1. Plot

2. Cast

3. Production

4. Release

5. Reception
    Accolades 

6. Historical authenticity

7. References

8. External links

• David Mackenzie
• Gillian Berrie

• David Mackenzie
• Bathsheba Doran
• James MacInnes
• Mark Bomback
• David Harrower

• Chris Pine
• Aaron Taylor-Johnson
• Florence Pugh
• Billy Howle
• Tony Curran
• Callan Mulvey
• Stephen Dillane

• Sigma Films
• Anonymous Content

• United Kingdom
• United States

Outlaw King is a 2018 historical action drama film about Robert the Bruce, the 14th-century Scottish King who launched a guerilla war against the larger English army. The film largely takes place during the 3-year historical period from 1304, when Bruce decides to rebel against the rule of Edward I over Scotland, thus becoming an "outlaw", up to the 1307 Battle of Loudoun Hill.  Outlaw King was co-written, produced, and directed by David Mackenzie.^[2][3][4] It stars Chris Pine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Florence Pugh, Billy Howle, Tony Curran, Callan Mulvey, Stephen Dillane, and Alan Cooney.

It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2018, and was released on November 9, 2018, by Netflix.

Plot

In the year 1304, outside the besieged Stirling Castle, John Comyn, Robert Bruce, and other Scottish nobility surrender to Edward I of England. King Edward promises to return lands to the nobility in exchange for their homage. After the formalities have ended, Bruce spars with Edward's heir, the Prince of Wales, and the King weds Bruce to his goddaughter, Elizabeth de Burgh. James Douglas arrives to ask for the restoration of his ancestral lands but is dismissed by Edward, on the basis of the previous Lord Douglas's treason. The King and the Prince depart from Scotland, leaving its management to Comyn and Bruce, under the supervision of the Earl of Pembroke, Aymer de Valence. Elizabeth arrives to marry Bruce. On the wedding night, he respects his reluctant wife's wishes and delays the consummation. Bruce witnesses Englishmen conscripting his servants to the King's army. Not long after, his father, the Lord of Annandale, passes away, lamenting the loss of his friendship with the King of England, while admitting it may have been a mistake to trust Edward.

Two years later, after collecting taxes, Bruce notes how unpopular the English are. There is rioting after the public display of the quartered body of William Wallace, which spurs Bruce to plan another revolt. He discusses the issue with his family, who agree with him. Bruce tries to persuade John Comyn to join him but refuses and threatens to inform Edward about the plan. In a panic, Bruce stabs Comyn to death. The incident compels the clergy of Scotland to offer a pardon to Bruce, bargaining that he supports the Church of Scotland and he accepts the Crown of Scotland. Bruce accepts the deal, but King Edward soon hears of it. He declares Bruce an outlaw and, at his son's request, sends the Prince of Wales to crush the uprising, under the dragon banner, symbolizing the abandonment of chivalry and representing King Edward's order of no quarter to be shown to any supporter of Bruce.

Bruce calls a council of the nobles, where most refuse to break their oaths to Edward. Despite the lack of expected support, Bruce heads to Scone, where he is to be crowned. On the road, he encounters Douglas, who pledges his allegiance if Robert will help Douglas reclaim his birthright. In Scone, Bruce is crowned king of Scots. The ambitious de Valence decides to move against Bruce before the Prince arrives. Bruce wishes to avoid bloodshed and challenges de Valence to single combat. De Valence accepts but insists on delaying the duel a day, as it is Sunday. During the night, at Methven, Bruce finally consummates his marriage, but the English launch a surprise attack. Bruce sends his wife and daughter, Marjorie Bruce, to safety with his brother Nigel, and stays to fight a losing battle, during which most of the Scottish army is killed. Bruce escapes with fifty men. The group takes Angus' advice and flees to Islay. While traveling there, John MacDougall parleys with them. He is bitter about the murder of his cousin Comyn but allows the army to pass but later attacks Bruce's entourage as they're trying to cross Loch Ryan. Some of them get away in boats, but they cannot prevent the death of Robert the Bruce's brother Alexander.

Prince Edward arrives in Scotland and searches for Bruce at Kildrummy Castle, only to find Bruce's wife, daughter, and brother. The sadistic prince has his brother hanged and drawn, and has Bruce's daughter and wife taken to England. Bruce's company meets up with Lord Mackinnon, who refuses to lend them any men. The band presses on with their voyage to Islay anyway; there, they learn of the fall of Kildrummy Castle. Bruce decides to take back the castle through stealth. The successful operation inspires Bruce to begin guerilla warfare. Shortly thereafter, Bruce is reunited with his other brother, Thomas. In England, Marjorie is separated from her stepmother Elizabeth to be given religious instruction by nuns. After Edward hears that Douglas Castle has been re-taken, he goes after Bruce himself. He offers Elizabeth a pardon if she will annul her marriage to Robert, but she refuses and is placed in a hanging cage.

