I worked on Outlaw King for 5 months. Armour was slowly added to our costumes after each battle, suggesting it was looted. There is a 4 hour cut including the spider in the cave scene. There were talks of making a mini series but sadly, I don't think we'll ever see it. Great video
If Netflix releases an extended miniseries cut it wouldn't be without president, not to long ago they released an extended miniseries cut of the Hateful 8
Just a quick note for History Buffs! The popular yellow dye for clothes at that time didn’t come from horse pee, but from weld, an extremely common weed. Stale urine was a common mordant (dye fixative) but it DID NOT color the fabric! Between weld (yellow), woad (another common weed that produced vivid blue and even certain shades of green with copper added) and madder (also a weed, whose roots produce bright reds and pinks), medieval Scotland was extremely brightly colored 🌈 Sincerely, A historical dye nerd 😅
"Yeah, urine was used, but not for the coloration, but as a fixative!" This level of historical pedantry - the extremely technically correct level - is the kind I just have to respect. Good job.
Fun note that the film leaves out that I just remembered: Robert's younger brother, Edward (called Ewan in the film), later attempted to claim the title of High King of Ireland at his brother's behest and he held the title for a bit before he was killed in battle by Anglo-Irish forces. That makes him the last person to hold the title of Irish high king.
I’ve never been to Scotland but have always wanted to go as it seems like one of the most beautiful places on earth. Also I’m love cryptids and Loch Ness would be cool to see.
@@meth4163 I don't think that's what the comment was implying. A portion of the movie takes place on Islay, where Bruce musters manpower from Clan Donald. The western isles of scotland, at the time, were unquestionably gaelic speaking regions. Robert the Bruce would have needed to speak french/norman, gaelic, scots and english fluently in order to rule in Scotland.
@@iPhone-jj9ef Fairly often. About once a week on average. Communal bathhouses weren't built for show. Couple that with the fact that people considered bathing a leisurely activity, even as a peasant, and you have a surprisingly clean population, if you look at it from the lens of the average modern day viewer.
As a reenactor of an early 14th century Bohemian noble, I can tell you, the armour they have is extremely well done. The english are sometimes wearing wierd things on top of their chainmail, like Edwards golden plates which I have never seen anywhere, but the scots with their early bascinets, mail, aventails and early coat of plate are extremely spot on. Its not as well tailored as it should be, but I guess when creating a movie, you need to have the chainmail loose so you can use it on many people in different scenes, as its quite expensive to make even today. It might be the best depiction of armour I have seen in a movie since Arn the Knight Templar. I would expect a lot more greathelms... but I understand that acting in a greathelm is absolutely impossible as you cannot see the actor or out of the god damn thing :D
Tod Todeschini (Tod Cutler) was involved with making the arms and armor for the Outlaw King. Interesting fellow, but I expect you have already seen his youtube videos.
Robert The Bruce’s life was a great example of a man who was mentally tough and overcame tremendous adversity. He was also an exceptional military commander. A fascinating figure.
It takes either one hell of a personality or sheer belief in a cause to have all that failure and death on your Conscience only to keep going…. If you’re not a psychopath.
I always appreciate that you analyze these films as both a representation of history and a form of entertainment. It is so difficult to take real world events and put them neatly in a dramatic and engaging movie script without making alterations or jumbling events to help make a cohesive narrative. You do a great job pointing out historical inconsistencies while explaining why this might have been done. Its a nice balance. Looking forward to your next one.
Outlaw king was a massive improvement on braveheart. Indeed it had some errors, but overall it was a decent film. I really hope to see Das Boot reviewed someday.
Yes much better than that garbage anti-semitic lunatic's ravings😂 where he basically plays the same character whose wife/gf is brutally killed which turns him to a psychotic killer with a death wish😂
I enjoyed this movie honestly. I wish Netflix would do more movies like this and “The King”. There’s so much potential for good stories in this time period.
@@mjstbnsn6294 Equally loved that. The last couple of seasons weren’t that great and especially the spin off movie 7 Kings Must Die.. but definitely worth watching.
History Buffs is such a great platform. For one, it frames its lesson around a movie which helps tell a story, and if the movie has in accuracies it addresses them. I watched ‘1492’ in middle school history class, and this channel totally showed why that’s wrong. Great work, keep it up!
Jesus they showed 1492 in your classroom?? How long ago was that cuz that movie is so infamously bad, for many reasons but foremost and obvious to any historian is the whole ‘Columbus first to claim round earth’ and ‘natives loved and admired Colombus and he treated them well’ bullshit. Still insane that people have forgotten the movie and don’t even criticise Ridley Scott for it much anymore. Recent interview he said that movie only did poorly because “Americans can’t understand any european accent, only American-english accents” and apparently didn’t learn the lesson that he made a pro-genocidal pro-colonial propaganda movie. I mean ffs even British imperial history epics had more complexity. Still strange that with how many history epics Ridley makes that he never fucking bothers to actually take historical accuracy to heart.
A couple of years ago I went to the Bannockburn museum. (Great place to visit) They said that contrary to Braveheart and Outlaw king, Edward II was not incompetent or a wimp. He was in fact badly advised and was actually very brave and a very accomplished Knight. Reports concur that he was dragged from the battlefield of Bannockburn by his bodyguard. He wanted to fight to his inevitable death..
The problem with many films about history is that they want to have the moral simplicity of Star Wars, when really there were no light or dark knights in history. I would say Just a lot of grey, but many were actually brightly dressed!
