User reviews

My title kind of sums up the general feeling towards this watchable but pensive movie, concerning the life and times of one of Scotland's greatest heroes. In fact it's only really about a month in real time and leading up to his final, victorious battle against the English. Great scenery, competent acting (with authentic details ans accents) but lacking in the sheer excitement and high drama of say a Mel Gibson production.

Below average. With most of the external shots being from Montana, which looks exactly like Montana not The Highlands of Scotland, it reminds me of a cowboy film. Many of the accents are terrible and the storyline is just limp and unbelievable. There is even a visit to a witch living in an Indian style teepee at one point. Shooting a deer with an arrow after making a racket is not likely to happen, unless the deer is deaf, stupid and stuffed but the worst and most extensive part is that Montana is not Scotland and it doesn't look like Scotland! It's like filming an American Civil War movie in the desert. It might be cheaper but it Just doesn't work. Shame as it's a good tale to tell so many inconsistencies makes it hard work to watch - Montana, witches, accents... :(

First thing to say is with Braveheart still casting a long shadow over this period in Scotland's history and the more recent Outlaw King proving an entertaining if flawed take on The Bruce, the writers of this had a decision to make.

Clearly the decision to focus on Robert the Bruce's months in hiding was as much a financial decision as any artistic one. With the filming taking place in Montana, a largely unknown non Scottish cast and a novice director the budget constraints were more than apparent on screen.

This is not necessarily a barrier to making a watchable film but the idea that his months in hiding would make for an entertaining two hours was naive at best.

What we see is a fairly well worn tale of wounded hero taken in by noble peasant family until fit to return to his feet.

The young cast all perform well as does the mother Morag despite the limitations of the script but one speech in particular from the daughter is so maudlin it nearly ruins her entire performance.

Along with the stock medieval goons and villains pursuing The Bruce for the bounty on his head, the wonky sometimes laughable accents and a liberty taking retelling of The Bruce's altercation with John Comyn, the film casts The Bruce as a Taciturn almost mute figure when he is on screen.

This is meant to convey inner turmoil obviously but it unfortunately turns the film into a giant slog. Two hours feel like three and when do get some action at the end it is like sn Oasis in the desert. Even though it is a fairly standard battle sequence.

There are dozens of 10/10 reviews for this film here. And while I can't pretend to know exactly why they chose to score it this highly I can take a pretty good guess.

Unlike my fellow Yes voters I have to be honest. This just wasn't very good and was fatally flawed from the get go with the decision to include no real moments of spectacle.

If you're after a film about The Bruce then Outlaw King is still the best one out there. Just watch that.

I had the privilege of seeing this in Edinburgh at a small screening, film was introduced by the main star and director. This is clearly a labour of love and small budget dealing with The Bruce on the run and giving up on himself. Being hunted by other Scots who are after some coin, he has to hide out through winter. Filmed mostly in Montana with a bit of Scotland at the end, seems a bit of a shame but this sort of thing happens a lot. The film itself is a slow burner and a bit of a come down on the back Brave Heart, this is a beaten King giving up and hiding out, wounded he is taken in by a family who've lost their Husband/father to the battles with the English army. Some mixed feelings towards him but they come to terms in the end he is a good King and wants what's best for Scotland.

Bits of the film reminded me of old westerns like High Noon or 3:10 to Yuma, there's a showdown coming and the odds are against you but you have to fight regardless. It was good to see Angus back in the role of Bruce seems fitting and if they ever do a Bannockburn movie I'd want him back in the role.

Ok!

To be fare straight!

This movie is not so bad if you expecting a Drama movie.

But for those who's looking for action is not for you.

I was disappointed at this movie because Angus Macfadyen was playing the part as Robert the Bruce. The same actor playing Robert the Bruce on Brave heart. So my expectation was very high.

It was said that this movie was kind a sequel to Brave Heart, and the storyline from that movie to this one fits very good. But it doesn't have the same style as Brave Heart. This is more like Drama movie with a low budget production.

Not much really happens in the movie. Not much action at all except for one ore two fighting scenes. The rest is just drama.

The movie focus on Robert the Bruce hiding from other Scott's in a cave because of a price on his head. Actually the movie dose not show so much about Robert. Instead it's has it focus on another family with a mother telling stories about Robert to her kids. Robert do not appear much in this movie and has not so many lines.

This movie was not for me and I lost focus so many times in this movie because I got so bored.

Robert the Bruce is obviously one of the most important historical figures in Scotland's history. This film, without spending a Hollywood mega budget, makes a decent fist of trying to show how Bruce realises that to be successful in his quest for the throne, he has to begin to understand what those who are not the nobility need.

The fact that there are no references to the Dutch house of Orange or the takeover of the British crown by the Hanoverians seems to have irked certain sectarian groups in Scotland enough to get them to bring their poison onto a film review site!

😂😂😂😂😂

I went to see this, hoping for something quite special but what a let down.

Those who are scoring this highly are either friends of cast/crew, have a political agenda or simpl don't get out much.

Some of the cinematography (shot in Montana) was stunning. However, the script could have been written by someone who writes children's stories. It was so basic and repetative. The film was incredibly slow, not sure how much of that was down to the poor story or the woeful acting. If you are going to cast Americans to attempt to use Scottish accents, please ensure they can do a decent job. Chris Pine did a brilliant job in 'The Outlaw King (he had an accent coach on set), but this lot failed, badly. I actually feel embarrassed for those involved. Most of the critics are spot on, very sad indeed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film seeing him in a different light and all his vulnerabilities on show. It was very moving and hits you in the heart. Beautifully done and loved it. Look forward to next one. Please say there will be a next chapter.