The following year, King Edward dies shortly after arriving in Scotland, and the Prince of Wales takes control of his father's forces. In defiance of his father's dying wishes, he orders his late father's burial in Scotland. Bruce decides to fight the new king in a pitched battle at Loudoun Hill, despite being outnumbered six to one. Clan Mackinnon arrives to aid Bruce. Edward's army is composed almost entirely of cavalry, so Robert overcomes this army's size disadvantage by ensuring that during the battle, the English cavalry charge into a spear wall hidden by a ditch, and thus incur heavy losses. Many horsemen attempt to attack the flanks but become bogged down in the mud, just as the Scots anticipated. As the English knights fall from their horses, many are slain, and the battle becomes an open brawl, wherein the ferocious Scots prevail over the disoriented English soldiers. Realising the battle is hopeless, de Valence orders a retreat. However, determined to kill his nemesis, Edward does not join the retreat. Instead, he engages in a duel with Bruce as the Scots look on. Although Bruce prevails, he allows Edward to leave unharmed. The epilogue reveals that Elizabeth was released as a part of a hostage exchange. The Prince of Wales was crowned King Edward II, only to be killed by his own lords. Three hundred years later, Robert's descendant unified the crowns of England and Scotland.

Cast

• Chris Pine as Robert the Bruce
• Aaron Taylor-Johnson as James Douglas, Lord of Douglas^[5]
• Florence Pugh as Elizabeth de Burgh^[6]
• Billy Howle as Edward, Prince of Wales^[7]
• Tony Curran as Angus MacDonald^[8][9]
• Lorne MacFadyen as Neil Bruce
• Alastair Mackenzie as Lord Atholl^[10]
• James Cosmo as Robert de Brus, 6th Lord of Annandale^[11]
• Callan Mulvey as John III Comyn, Lord of Badenoch^[12]
• Stephen McMillan as Drew Forfar, Squire
• Paul Blair as Bishop Lamberton
• Stephen Dillane as King Edward I of England
• Steven Cree as Christopher Seton^[13]
• Kim Allan as Isabella MacDuff, Countess of Buchan
• Sam Spruell as Aymer de Valence, 2nd Earl of Pembroke
• Rebecca Robin as Margaret of France, Queen of England
• Stewart Brown as the Ginger.
• Jamie Maclachlan as Roger De Mowbray
• Benny Young as Sir Simon Fraser
• Clive Russell as Lord MacKinnon of Skye
• Josie O'Brien as Marjorie Bruce

Production

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, 2018.^[24] The premiere's runtime of 137 minutes and its pacing were criticised in early reviews, and Mackenzie subsequently cut nearly 20 minutes from the film.^[25] Cut material includes a battle scene, a major confrontation backdropped by a waterfall, an eight-minute chase sequence, and a scene in which Pine’s character meets William Wallace in the woods.^[26][27] The film had its European premiere at the London Film Festival in October 2018^[28] and was commercially released on November 9, 2018.^[29]

Reception

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval of 63%, based on 139 reviews and an average rating of 6.2/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Muddy and bloody to a fault, Outlaw King doesn't skimp on the medieval battle scenes, but tends to lose track of the fact-based legend at the heart of its story".^[30] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 60 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[31]

Accolades

Historical authenticity

The film implies that Robert began his rebellion almost immediately after the execution of William Wallace, implying that he intended to avenge Wallace, but in reality, he began his rebellion an entire year after Wallace's death. During that time Edward I became suspicious of Bruce and ordered him to stay at the Kildrummy Castle.^[35]

In the film, Bruce marries Elizabeth after surrendering to Edward I; in reality Bruce's second marriage had occurred years before (in 1302). The film also depicts the Battle of Methven as a result of de Valence's treachery, but the historical outcome was Bruce's own fault for not predicting de Valence's loyalty to the English.^[35]

The film portrays Edward II in the Battle of Loudoun Hill as heavily flawed; in reality it's unlikely that he would have been present in the first place. Moreover, it's certain that he wouldn't have challenged Bruce to a single combat. But even if he had been there and challenged Bruce to a personal combat, such a valuable hostage as Edward II would not have been allowed to flee.^[33]

The character of Bruce in Outlaw King is that of an enigmatic and well-behaved man of the people, who desires to restore Scotland to its citizens. However, historian Fiona Watson notes the real Bruce was most likely cold, canny, and driven by his personal ambition.^[34]

The color yellow is mostly absent from shirts of the fighting men in the film's battlefield, but historically, yellow dye was not only the most common dye in Scotland but it was highly favored by the fighters who could afford it as well. Historian Fergus Cannan notes that while many historical writers comment on its prevalence, it never makes appearances in popular culture related to Scottish history.^[35]

The film includes a scene in which Edward II performs a ceremony the night before riding to Scotland to face Robert the Bruce, holding two swans by the neck and giving an impassioned speech. This scene is very much created in line of making Edward II seem like a 'maniac' and such a ceremony is exceedingly unlikely to have taken place.^[34] However, this scene has been made infamous by the influence of social media. {{citation needed|date=December 2018}}

The film depicts the character of Edward II as a cruel and oppressive person who is eager to succeed his father, when there is no evidence of Edward II's having displayed such traits. On the contrary, Edward II was reluctant to assume the mantle of kingship and was known to be generous with his servants.^[35]

The film depicts Edward I as dying before the battle of Loudoun Hill when, in fact, he died some months later. Additionally, the film implies that Edward I was buried in Scotland not far from Loudoun Hill when, in fact, he was interred at Westminster Abbey in London.

When Robert tells his brothers in the film about his plan to start a rebellion, artichokes can be seen on the table. However, artichokes were only introduced to the British Isles in the 16th century.^[36]

References

External links

• {{Official website|https://www.netflix.com/title/80190859|Outlaw King}} on Netflix
• {{IMDb title|6679794}}
• {{rottentomatoes|outlaw_king}}
• {{metacritic film|outlaw-king}}

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