@@fat1fared I'm an history buff; but I amitt that this 'simplicity of Star Wars' that you mention is intinsicall to the media... It's a visual media; audience MUST know things instinctibly without having to interiorize them... Hitchkok said something on the lines of: 'if the audience sees a train entreing the station and the smoke that comes out of the chimney is the most black cloud you have ever seen, they will KNOW before they see him, that the man inside the train is the bad guy'... that's how cinema works. You have a protagonist and an antagonist. Yeah, real life is not like that, and an historicall film draws from history, then it should aspire to show things as it where... but if you are making cinema; you still need bad guys and good guys. You need the audience to see this things in less than three hours and to feel atached to some and hate the others... if you don't manage that, people won't feel... they will simply recieve information. Then you have a documentary; and that is good, pure information, accurate precise... But films need some level of maniqueism. Historicall films should chill down, not make any character a figure but try to portay them as the real people they represent... but some level of 'good guy'/'bad guy' will allways be needed. Even in a beloved by historians masterpiece as 'Master and Commander'; Aubrey (yes he is fictional, but he is based on a real guy) is a lovable hero; while the french captain, 'the bad guy' nearlly does not appear; simply as a nebulous figure, almost only represented by the quasy phantom-esque appeaance of the Acheron; that even resembles a mithycal Moby Dick or Nautilus; attacking from the deep... you need bad guys. And I think this film portrays more grays than many others. I also dislike the prince the most of this film, specially the final duel... but tha film needs some major villain for the audience to hate. You will allways have some degree of that on a movie
@@fat1fared Nah, there tons of outright villains in pretty much any period of history you could name. The problem comes when films decide they need a good guy and during the actual events in question, there are none to be found.
I loved this movie. At the end when Robert The Bruce was giving his pep talk. The part where he says I don't care who you fight for as long as you FIGHT!!! Cold chills
One slight correction: you called Isabella MacDuff "Isabella Fife". Though the MacDuffs were the hereditary Earls of Fife since the time of Malcolm III Canmore (the one who deposed Macbeth of "Macbeth" fame) so I can understand the mix-up. One detail that I love from the coronation scene is that the MacDuff who crowned the King of Scotland would list the new king's lineage. In the film, she only goes through the Bruce line, then the Earls of Huntingdon back to King David I. In reality, the MacDuff would continue to recite every Scottish king back to Kenneth MacAlpin, the first king of Scotland (or Alba as it was referred to in the records from the period). However it doesn't end there. They would continue to recite the Kings of Dál Riada back to Fergus Mór, then *keep going* through the kings in Ireland from whom Fergus Mór and all subsequent Scottish kings claimed descent. In fact, until the 11th Century, Ireland was referred to as Scotia Maior (greater Scotland) and Scotland was Scotia Minor (lesser Scotland). As such, the Scottish kings still saw themselves as having a historic bond with Ireland which superseded any English claim to the island. This may seem like just a fun history fact, but it had very real political significance. When Robert Bruce's brother Edward (whose name is changed to Euan in the film for some reason) invaded Ireland in 1315, it was partly to drive the English out and deprive them of Ireland's taxes and resources, but it was also a statement that if any non-Irishman had a right to be High King of Ireland, it was a Bruce, not a Plantagenet.
Dude, I’m SO HAPPY you got to this one! I reviewed it (in written form) when it came out and honestly the only inaccurate thing that made me as furious as all of Braveheart was putting Elizabeth in a cage. In reality, if the English had done that, her extremely powerful father and all his forces probably would have defected to the Scottish side. In reality it was Bruce’s female relatives suspended in cages (one of them dying as a result), apart from Marjorie because of her age. She and Elizabeth still underwent solitary confinement, which is equally horrible, but I guess it wasn’t as ✨DRAMATIC✨
Fun fact: Robert the Bruce's spider appears on one of the Scottish bank notes, the £20 I think. It's pretty cool. The notes colour is mostly purple and without context it just looks like a goth/halloweeny bank note
@@cillian5304 That's because since the middle of the 19th century, Ireland and the Irish have tried to claim every single piece of celtic culture as theirs. Which, obviously, it isnt;. I get its hard for them as their culture was basically destroyed by colonialism and they had to invent basically an entire culture from half remembered folk tale - but stealing other people's shit is bad. There is no literary record of Halloween or Halloween adjacent things in Ireland before the mid 1800s. To be fair, lots of cultures invented or re-invented themselves during the Age of Nationalism during the late 19th century. Scotland did it as well. Inventing bullshit like tartan and kits. But at least in that case, it was based on historicity (plaid pattern cloths existed and were common, the Great Plaid existed) and wasn't just stolen from others. Meanwhile not only is Halloween Scottish, its clearly documented all the way from its inception after the Reformation to the present day.
This is why I love this channel. Constantly uploading on a semi-regular basis for a few episodes, then leaving for some months and coming back with a full hour documentary on the historical accuracy of a movie. Or he just leaves for a year or more then rocks up with multiple back to back hour+ long episodes on a series.
Nick I'm sure you probably don't have time to read these comments but in case you do I want you to know how much I appreciate your videos. I can only imagine how much work and effort goes into making them and I am very grateful.
Holy Smokes !! Thought my job as "Monk #4" was just to fill empty space, just spotted myself at 6:10 ; middle of the scene behind the boy in the hood but in front of the really tall singer at the back 🙂
The spider is also on our £20 bank notes alongside Robert the bruce, so even though the spider story isn't historically accurate it is still an important part of the mythology.
You should do 'The King' (2019) or Ridley Scott's 'The Last Duel' (2021). They play in a similar category with very convincing acting and solid depiction of battle. Especially 'The Last Duel' is somewhat unique, making historiography itself the pivot point of the movie.
There have been a few pretty good historical analyses of The Last Duel, specifically The Cynical Historian, and that while the period-setting is visually super well done, it does take quite a few liberties but is overall a great picture of the time. But thats also cuz the book they adapted from took some liberties
Eh, The King wasn't a good adaption of Agincourt... and out of Ridley Scott's movies about duels, The Duelists is much better than the Last Duel, both historically and cinematically.
Thank you so much for mentioning the Battle of Teba at the very end of the video! My ancestors, Clan Logan of Restalrig (I am directly related to Sir Robert Logan,) who were two knight brothers of the twelve Scottish knights present, fought and died along side Douglas. Along with William De St Clair of Rosslyn who was surrounded and attacked first because his armor had the cross on it. Attacking moors thought he was a Crusader knight (they all were but he was the only one with a cross visible) and so they thought he was the leader. Sir William Keith of Galston, who was present, survived and is the one who collected the dead, and Bruce’s heart, to bring back to Scotland.
