really seems sure of how to portray him. He leads his men from one battering to the next, and we never really understand why his troops stick with him. He marries Elizabeth de Burgh (Florence Pugh) for political reasons but they end up falling in love, with the outspoken Queen of Scots clearly seeing something in her husband that we cannot. The same can be said for one of Robert's most fearsome warriors, James Douglas (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), who amps the testosterone levels significantly in a foaming-at-the-mouth performance that borders on cartoonish. The highly engaging first hour is still enough reason to give Mackenzie two hours of your time, and fans will at least be treated to a Chris Pine full frontal. Just don't expect Outlaw King to subvert the historical drama in any way and try to enjoy it for what it is: a bruising adventure that school kids can enjoy when it's movie day in history class.


Directed by: David Mackenzie
Starring: Chris Pine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Florence Pugh, Stephen Dillane, Billy Howle, James Cosmo
Country: UK/USA

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,130: 'Hell or High Water' (2016)

There's a real old-fashioned, rough-and-tumble aura about the opening scene of Hell or High Water, as two bank robbers break into two Texas Midlands banks wearing balaclavas and waving guns before fleeing the scene with dust filling the air behind their clapped-out banger. While the legendary outlaws of the West fled the scene of the crime on horseback and sported much more impressive facial hair, this modern-day, un-flashy heist carries the same rush of crime-fuelled adrenaline as watching the likes of Billy the Kid and Jesse James in countless genre movies of old. Yet while the picture certainly attempts to recapture the spirit of the Wild West mythos, its themes are very much rooted in 21st century sociological struggles.

The two would-be thugs aren't after the cash for the glamour, but instead they are brothers desperately trying to raise the cash required to pay off the bank about to roll over on their deceased parents' farm. It turns out that the quiet, more thoughtful sibling Toby (Chris Pine) is the mastermind behind the series of robberies, which are made extra delicious by the fact that they are robbing the very bank they are looking to pay back. Ex-jailbird Tanner (Ben Foster) seems to go along with it just for the thrill-ride, and although he is sympathetic and dedicated to his brother's cause, he's going to carry out his work with a balls-to-the-wall attitude, as it seems he was simply born bad. The jobs are planned with expert precision; using a different vehicle every time and burying them afterwards, hitting the banks early, stealing only unmarked bills, and cleaning the money in the casino afterwards.

But it isn't long until ageing Texas Ranger Marcus Hamilton (Jeff Bridges) in on their tails. Speaking as though he has a mouth full to the brim with chewing tobacco, Marcus is an old-school cowboy who enjoys making fun of his half-Cherokee partner Alberto (Gil Birmingham) and falling asleep beneath the stars with an almost-demolished eight-pack dangling from the grip. He is also the smartest guy in any room, although his easy-going demeanour means nobody seems to realise. After Tanner makes an improvised smash-and-grab while his brother sits oblivious in a diner across the way, Marcus goes and figures the whole thing out. His un-PC sense of humour combined with Bridges' natural screen presence means that Marcus is a real crowd-pleaser, and a nice counterbalance to the emotional weight of Toby and Tanner's desperation.

I had a new level of respect for Pine after the film, as he is an actor who has found life difficult outside of the Star Trek franchise, but seems to have found a perfect fit in the gangly, stoic cowpoke. Toby may even garner the most sympathy as the father struggling to keep up with his child support as well as trying to rescue his childhood home. Yet director David Mackenzie (Starred Up) and writer Taylor Sheridan (Sicario) work to keep their characters grey, and tell a more honest story of how people react in times of financial hardship. The great enemy here are the banks, eager to swallow up property by the handful as posters offering debt relief litter the highways. It's an intelligent film, and one of many in recent times to react angrily to a every increasing capitalist society. Yet it's also gritty and thrilling, and isn't afraid to indulge in a moment of bad-assery, because after all, isn't that what makes the West so endearing?


Directed by: David Mackenzie
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine, Ben Foster, Gil Birmingham
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #779: 'Starred Up' (2013)

Us Brits' strange obsession with alpha-male's and the violent criminal underworld has led the film industry to churn out endless gangster and prison movies, with each DVD cover adorned with some meaty Z-list actor sticking his fingers up or trying to look intimidating. Starred Up, based on writer Jonathan Asser's experiences working as a prison counsellor, has Jack O'Connell's shirtless young offender staring menacingly out on it's poster, and you would be forgiven to assume this was yet another movie destined for the bargain bin. But you would be wrong, as Starred Up is a refreshing pitbull of a movie.

Eric Love (O'Connell) is transferred, or 'starred up', two years early to adult prison from a young offenders institution. It doesn't take long for him to become involved in a fight with another prisoner, and he is thrown in solitary as a result. In this world of macho men, he finds a surrogate father in therapist Oliver (Rupert Friend), a well-educated type who 'needs' to help these prisoners as a way of lending meaning to his own life. But Eric's biological father, Neville (Ben Mendelsohn), is locked up there with him, and feels a different approach is needed to conquer this animalistic young man. Eric, however, has his own plans, which is to take on everybody who stands in his way.

What is so fascinating about Starred Up is its attention to detail. Seconds after being locked into his cell, Eric sets about defending himself by creating a makeshift shank out of a toothbrush and a shaving razor, designed not to stab, but to slice (we see it's full effect later in the film). This is a world in which you have to punch, kick and head-butt to survive, and one in which Eric is clearly (and tragically) familiar with. But it's not only the violent nature and general feeling of unease that makes the film so thrilling, it's the father-son dynamic between Eric, Neville and Oliver, played out without a shred of sentimentality or a morality message. They both clearly care for Eric, but Neville is psychopath and Oliver finds his liberal approach frequently obstructed by the brutality of the deputy governor (Sam Spruell).

Towards the end, it struggles by thinking that the film needs to have a conventional climax. It moves over into dramatic thriller territory, and slightly betrays its roots in realism. Spruell's character throughout is rather one-note - a suited, arrogant political climber whose self-image always comes ahead of the needs of his inmates. Such clichés are not called for, but doesn't do much damage to the overall gut-punch of the film. O'Connell is a star in the making, handsome enough to be a superstar someday, yet talented and charismatic enough to actually deserve it. His performance here is outstanding, as are the ever-reliable Mendelsohn and a sensitive Friend. One of the most pleasant surprises of the year, injecting life into a tired genre.


Directed by: David Mackenzie
Starring: Jack O'Connell, Ben Mendelsohn, Rupert Friend, Sam Spruell
Country: UK

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie