Törvényen kívüli király

Szép kivitelezés és dicséretes bemutatkozása egy - a filmvilágban kevésbé ismert, de méltán figyelemre méltó - történelmi személyiségnek (akit politikai elődje, William Wallace beárnyékolt). Műfajilag is kielégítő, megvan minden szükséges mainstream attribútuma. Ami azonban megakadályozta a teljes értékű élményt, az a kiszámíthatóság és az elbeszélés nem eredeti megfogalmazása volt, személyes közreműködés nélkül, főleg a rendező részéről. Olyan jelenetek és pillanatok, amelyek megkülönböztetik a filmet más hasonló filmektől. Azokat még jobban is értékeltem volna, mint egy háborús vérengzést. És jobb, mint az erősen középszerű filmzene. (2018.11.17)

In 2008, Netflix proved that it is also able of producing high-budget period blockbusters with good actors and a skilled director. One such proof is Outlaw King, which more or less picks up where Braveheart left off. Even though I had some trouble to understand who is who in the beginning, it wasn’t that difficult after all. The Scots were fighting for their independence, and Chris Pine proved that the older he gets, the better the performances he delivers. A great movie! Outlaw King might be the best period movie of 2018. Some scenes are borderline genius. (2018.12.31)

I've been missing this genre quite a bit, so I ended up enjoying the historical drama Outlaw King quite a bit (despite a few things that weren't quite right). Chris Pine could have been maybe a bit more... active, on the other hand his lack of emotion here is pretty much compensated by Aaron Taylor-Johnson's surprisingly interesting character and a very good Florence Pugh. However, nobody will probably watch it for them anyway, so more importantly, David Mackenzie has done a great job of creating the atmosphere of that nasty medieval era you really don't want to live in. It's muddy, it's cold, it's raining all the time, everybody's dirty and you die on the fly. It also plays on reality (or near-reality), so the battles are appropriately gritty but not overly explicit, and I never felt like the violence was an end in itself. Moreover, the final clash between the two armies is a real treat and it's a shame we can't enjoy it in the cinema. Unfortunately, however, the result shows that a lot of editing had to be done, and perhaps the entire middle third or the "Robin Hood" passage would have deserved a little more space. Overall, it's a good historical drama that's fun to watch, and there have been remarkably few of those in recent years. So for me, I'm satisfied. (2018.11.15)

100 minutes of alternating epic, bloody and generously designed scenes and dialogues, which are simply a bit of cheesy historical TV series. Mackenzie aspires to the dark medieval carnation, which he thrives on in luxury crowd scenes and some quadratures of Scots, but other times he uses superficial adornments and Gaelic kitsch. Nevertheless, I like Pine a lot. He's not an exaggerated macho caricature, but rather a guy who has been going after what he wants in a calm and steadfastness manner for some time. It may seem strange to some people that this is the leader people follow - I understand them. I would follow him, too. Btw, Aaron Taylor-Johnson seems to have a taste for raw beef for the first time in his career. (2018.11.10)

A direct follow-up of the Braveheart, which is definitely more precise in terms of history, however not faithful, not even remotely. However, which does not matter in the genre move, not at all. It has only one major problem; it is too abbreviated in two-hour footage. In addition, in a way that strikes the eye or it start talking about many topics, but nothing more. Even, especially in the middle part, so much that I doubt that I would not blame the same for the twenty-minute longer version that was screened at festivals. Otherwise, it's a dirty historical chamber feature film (no, it's not as contradictory as it would seem), which follows the classic plot of “historical David versus Goliath", but it has an atmosphere, a beautiful set design and a camera (and it's not just about taking advantage of the Scottish Highlands or the introductory nine-minute one-shot scene), an uncompromising battle scene, a soundtrack connected by folk hackneyed songs and surprisingly good performances for such a butchery (perhaps only Edward is a way too excessive cartoon character). This includes Pine, where out of necessity the virtue “so that he doesn't have to speak much of a Scottish accent" is transformed into one of his strengths, because a quiet role based purely on charisma will surprisingly suit him. Outlaw King is exactly what it promised to be. It just had to be longer and therefore not so straightforward. Which, of course, wouldn't matter if it weren't clear from the final cut that the original ambitions were greater. (2018.11.10)

David Mackenzie is awesome and after Hell or High Water he serves up the best historical film of the decade with the excellent Chris Pine improving film by film. Absolutely everything works here, the accurate history, the spectacular production design, the impressive costumes and sets (gorgeous castles), the naked queen is not missing, the impressive milking of emotions throughout the film, and most importantly, the spectacular battles where blood and bodies are certainly not spared. The scene with the horses is an absolute highlight of the genre and will probably make horse lovers cry. High praise also goes to Douglas, who steals most of the scenes for himself and is horrifically brutal in them. A wonderful and near-perfect film and experience, where my only regret is that I couldn't see it on the big screen. One of the best films of the year. After a second viewing the enthusiasm has waned slightly, but still good. 80% (2018.11.12)