There's no source reference to what emblem St Clare was wearing, but probably it was his own blazon. Nor does the one source that describes his death refer to the reason the Saracens attacked him first. Meanwhile, by contrast, the knights of the Military Orders St John,vSantiago, Calatrava, etc., all wore large crosses on their surcoats, mantles and shields.
Jean le Bel tells us Douglas was accompanied by 7 knightsand 20 esquires John Barbour said that there no more than 10 left with him in his final fight- including the Logan brothers, who were from a feudal landholding family in lowland Lothian rather than a clan.
Bloody hell Nick. Having to spend 10 minutes just fleshing out the history in the first few panels of the movie really emphasises the detail you go to. Brilliant episode as always.
I love that every review takes years but it shows so clearly how much effort has gone in and I still rewatch ones i've seen over and over because they are so well done. Often much better than the film itself 😂
I always thought that the imprisonment of Queen Margaret and the Countess of Buchanan in cages was very barbaric. After enduring such a terrible ordeal, it is a wonder that Margaret was able to bear children after her release.
Just rewatched this recently. It was better than I remembered after my first watch. They got a lot of things right, but obviously took some freedoms concerning historical accuracy. Overall, a pretty solid production. A strong 7/10 from my perspective.
Nick, this was such a great episode -- easily a new favorite. Medieval Scotland has been a gap in my knowledge for a while and it is very nice to learn some more about it!
@@ARCtrooperblueleaderAbsolutely! While I don’t think Outlaw King is a great film, it’s damn immersive and there’s a certain satisfaction seeing so much accurate clothing, weapons, and armour.
The story of the origin of the "braveheart" is absolutely epic and sent shivers down my spine. What a line from Douglas, "Onward Brave Heart, Douglas shalt follow thee or die"
The Battle of Teba was part of the Reconquista, and is in Spain. According to the stories, Douglas was eager to pursue the fleeing Moors, and when he and his retinue were too far ahead, the Moors turned and tried to capture him as insurance. Douglas initially attempted to turn and retreat to safety, but as he did, he saw Sir William St.Claire entirely surrounded, but fighting valiantly. Douglas threw the heart and charged to save a friend and comrade. Likely, it was a calculated risk - rallying to St.Claire until the rest of the army could catch up, rather than being picked out one-by-one on the ride back (as St.Claire had been) Unfortunately, by the time the army arrived, those defending St.Claire were dead, including Douglas and St.Claire. There's a monument to Douglas at the town of Teba today, and they celebrate him with a local holiday. If you want another good medieval tale of "death before dishonor," check out King John the Blind, of Poland, and his death at Crécy in 1346.
@@SlyBlu7 Found this on King John the Blind, *"Far be it that the King of Bohemia should run away. Instead, take me to the place where the noise of the battle is the loudest. The Lord will be with us. Nothing to fear. Just take good care of my son."* What a legend!!
I want a History Buff based of The Pacific - it's a mini series about the Marines during WWII. Interesting thing as well is that it is about a Marine who became an amazing historian.
The Pacific is actually based on 2 books by Marines who fought in WW2. Robert Lecke wrote "Helmet for my Pillow" and later became an historian. Eugene Sledge wrote "With the Old Breed"
I got that and Band of brothers on DVD. The pacific is in one of those fancy metal box set cases. Unfortunately I have to store it horizontal because I accidentally broke one of the studs that holds the disc in place in the box. Trying to get the disc out with those studs are a pain in the ass. You have to push hard. In this case I think I pushed too hard and broke it. The disc is fine though thank God.
Eugene sledges' writings are considered some of the best war memoirs in from any war period. I'd highly recommend having a read of the book with the old breed. 👍
I really like this channel. The History Buff doesn’t take the mickey out of the film it’s commenting on. The focus is on the Historical accuracies as well as the obvious inaccuracies and then better still, they tell you the historically accurate story in a really interesting and engaging way. They don’t take away from the film and aren’t suggesting that you won’t enjoy it just because it’s not an accurate portrayal of the historical story. I’m talking more of Braveheart here than the Outlaw King. We all know that the opening date in Braveheart is only 5+ years off the actual date when Wallace was born - which IS ridiculous AND means that no one bothered to open a single history book on the subject matter they were making a film about, to get the correct date ! This would’ve been so easy to do and yet it’s one of many things that A LOT of films do, they get the date wrong by a few years either side, which makes no sense AT ALL !! We all also know or should know that William Wallace was Sir William Wallace a Nobleman from a Noble family, he wasn’t a dirty looking kid living in a squalid hut somewhere in the highlands. But then neither were the majority of Scottish people !! They bathed regularly in the Middle Ages regardless of class, thus helping avoid disease, bad smells and fleas etc. Scotland is bloody COLD, so people certainly didn’t live in tiny camp-like dwellings - you’d freeze to death in winter 🥶 They lived in stone built small houses that were well insulated against the cold and rain - it’s just bloody insulting to see poor, dirty people wandering around with mud on their faces, completely inaccurate at best and ignorant at worst (again see Braveheart for this)…. I know they’re trying to portray the Scots as a poor people who are having a really hard time, but there’s no need for any of this, and avoiding the FACT that William Wallace was a nobleman is ridiculous too, being a nobleman doesn’t take anything away from what he achieved, it actually adds to the overall story because he’s chosen to fight for Scottish Independence and this carries more weight and adds more to the story, in my opinion. Anyway it’s nice to see a channel that appreciates the films that are made, and although sometimes wildly inaccurate, you’re encouraged to watch the film alongside listening and learning the REAL HISTORICAL FACTS here beforehand. Thanks
Fun fact about Robert The Bruce's family is they were actually of Norman French descent and the family name is derived from the name 'Le Bruce' which either means the willowlands or the brushwood thicket. I only know this because a Scottish friend of mine from Falkirk explained this to me in the pub one night.
Yeah, on his father's side, he was of Anglo-Norman descent, but his mother was a Gaelic speaking Gallowegian noble woman. Therefore, I'd assume The Bruce spoke Scots, Gaelic, Latin, and French.
There was about 12 bruces before Robert... all who gained land n title his father the leper. Told him this.. and tactics. Harsh n cruel he seems but was right.. the time wasnt right.
