Robert the Bruce 4K 2019 Ultra HD 2160p

Storyline
The story of the nobleman-turned-outlaw hero who was crowned king of Scots in the 14th century.

User Review
We all know and love Braveheart; it has become one of the most iconic films in the history of cinema - now, one of the main characters, the outlaw king, Robert the Bruce has his own film, and it didn't disappoint.

The movie follows on from William Wallace's death; after heavy losses on and off the battlefield, Robert (Angus MacFadyen) retreats and a bounty is placed on his head to be hunted down. After three of his own soldiers injure Robert, he takes refuge in a Croft of a peasant woman, Morag (Anna Hutchison) and three children that resides with her - where they tend to Roberts wounds and nurse him better, knowing all to well that death would come to their Croft for helping the outlaw king. Once nursed better, Robert realises that he needs to keep fighting for Scotland's freedom and sets out to not only reclaim his right as King, but, also the freedom of all Scottish folk, which ultimately leads to 1314's iconic victory of Bannockburn.

I am a huge fan of Braveheart, it has become one of the most iconic and legendary films regarding Scotlands interesting history, however, Robert the Bruce goes way beyond what Braveheart did in the storytelling sense; Angus said he wanted to have the focal point of Robert's despair in the cave and make the audience think why a man would crawl into a dark space and not want to come out from it; which is why we all know the spider story - this helped him come out the cave and come back to humanity, to which he was found by peasants and found a new outlook on what is important not just to him, but for his country, which is a very powerful way to put across in a film, and it is done so perfectly in Robert The Bruce; it shows a man at his lowest ebb come back from the dark and despair and keep fighting for the country and the people in it.

The acting in the movie was terrific, from all the cast, the children; Scot and Iver (played by Gabriel Bateman and Talitha Bateman respectively), who were incredible to watch. Anna Hutchison, who plays Morag - is a strong, powerful woman and shines brightly throughout the film and was a joy to watch. Zach McGowan, who plays the villain, Brandubh stands out brilliantly as a very evil, determined Sheriff, who will stop at nothing to get what he wants - Zach is an amazing actor, and has become very popular across the world with his acting credits, however, in Robert the Bruce, he proves his acting capability on a whole new level and was a convincing villain. Now to the man himself, Angus MacFadyen who gave us such a memorable performance in Braveheart, outdoes that performance in Robert The Bruce as a terrific leader of a country, who lost his way, but then found it through friendship and unification. The character of Robert the Bruce is very close to Angus' heart, having not only done a heavy amount of research on this particular part of our history, he also co-wrote the script for this film. Angus stated that this film is his most proudest achievement out of all the films and tv shows that he has done in the past; simply for how long the character had been with him - he embodied the character so much, that it felt like a natural role for him to do - and to be honest, I couldn't agree more with him; his passion and love for the history pours onto the screen from start to finish, to which makes the true definition of a talented actor.

The whole film is pure brilliant and is more of an anti-war film unlike Braveheart which was filled with battles and violence under the passionate William Wallace (played by Mel Gibson in Braveheart) - sure there are some fighting sequences in this, but it is more to do with Robert and him retreating to the cave - that story we were all told as children of Robert and the spider, and of course, bonding with the poorest people of Scotland and realises why Scotland needs its freedom - which is exactly what we needed to see, especially in this moment of time where politics within the United Kingdom is in complete disarray.

Robert the Bruce is a captivating, powerful drama; it gives you a different insight, a more human insight to The Bruce's mindset and what he went through, which, I firmly believe that this is one of the best films of the year already, and should be recognised at the highest level within the cinematic world.