It certainly says something when the thing that most people have discussed about a film is the fact that the leading man exposes his penis at one point. Sure, it’s Chris Pine, so it’s totally understandable, but when the moment finally arrives in the latest Netflix release, Outlaw King, it comes literally right after what is meant to be an emotionally harrowing moment. Perhaps it’s an unfortunate result from the heavy re-editing that came after its premier at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it wasn’t received very well, but either way, it’s a strange experience, and one that kind of encapsulates everything wrong with the film.
If you didn’t know, Outlaw King tells the tale of Robert the Bruce (Chris Pine), and his journey from defeated Scottish nobleman to a beloved King that waged a bloody war against the forces of King Edward I of England (Stephen Dillane) in the early 14th century. Think of it like a spiritual sequel to Braveheart.
From the looks of it, the film should be great. It clearly has a lot of money and resources behind it, Barry Ackroyd’s cinematography is stunning, the sets and costumes are impeccably detailed, the battle scenes are glorious, you have a great filmmaker, David Mackenzie, behind it, and a collection of talented actors like Chris Pine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Florence Pugh, Billy Howle, Tony Curran, and so on. However, once you actually sit down and watch it, the film feels rather empty. The final scene even involves two lovers running across the beach and coming to an embrace. It’s beautifully shot, and the music is swelling, it’s clear that I’m supposed to find some catharsis here, but I ended up wondering why I wasn’t feeling anything.
Despite the best efforts of everyone involved, the film just doesn’t have much life to it, and it doesn’t seem to have anything interesting to say about these characters and their story, or their place in history, and the significance thereof. The film just kind of slogs along, going from plot point to plot point, beat to beat, without a hint of personality, interesting subtext, engaging characterization, or really anything for the audience to latch onto. The film seems to take for granted that we know the general context of this, and I found myself confused at certain points about what was going on and who was doing what. You’d think Mackenzie and his four other co-writers (yep, four) would’ve at least been able to keep everything coherent, but then again, it could be the result of the re-editing, who knows?
The performances are serviceable, but largely one-note. Pine is appropriately stoic, but despite spending so much time with him, we rarely get to know him on an intimate level. The same goes for a majority of the cast, although, I really appreciated the over-the-top performances from Johnson and Howle. I especially enjoyed Howle, who plays Edward, Prince of Wales as my favorite type of villain, the deeply pathetic one. It might be cartoonish, but it’s something. Pugh starts off promising as Robert’s headstrong wife, but she gets less and less to do as the film goes on, which is disappointing.
That’s really the key word here, disappointing. I don’t think Outlaw King is a terrible movie. It’s perfectly watchable, it looks nice, it’s got actors we all like, and some amazing action sequences. The film just doesn’t have a rhythm to it, it doesn’t have much going on under the surface, and despite its grand ambitions, the drama and emotional throughlines fall mostly flat. It’s disappointing coming from a filmmaker who has had a really strong run in recent years, and an actor who has been hitting it out of the park recently as well. The film could very well be a more accurate representation of this time period than Braveheart, but at least Braveheart offered a reason to care about what’s going on and it does so with clarity and focus. There is a lot to admire in the craft behind Outlaw King, but it ultimately falls short.
Oh, and by the way, you barely see Chris Pine’s junk. He’s standing in a distance, and it goes by in less than a second. Not worth it.