I knew you would call BS on the Bruce letting Edward II just go back to London and cry. Anyone in their right mind would capture him and do anything you want to get what you want. Having the King of England in your custody was an automatic "I win" card.
The Scots would never capture or kill an English king. Conversely, the English defeated and captured David II (1346) with a reserve team and killed James IV (1513) with another reserve team. The imprisonment of David II and the ransom thereof is exactly what your suggesting here. God forbid anyone glorify that actual historical event.
I also do like how armor, at least at times, actually protects people from sword strikes. Normally historical movies have the swords being closer to lightsabers. Cutting right through the stuff that is there to protect them.
What stands out to me the most about the movie is how kind of neutral the portrayal of Edward the first is for a Scottish directed/written film when making him much more of an evil figure is accepted and expected from a Scottish audience. I assume making Edward the Second more villainous than you usually see in media was in part to make up for that
I mean, when you look at the context of history, Edward I was ruthless and cruel, but a good ruler, who probably means what he says at the beginning of the film to Robert. No more ruthless and cruel than Bruce was, or other Scottish Kings at the time. Edward II however, was well known for being a weak man who relied on fear (and didn't exactly pull it off)
Loved this movie, for many of the same reasons you stated. So nice to see a film get the look and feel of the period correct, even if they had to fudge some of the history to make a film run coherently in a reasonable time. For a Netflix production, it was excellent.
47:34 One big reason the chainmail looks better and more historically accurate is because it's ACTUAL riveted mail. Not butted mail like you see in practically every other medieval film or tv show.
The other version of the heart story I heard, from author Jack White, was when James Douglas and his men were surrounded he called out to them, "you've followed me for as far as I can lead you men. But now, lets see you follow your king a little further" before hurling the casket into a mess of the enemy, which sparked a furious charge by the night's that led to a route and voxtiry. James Douglas was found dead, clutching his king's heart.
Fantastic vid - as a Scot but it was brutal hearing the butchering of “Loch Loomonde” as you pronounced it - Lowmand is how it’s said & “Fallkirk” is just - Fall Kirk 😃! Always a delight to hear of the history of my lovely country & remind me of why independence burns in our hearts here 🏴
Independence? Lmfao. Scottish Lords fought for more power for themselves. Changed absolutely nothing for 99% of the population. Nobody was more independent, or free. That wasn't even a real concept. The idea that we have more freedom now is hilariously wrong.
@@AverageAlien What Scots lords did or did not was of their time exactly the same as any part of Christian Europe. Of course you can't say that France, or Germany of Ireland isn't free, and not being under the yoke of a foreign power is indeed freedom.
@@Kinghobbe It's not freedom. Well, maybe freedom for the Lords and upper classes. There was no such thing as the concept of "freedom" for anyone else. The law was the law. They had their rights, they accepted the way the world worked, if they didn't, they would revolt. Simple as.
I’m no armor expert either. But I have put a huge amount of time researching and a ton of time wearing this. The armor is mostly incredibly accurate for the time showing off a ton of earlier coat of plates that were popular at the time and seen in wisby (visby) finds. The princes armor is a bit silly and the helmets seem to be nicer than they probably actually were. But I remember this movie being a huge buzz when it came out specifically for this. I even talked to the armorer a bit through Facebook. Keep up the great work nick. Always happy when I see a history buffs upload. This one especially.
Excellent piece Mr. Hodges. I would like to suggest the 2003 movie Wonderland, starring Val Kilmer. It is about the 1981 Wonderland Ave. Murders that involved actor John Holmes. Very good cast, and the story was part of the inspiration for Boogie Nights.
The Last Samurai is one of my all time favorite movies and I loved your review of it. I’d like to see you do Black Hawk Down which is another of my favorites.
I enjoyed the movie much more than I thought I would. Chris Pine was very good as Robert Bruce.. The Costumes WERE a refreshing change from "Braveheart",as was the rest of the movie. I hope it becomes as famous. Great review!
Absolutely brilliant review. As a period of history which im fascinating in it was excellent and a great movie. Apart from a few pronunciation errors of Scottish towns/ sites i cannot fault you. Keep up the great work for all the history buffs out there.
It's rare to see a movie that is so clearly in dialogue with another movie -- in this case, of course, that means that the filmmakers know that _Braveheart_ is going to be on much of the audience's mind.
@@Bringmeoneofthosechickens That's... that's just literal sequels. And I may be wrong, but those were all filmed in pretty quick succession, too, yeah?
Great video. I would say that the best idea Bruce had about Schiltrons was the placement of them as close as possible to the opposing line of cavalry. This massively reduced the 'medieval tank" aspect of the cavalry charge as with the horse armour (collectively with horses and the heavily armoured Knights too) weighed around one ton. The prevention of the the speed required to blast through opposing infantry breaking up their lines meant that they we're slow enough to dispatch with spears from their mount and then incapacitated by their armour (beetle on its back) a quick axe to through the visor or a blade to the armpit. The schiltrons on the second day (the main battle after the skirmishes of the day before) were in a straight line stretching 700 odd yeards between the Bannockburn and Pelstream burn with marshes around the Pelstream towards Stirling. The Scots moved down the sloped Balquiderrock wood from the High ground on to the Carse of Balquiderrock, a well rehearsed move. The English were capped at the back of the carse with what seemed to be the Bannocburn and part of the Pelstream, believing they would be protected from a rear attack.The campsite also hemmed them in. As the Scots army moved forward, they spread completely between the two burns, the Bannockburn was in spate. The Scots were lined up facing the English army who were the worst of wear due to "wassailing" which is basically getting wrecked on mull wine. The English were unprepared for a direct attack. The Scots neeled (very famously noted in primary sources) and it is claimed that the English King thought they were begging forgiveness but they were just being lined up and checked for position by marshals and then the genius move, marching forward in position for another perhaps 100 yards, reducing any capacity of the English cavalry to build up any sort of productive speed. The battle was arguably won when the cavalry were rendered so uselessly slow, and very easy pickings and because all the infantry rushed forward after the chaotic English cavalry charge, the ability to regroup and recharge was almost completely eradicated and chaos and panic ensued over probably a few hours until the English were forced to retreat, many drowning in the Bannockburn. At Bannockburn most of the English Knights, recognised by their surcoats were captured and thrown back behind the schiltron to be ransomed later, Bruce did get his wife and daughter back, and Bishop Wishart and many other Scots captives held in England cam home though Wishart was by this time blind.
