Gayle On Film: 'Outlaw King' 02:08
Outlaw King
Netflix is going heavy on the theatrical releases, and in "Outlaw King" it's Chris Pine doing the heavy lifting as Scotland's real-life hero Robert the Bruce. If you saw "Braveheart," this movie picks up where that one left off with the parts of that other Scottish hero, William Wallace, sent to be displayed around parts of Scotland as a reminder to the Scots that one should never ever attempt to fight the King of England, and it's a sign of more brutality, entrails and carnage to come. Bruce has to bend a knee to the king and is married off to a fine Englishwoman to seal the deal.
Pine is perfectly fine as the sensitive Bruce who soon realizes that he likes this lady he is married to whom he's just met, but he's not fine with bending a knee for long. Then what you have is 50 men going up against the greatest army, and they're willing to burn their own castles down to make a point. The accuracy of the film may be debated by historians as they usually are with these films. Yet, it's an uneven contrast seeing so brutal a warrior (in ALL his glory) attempt to woo his lady. Even so, it's pretty entertaining if you like knights fighting for the land and freedom against all odds. (It's also now available on Netflix.)