Outlaw King

Robert the Bruce rebels against the English crown and takes the Scottish kingdom back. David Mackenzie opens with a long unbroken shot that runs from an oath of loyalty inside a tent through to a bare-blade duel without a single cut. It played Toronto at 137 minutes and was criticised largely for that length. Mackenzie then cut roughly 20 minutes, losing a battle sequence, a fight at a waterfall, an eight-minute chase and a scene featuring William Wallace. Netflix funded it at around 120 million dollars. Historians' objections are specific. The film pulls Bruce's rebellion forward to immediately after Wallace's execution when a year actually passed. There is no support for Bruce and Edward II meeting in single combat at Loudoun Hill. And the documented ambition and pragmatism of the man are softened into idealism. Who it is for: viewers who want muddy, bloody, well-choreographed medieval warfare. Who it is not for: anyone expecting the emotional pitch of Braveheart, or anyone who cares about historical accuracy.