3:05 - Also worth noting Alexander III's wife Yolande was Pregnant at the time of the Kings death, so for a few months the Guardians of Scotland ruled in hope she was give birth to a son.
Single complaint about this movie is the use of fire arrows and the distinct lack of lances during charges. That says something about how much I loved this movie's accuracy.
Some of these clips are taken from the 1996 low budget film, "The Bruce", which was crowdfunded, years before Kickstarter was even a dream. So basically, because I chucked in a few quid, I was present when some of these shots were made. And also "The Bruce" and "Outlaw King" both used Blackness Castle as a location, as did the Mel Gibson version of "Hamlet". It has a very rocky, courtyard, which is very distinctive, and is a great visual.
I just returned to The US from a visit to Scotland and Stirling Castle was my favorite part. Had to come watch this video again. My wife was really tired of me talking about Scottish history.
Been waiting for you to review this one! It's actually a very decent visual representation of the medieval world, especially by Hollywood standards. The story on the other hand, I'm not too certain on, however, in about 52 minutes I should have a much better idea on that!
The armour is decent; lots of real maille and the helmets and shields are good too. The English armour has a few fantastic elements here and there. But the clothing is pretty good! Apart from some details, it's the best I've seen in any Medieval movie!
I was just about to comment and ask if someone could say how his accent sounds to a Scottish person. Sounded convincing enough to me, but then I'm not a native speaker of English, so I can only recognise the broadest strokes of different accents and might be completely wrong haha. Nice to know he really did a good job!
In my opinion the Outlaw King is one of the most historically accurate or for actually authentic historical drama movies I've ever seen. Yes they made some changes or inaccuracies like the biggest example being Edward II being at the battle of Loudon Hill or the McDouggal attack and some more but still just like you said, this was mostly for narrative and dramatic purposes which is totally fine and logical since its a movie, and these inaccuracies are used wisely and contribute to the whole plot. But other than that, most of the events, people, material culture are very accurate to the period this take place. Sure there are some inaccuracies even there like the plate pauldrons on the English and the many aventails hanging from the chins of soldiers,but that's still far less compared to other historical drama films. Also the everyday clothing for nobles and even simple folk looked bright, colourful and rich in styles and decorations. Lastly I'm glad they didn't use that much of that stupid blue/grey filter they mostly use for films set in the European Middle ages. Outlaw King for me gets a 7.5/10, one of the best produced historical movies and it shows that you can combine a good amount of historical accuracy/authenticity and be entertaining at the same time.
Another thing to point out is that Raibeart Bruis (Robert Bruce) was a skilled warrior as film described. Many films depict medieval kings to fight like some kind of knight or soldiers, but in reality, kings usually stayed way the far back, giving command to his troops (because if the kings die in battle, his army will lose morale and it will be utter political chaos). In many historical documents and oral history, it is indicated that Raibeart actually engaged in combat as a warrior, boosting morale of the soldiers, but also getting some earful from his nobleman for being so careless (which was perfectly reasonable from what’s explained above) One significant kill that we can confirm from Raibeart is Sir Henry de Bohun. When Bohun charged straight to Raibeart with lande, after spotting him at Bannockburn, Raibeart confidentially charged toward Bohun and killed Bohun with a single blow from his battle axe. On top of that, Raibeart also killed the squire that accompanied Bohun to the attack. Raibeart was truly a mad lad to pull this stunt off as a king and I think the outlaw king depicted very well how he was a warrior, not only tactician. Although it would have been a way more badass to see Raibeart swinging a battle axe to his enemies skull, the action sequence was still great. Glòir do dh'Alba!
I always say Braveheart captured the Spirit of the Scots & Scotland with its romanticism and view on Independence and freedom in a dramatic fashion, sacrificing authenticity - where The Outlaw King picks that up and completes it. Also, King Edward I was asked by Bishop Frazer to arbitrate with the Community of the Realm of Scotland on who should be King of Scots, and apparently this was a known and common practice in European medieval law when kings died without-heir and there were competing claims, considering that at the time kings were seen to be answerable only to the Pope and to God Himself - hence why the request for arbitration. I recommend Robert Bruce And The Community of the Realm Of Scotland by G.W.S. Barrows for anyone who would like further reading (it seems like this book was the main source for the Historian here).
Really good account. Though you didn't mention the nod to the Frenchmen that fought with them. There were reputed to be at least 250 Templar knights at Bannockburn.
Have read that decades ago about templars and so far here is no evidence at all of that (at least that I have ever found) though it makes for a nice story.
idk what it is, I don't really spend anytime thinking about this channel when im off youtube, and I never check on the channel, but as SOON as I see a notification for a new history buffs video, I stop everything and watch. usually get a snack too. I just know its going to be _that_ kind of video. love the stuff. I think it brings me back to the days growing up watching the history channel (before pawn stars, ancient aliens, and all the buy low-sell high garbage they pump out now). Thanks for the good vibes
Mums a Kirkpatrick, our family claim to notoriety was stabbing comyn the red in the church, our slogan to this day is still “I make sure” the last words before he drew his dagger for Robert. Was gutted seeing our seven seconds of glory cut 😢😂
Yeah, Braveheart should be considered fiction, at least is nice to rise interest in the public about history, but man, i just cannot stop loving that movie haha. Glad they made justice with Outlaw King, also a very good movie that deserves more attention, thanks for the video.
Except I think movies like Braveheart don't actually pique people's interest in history. Instead, people watch it, love the excitement, drama, and costumes, and come away choosing to believe it *is* history, and henceforth refuse to believe anyone who would attempt to correct it. They come away insisting on believing that Scots wore kilts, chose "bravery" over "cowardly armor", and painted their faces blue as they fought to a backdrop of wailing bagpipes. And as for the actual social history behind the whole thing, well they can't really be bothered with it to begin with.