More than an unofficial sequel to Braveheart, Robert the Bruce and his journey resemble a half-hearted remake. There are betrayals, loves, and magnificent battles here too, but while Mel Gibson unnecessarily deviated from historical realities, he was forgiven because with every twist he tore the viewer's heart apart. David Mackenzie holds onto history more firmly and adds more gritty combat, but I can't shake the feeling that it's all too superficial. The opening interaction doesn't work for me as an introduction to the plot, but rather as a teaser taking the form of a scene without cuts. The exposed intestines don't make a point about the horrors of war, but just come out of a person in all their nakedness; warm feelings arise between newlyweds in just a single cut. And Chris Pine, an eternal charmer and rascal at first sight, is only just maturing into the role of thoughtful ruler. In this case, the king is a brave and pleasantly uncompromising figure, but his battle songs desperately lack heart. (2018.11.14)

Everyone whose mouth waters over Game of Thrones should have a look at the final bloodbath in the marshes to see how it’s done properly. Pine is excellent with effortless acting and the romantic storyline with Florence Pough works well. A brutally realistic view of Scottish history in which every shot of London opens with William Wallace’s rotting head impaled on a stake. Fantastic camerawork and nice Scottish songs. P.S: Probably the first role in which I thought Aaron Taylor-Johnson was any good. DOUGLAAAS!!!! (2019.04.26)

A prequel to Braveheart, which ironically tells the story after it. Pine is an interesting choice for a medieval protagonist and it has to be said that he fits Robert the Bruce quite well, although it doesn't seem like it at first. Mackenzie makes up for the poor script and the lack of strong emotions with a slick medieval carnage, not quite good enough, but certainly above standard within the genre. Of course, in terms of epic, romantic line or directorial virtuosity, it doesn't even come close to Gibson. (2018.11.18)

An impeccable historical film, just impeccable. I really have nothing to criticize, although I would appreciate it if the film was longer, because few recent films deserve it as much as this one. It’s all good, though. Even so, it is an attractive story with a tremendous gradient, constantly gaining pace and dramatism, funny in such a “guy" way, but it’s definitely not only for lovers of medieval battle films. The film is still about the characters, and thanks to the excellent actors, we also care about them. Chris Pine has a bit of Connery in him, Aaron Taylor-Johnson is madly wild beyond recognition, the virulent Florence Pugh hasn't let me down even once, and he didn't this time either... I would compare it with Braveheart and I see the two films at almost the same level. (2021.02.14)

Despite the production values and its ambitions, Outlaw King is very sloppy. The final two-hour cut consists of mechanically connected scenes that by the most part lack any development or initiative of their own that would make them memorable or that would at least build an emotional base. The uninteresting direction relies solely on the period atmosphere, a fast pace and the charisma of Chris Pine, which, together with brutal action scenes should be enough to keep the viewers happy – the only exception is the opening scene on a single take, where you can at least see some author’s touch, but is also an unjustified and weird exception (and this is a stronger opinion) in an otherwise classically edited film. I’d love to watch the original uncut version, this is nothing but a weak copy of Braveheart and a weak 3*. (2019.01.25)

I'm not a fan of historical war films, but I was tempted to watch The Outlaw King because of the cast (Florence Pugh and Chris Pine) and I was also intrigued by the character of Robert the Bruce, who is not so well known. The depiction of the Middle Ages with all its unfortunate attributes was quite good, but I felt that everything else was flat and emotionless, both in the war-historical and biographical-romantic lines. But maybe it's just that I'm not the target audience. (2020.03.30)

I did expect the film to be much worse. I thought the creators would twist historical facts to suit their needs, and they did, but unlike in Braveheart, I wasn't flooded by pathos. The main character didn’t usurp all the attention (quite the contrary) and the film was sort of nice to watch. The medieval butchering, gutting and quartering was handled very well, the atmosphere was typically Scottish and grim, and when the front brake was pressed on a galloping horse, things got interesting. I was satisfied. (2019.01.05)

Genuinely medieval with a damn good atmosphere, frantic pace, charismatic Pine and, on top of all that, Taylor-Johnson in a real psycho mode. A perfect treat with enough material for an entire miniseries, unnecessarily cut down to 120 minutes. I could definitely handle more. (2018.11.19)