As a history lover and pro independence supporter I was keen to this film in its 'limited cinema release' - but sadly this film is quite simply embarrassing. Twee, cheesey and just so disappointing!

The story line is tangent, dull and not engaging in the slightest, yet still bumbles along for two hours! I was ready to leave after the first 10 minutes, but stuck it out in case it got any better. It did not.

The many non Scottish actors' accents got laughably worse as the movie continued, but by that time this spider had given up all hope.

Dae bother.

Scottish history is vigorously disputed territory and the story of Robert the Bruce its most prominent narrative. The story of the spider is deeply embedded in the Scottish psyche and the Bruce's struggles to overcome English domination with the victory at Bannockburn are the stuff of legend.

This film will disappoint those who crave battle scenes as much as those who demand historical accuracy; it depicts the complex psychology of the times with subtle dialogue and the close examination of intimate relationships between fictional characters, rather than chart the course of events. It is intense and engaging, and uses acting not action to tell the story, which concerns only that bit of the legend immediately after the spider and before banishment of the English, when the Bruce is struggling with demons and the rest of the characters dealing with issues of betrayal, resentment and loss.

The release of this film comes at a crucial moment in Scottish history. It is already despised and written off by opponents of Scottish independence as propaganda, criticised for its alleged historical inaccuracy and sentimentality. The director is after all a prominent supporter of Scottish independence and felt that his film would help the cause. In this context, it has already strayed into Scotland's most disputed territory. Viewed with an open mind, it is nevertheless a fascinating portrayal of how actual people in an actual situation might behave and relate to each other.

The acting is pretty good, although one or two accents did not quite make the grade, and there was some mumbling. Impressive work in the children's roles and very good camera work to bring horses deep inside the drama.

Go see it!

Gorgeous cinematography, strong performances, a beautiful little film that belies its budget constraints. This is a moody little medieval western, with echoes of Shane, The Last Temptation Of Christ, mixed with Greek mythology's Trojan war.

Given the title of the film and how interesting the subject is, I was so disappointed that the film chose this story line - it is ..... boring! I looked at my watch several times during this film, as did others in the cinema. I wouldn't recommend it.

Good and accurate. but... Robert The Bruce in 1306 had 32 years old... so maybe the choice of Angus MacFayden wasn't a good one... looking at him it seems that 25 years from the death of William Wallace has passed and not only 1 :-) :-) :-)

When I saw Macfadyen re-taking the role of Robert the Bruce, I expected a sort of spiritual sequel to Braveheart. Well, this couldn't be further from it.

However, it wouldn't be fair for me to criticize the movie bacause of my unrealized expectations if it was any good. But it isn't. The movie is dark, slow, boring and depressing. It focuses more on a mother, her kids and their struggles than on Robert (you know, the guy in the title?).

The Bruce is just an excuse, a plot device, for a story that has nothing to do with kings, battles, or even Scotland. He's barely in it for the entire first hour (yeah, the movie is also long), reduced to a patethic and demotivated excuse for a king...

I don't want to go into spoilers so I'm just going to say this: if you're looking for an exciting movie, this is not for you. If you're looking for an historical drama about Robert I, this is also not for you. If you're looking for at least a historically accurate story, guess what? This isn't for you either.

I am going to start by saying that the accents in this film are diabolical. Apart from the main star, Angus McFadyen, I found it painful to listen to everyone attempting to try a generic Scottish accent. For this reason I am deducting stars, because I couldn't concentrate on the plot.

The film runs at a very slow pace, which does add to the atmosphere but almost at the detriment of keeping the viewer's interest.

On the plus Angus McFadyen is great in the role as Robert and it is truly wonderful to see him in this role again (after 24 years since Braveheart). The action that we see is very well done and you can tell there is a lot of love in this film.

I would recommend this as a film you could watch in an afternoon but I wouldn't say that this is a film I would desperately go out of my way see otherwise.

For a film about Robert The Bruce, it would have been about as factually accurate if they had just used the plot of Home Alone.

About as jingoistic as you could possibly imagine, don't bother wasting your hard earned money when the DVD will be available in Poundland in about three weeks anyway.

A poignant portrayal of Bruce at his lowest ebb We see the King as a vulnerable fragile endangered character with a price on his head This is not the traditional portrayal of the warrior king in battle mode as we have seen in so many other films recounting Bruce's life Instead we are drawn into another side of Bruce's character as we see him portrayed as defeated & broken after he has hit rock bottom & all seems lost The story gradually unfolds & we watch how Bruce overcomes adversity and regains a strength & renewed invigorated determination High quality of acting Especially in the roles portrayed by the children

Seen at GFT & loved it. "Don't listen to the naysayers" Richard Gray movie has something for everybody except Unlimited card holders @Cineworld. Let the people of Scotland decide. Well-made indie movie. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.

The story itself is a great one - the cast was pretty good ... yet this film is really poor. To put it in a nutshell: it was boring! There were other films telling the story of Robert the Bruce and did stick more to the history back then. And they managed to be better, much better. So, save yourself some time and watch another film but not this one.

The film was brave (excuse the pun) in terms of the perspective it decided to take. Unfortunately the low budget seems through every scene and the weak writing isn't overwhelmed by decent cinematography, which was it's only hope - but failed at.

Unconvincing lead - jaded and you could see him trying to be profound, but it was like watching what 1st year drama student think is profound.

Very well acted and directed movie about Robert The Bruce a Scottish King who defeated the English. Battle scenes are good as well as the dialogue .

*** update ***

After rethinking this movie , I must say should have been more interesting like the actual life and accomplishments of the Bruce . 7 out of 10