My one problem with outlaw king is that it was too short, dont get me wrong i love the film but I think atun shei films said it best when he said outlaw king shouldve been half an hour longer There are also some deleted scenes which i think shouldve been left in
I agree, the film's pace is too quick for a story spanning multiple years of warfare. They could have continued an hour after Loudon hill, extending the runtime to 3 hours and ended with Bannockburn.
This was a great film no one saw. I love that it (mostly) covers the same story of beaveheart, from a different point of view and more historical lense. Now i get to watch this youtube on it :)
Roberts end was so sweet. James Douglas honored him to the end, taking his heart into battle against the enemies of God, proclaiming his loyalty until death, then meeting his end and honoring his wishes. God save Alba & the mighty gaels.
It's another great example of how historical authenticity is superior to accuracy because it allows you to tell a story without completely abandoning reality. Great video mate!
I know he mentioned it later, but another historical inaccuracy from Braveheart was that Edward I and his son were of the Plantagenet dynasty, defiantly would not have spoken English.
Yeah that's the fact alot of these movies exclude likely for simplicity. For once I would love to see this depicted. Imagine a movie or a series that shows the contrast between the English speaking peasents and there french overlords.
I think that if one is not a Scotsman, one has to be at least an Englishman to follow all these names. As an American, I'll come back when I get my PhD in medieval history. Love these videos, even so.
Absolutely loved this. Always looking forward to one of your videos. This movie was brilliant and as a Scottish man myself, a hugely soothing experience after the pain of Braveheart. Great review.
48:23 lol here he mentions that yellow was a commonly used color because it was made using horse urine then a second later a wide shot with alot of ppl standing is shown and the guy front and center is wearing a yellow colored hat😅. I don't know if that was intentional but I laughed my ass off
My 17th great grandfather sir Roger Kirkpatrick stained his dirk with the blood of the Comyn right alongside the Bruce. This is where the words of house Kirkpatrick come from. "I Mak Siccar" I'll Make Sure. This is what my grandfather told the Bruce when he walked out of the church and said "I doubt I've killed him" . My grandpa, the scottish terminator, is the guy in the painting at 16:18
I always found Robert the Bruce and Edward I to be two fascinating men in a fascinating time. Both were extraordinary, brilliant and Flawed, brutal and brave.
I worked on Outlaw King for 5 months. Armour was slowly added to our costumes after each battle, suggesting it was looted.
There is a 4 hour cut including the spider in the cave scene. There were talks of making a mini series but sadly, I don't think we'll ever see it.
Great video
That's awesome. I've always wanted to work in a movie in this time period as an extra on a battlefield or something.
@@heretech7025don’t we all..don’t we all.
Pure Bruce propaganda. May he burn in hell forever.
If Netflix releases an extended miniseries cut it wouldn't be without president, not to long ago they released an extended miniseries cut of the Hateful 8
@@stephencummings7615 found the Englishman
As a Scot and a Fifer I can fully empathise with the horse that would rather throw itself off a cliff than go to Kinghorn
But the man, minus heart, is buried in Fife!!
In Dunfermline Abbey to be precise.
lmao
As someone who lives in Kinghorn. Im certain the horse was just too depressed after going through Burntisland 😂
Damn, didn't know Kinghorn and Burntisland had such a rivalry! :O
As a horse...i concor
Just a quick note for History Buffs! The popular yellow dye for clothes at that time didn’t come from horse pee, but from weld, an extremely common weed. Stale urine was a common mordant (dye fixative) but it DID NOT color the fabric! Between weld (yellow), woad (another common weed that produced vivid blue and even certain shades of green with copper added) and madder (also a weed, whose roots produce bright reds and pinks), medieval Scotland was extremely brightly colored 🌈
Sincerely,
A historical dye nerd 😅
Dye Nerd sounds like a good youtube channel idea.
"Yeah, urine was used, but not for the coloration, but as a fixative!" This level of historical pedantry - the extremely technically correct level - is the kind I just have to respect. Good job.
Imagine having the job of collecting horse urine... I suppose it would be easier if you got it 'drunk' first, but then its liable to fall on you...
If I'm not mistaken it was specifically male urine that was used too.
wasting your time trying to educate Engs.
I would watch a 5-10 hour Robert The Bruce historically accurate series starring Chris Pine and Florence Pugh. No question.
seriously same, she's an underrated actress and they definitely fit these roles really well.
I had hoped that’s what this would be, I wish it had been done as a 10 part series.
Absolutely. The biggest problem with inaccurate historical movies is that history is often more interesting.
@@vanyadolly often more interesting, but frequently less believable to a modern audience unfortunately.
Jesus dude just watch a documentary
Fun note that the film leaves out that I just remembered: Robert's younger brother, Edward (called Ewan in the film), later attempted to claim the title of High King of Ireland at his brother's behest and he held the title for a bit before he was killed in battle by Anglo-Irish forces. That makes him the last person to hold the title of Irish high king.
I thought that happened after Bannockburn
@@MsJaytee1975 it did. That's why I said later.
He died at the battle of Faughart where I live !!
watch after braveheart its a documentary
I'm sure I seen a movie about that, the guy that plays Blackfish in game of thrones was Bruce's brother.
I love when History Buffs comes back with a new episode, at the right time.
Its like a rare treat.
It's never not the right time
Feels like Christmas
My first episode and very well received too. Wonderful, well paced, intelligent commentary.
I couldn't agree more!! ❤🍿🍫🥤
So love Aaron Taylor-Johnson's depiction of James Douglas in this film. Such an underrated actor
That actors performance was my favourite part of the movie really. I have no idea what the man was channelling but it freaking worked.
If I hadn't know it was him, I don't think I would have recognized him!
Me too, and I'm a direct descendant of Sir James, so it hit particularly well.
Next Bond
@@charliepenny2011 oh hell yes!!
My favourite thing as a Scotsman is they used actual scottish castles and scottish Highlands which help with the magic and beauty of the landscape
The film director is a Scot. Grew up near Pitlochry.
it was kind of funny seeing Douglas take back his castle, only for the castle to be the same one from Monty Python's the holy grail.
I’ve never been to Scotland but have always wanted to go as it seems like one of the most beautiful places on earth. Also I’m love cryptids and Loch Ness would be cool to see.
the great outdoors!
Shooting on location always helps with a films athantcity
The accuracy of material culture in this film is unreal, look at the armor, the swords, the weaponry, the finer Celtic/Gaelic details are so great
scotland at this time was not, in practically any respect, a celtic/gaelic kingdom.
@@meth4163 I don't think that's what the comment was implying. A portion of the movie takes place on Islay, where Bruce musters manpower from Clan Donald. The western isles of scotland, at the time, were unquestionably gaelic speaking regions. Robert the Bruce would have needed to speak french/norman, gaelic, scots and english fluently in order to rule in Scotland.
the true royalty of historical movie reviews 👑
I wish history was taken more seriously and talked about more accurately
stop striking peoples videos for saying the word hitler
Stop demonitizing history videos?
yes exactly@@freezafeesh9251
@@freezafeesh9251bro just went ahead and said it
When Monty Python is more historically accurate than many 'historical' movies. "He must be a king." "Why?" "He hasn't got shit all over him"
spot on friend! monty python still holds up and hopefully forever will!
It's still inaccurate though...
Medieval people, especially aristocrats and monarchs, of all people, bathed.
@@DopaminedotSeek3rcolonthree how often?
@@iPhone-jj9ef Fairly often. About once a week on average.
Communal bathhouses weren't built for show. Couple that with the fact that people considered bathing a leisurely activity, even as a peasant, and you have a surprisingly clean population, if you look at it from the lens of the average modern day viewer.
@@DopaminedotSeek3rcolonthree "He must be a king." "Why?" "He hasn't got shit all over him"
As a reenactor of an early 14th century Bohemian noble, I can tell you, the armour they have is extremely well done. The english are sometimes wearing wierd things on top of their chainmail, like Edwards golden plates which I have never seen anywhere, but the scots with their early bascinets, mail, aventails and early coat of plate are extremely spot on. Its not as well tailored as it should be, but I guess when creating a movie, you need to have the chainmail loose so you can use it on many people in different scenes, as its quite expensive to make even today. It might be the best depiction of armour I have seen in a movie since Arn the Knight Templar. I would expect a lot more greathelms... but I understand that acting in a greathelm is absolutely impossible as you cannot see the actor or out of the god damn thing :D
Some pretty inaccurate helmets, mind
Man, you just name dropped a decent movie serial that I haven't thought about in quite a while!
Tod Todeschini (Tod Cutler) was involved with making the arms and armor for the Outlaw King. Interesting fellow, but I expect you have already seen his youtube videos.
For such poor ventilation and vision it's name is quite ironic.
@@haldorasgirson9463 I don't think he was responsible for making all of it. The only Items Tod said that he made were the bollock daggers.
Robert The Bruce’s life was a great example of a man who was mentally tough and overcame tremendous adversity. He was also an exceptional military commander. A fascinating figure.
Yes, he was very talented as a Comander.
@vaultveteran3368 😂
@vaultveteran3368 what?
Basically the inspiration for Stannis.
It takes either one hell of a personality or sheer belief in a cause to have all that failure and death on your Conscience only to keep going…. If you’re not a psychopath.
I always appreciate that you analyze these films as both a representation of history and a form of entertainment. It is so difficult to take real world events and put them neatly in a dramatic and engaging movie script without making alterations or jumbling events to help make a cohesive narrative.
You do a great job pointing out historical inconsistencies while explaining why this might have been done. Its a nice balance. Looking forward to your next one.
Outlaw king was a massive improvement on braveheart. Indeed it had some errors, but overall it was a decent film. I really hope to see Das Boot reviewed someday.
Yes Dad Boot
Nah Das boot is perfect
Yes much better than that garbage anti-semitic lunatic's ravings😂 where he basically plays the same character whose wife/gf is brutally killed which turns him to a psychotic killer with a death wish😂
William Wallace actually makes an appearance in the outlaw king
The original Das Boot? I'm there.
I enjoyed this movie honestly. I wish Netflix would do more movies like this and “The King”. There’s so much potential for good stories in this time period.
I would rather Netflix leave history alone, as I would rather not see any great historical men played by a one legged trany lesbian
The King was shite
What do you think of the series, The Last Kingdom?
@@mjstbnsn6294 Equally loved that. The last couple of seasons weren’t that great and especially the spin off movie 7 Kings Must Die.. but definitely worth watching.
The King is SO damn good!
History Buffs is such a great platform. For one, it frames its lesson around a movie which helps tell a story, and if the movie has in accuracies it addresses them. I watched ‘1492’ in middle school history class, and this channel totally showed why that’s wrong. Great work, keep it up!
Jesus they showed 1492 in your classroom?? How long ago was that cuz that movie is so infamously bad, for many reasons but foremost and obvious to any historian is the whole ‘Columbus first to claim round earth’ and ‘natives loved and admired Colombus and he treated them well’ bullshit. Still insane that people have forgotten the movie and don’t even criticise Ridley Scott for it much anymore. Recent interview he said that movie only did poorly because “Americans can’t understand any european accent, only American-english accents” and apparently didn’t learn the lesson that he made a pro-genocidal pro-colonial propaganda movie. I mean ffs even British imperial history epics had more complexity. Still strange that with how many history epics Ridley makes that he never fucking bothers to actually take historical accuracy to heart.
He’s off the mark quite a bit in his videos, few big ones here but that’s life
A couple of years ago I went to the Bannockburn museum. (Great place to visit) They said that contrary to Braveheart and Outlaw king, Edward II was not incompetent or a wimp. He was in fact badly advised and was actually very brave and a very accomplished Knight. Reports concur that he was dragged from the battlefield of Bannockburn by his bodyguard. He wanted to fight to his inevitable death..
The problem with many films about history is that they want to have the moral simplicity of Star Wars, when really there were no light or dark knights in history. I would say Just a lot of grey, but many were actually brightly dressed!
@@fat1fared I'm an history buff; but I amitt that this 'simplicity of Star Wars' that you mention is intinsicall to the media... It's a visual media; audience MUST know things instinctibly without having to interiorize them... Hitchkok said something on the lines of: 'if the audience sees a train entreing the station and the smoke that comes out of the chimney is the most black cloud you have ever seen, they will KNOW before they see him, that the man inside the train is the bad guy'... that's how cinema works. You have a protagonist and an antagonist.
Yeah, real life is not like that, and an historicall film draws from history, then it should aspire to show things as it where... but if you are making cinema; you still need bad guys and good guys. You need the audience to see this things in less than three hours and to feel atached to some and hate the others... if you don't manage that, people won't feel... they will simply recieve information. Then you have a documentary; and that is good, pure information, accurate precise...
But films need some level of maniqueism. Historicall films should chill down, not make any character a figure but try to portay them as the real people they represent... but some level of 'good guy'/'bad guy' will allways be needed.
Even in a beloved by historians masterpiece as 'Master and Commander'; Aubrey (yes he is fictional, but he is based on a real guy) is a lovable hero; while the french captain, 'the bad guy' nearlly does not appear; simply as a nebulous figure, almost only represented by the quasy phantom-esque appeaance of the Acheron; that even resembles a mithycal Moby Dick or Nautilus; attacking from the deep... you need bad guys.
And I think this film portrays more grays than many others. I also dislike the prince the most of this film, specially the final duel... but tha film needs some major villain for the audience to hate. You will allways have some degree of that on a movie
@@fat1faredmore Star Wars Andor
Glad to see you enjoyed the bannockburn experience definitely enjoyable
@@fat1fared Nah, there tons of outright villains in pretty much any period of history you could name. The problem comes when films decide they need a good guy and during the actual events in question, there are none to be found.
I loved this movie. At the end when Robert The Bruce was giving his pep talk. The part where he says I don't care who you fight for as long as you FIGHT!!! Cold chills
BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD!!!!!
One slight correction: you called Isabella MacDuff "Isabella Fife". Though the MacDuffs were the hereditary Earls of Fife since the time of Malcolm III Canmore (the one who deposed Macbeth of "Macbeth" fame) so I can understand the mix-up.
One detail that I love from the coronation scene is that the MacDuff who crowned the King of Scotland would list the new king's lineage. In the film, she only goes through the Bruce line, then the Earls of Huntingdon back to King David I. In reality, the MacDuff would continue to recite every Scottish king back to Kenneth MacAlpin, the first king of Scotland (or Alba as it was referred to in the records from the period). However it doesn't end there. They would continue to recite the Kings of Dál Riada back to Fergus Mór, then *keep going* through the kings in Ireland from whom Fergus Mór and all subsequent Scottish kings claimed descent.
In fact, until the 11th Century, Ireland was referred to as Scotia Maior (greater Scotland) and Scotland was Scotia Minor (lesser Scotland). As such, the Scottish kings still saw themselves as having a historic bond with Ireland which superseded any English claim to the island.
This may seem like just a fun history fact, but it had very real political significance. When Robert Bruce's brother Edward (whose name is changed to Euan in the film for some reason) invaded Ireland in 1315, it was partly to drive the English out and deprive them of Ireland's taxes and resources, but it was also a statement that if any non-Irishman had a right to be High King of Ireland, it was a Bruce, not a Plantagenet.
Dude, I’m SO HAPPY you got to this one! I reviewed it (in written form) when it came out and honestly the only inaccurate thing that made me as furious as all of Braveheart was putting Elizabeth in a cage. In reality, if the English had done that, her extremely powerful father and all his forces probably would have defected to the Scottish side. In reality it was Bruce’s female relatives suspended in cages (one of them dying as a result), apart from Marjorie because of her age. She and Elizabeth still underwent solitary confinement, which is equally horrible, but I guess it wasn’t as ✨DRAMATIC✨
Fun fact: Robert the Bruce's spider appears on one of the Scottish bank notes, the £20 I think. It's pretty cool. The notes colour is mostly purple and without context it just looks like a goth/halloweeny bank note
Well Halloween is Scottish, so...
@@dairallanI thought it was Irish?
@@cillian5304it is
@@cillian5304 It's Celtic, so Irish, Scottish, and Welsh
@@cillian5304 That's because since the middle of the 19th century, Ireland and the Irish have tried to claim every single piece of celtic culture as theirs. Which, obviously, it isnt;. I get its hard for them as their culture was basically destroyed by colonialism and they had to invent basically an entire culture from half remembered folk tale - but stealing other people's shit is bad. There is no literary record of Halloween or Halloween adjacent things in Ireland before the mid 1800s.
To be fair, lots of cultures invented or re-invented themselves during the Age of Nationalism during the late 19th century. Scotland did it as well. Inventing bullshit like tartan and kits. But at least in that case, it was based on historicity (plaid pattern cloths existed and were common, the Great Plaid existed) and wasn't just stolen from others.
Meanwhile not only is Halloween Scottish, its clearly documented all the way from its inception after the Reformation to the present day.
This is why I love this channel.
Constantly uploading on a semi-regular basis for a few episodes, then leaving for some months and coming back with a full hour documentary on the historical accuracy of a movie.
Or he just leaves for a year or more then rocks up with multiple back to back hour+ long episodes on a series.
Nick I'm sure you probably don't have time to read these comments but in case you do I want you to know how much I appreciate your videos. I can only imagine how much work and effort goes into making them and I am very grateful.
Holy Smokes !! Thought my job as "Monk #4" was just to fill empty space, just spotted myself at 6:10 ; middle of the scene behind the boy in the hood but in front of the really tall singer at the back 🙂
Your performance added much to the movie :)
Please, sir, never stop. You, your content and hard work are loved!!
The spider is also on our £20 bank notes alongside Robert the bruce, so even though the spider story isn't historically accurate it is still an important part of the mythology.
Try try again.
You should do 'The King' (2019) or Ridley Scott's 'The Last Duel' (2021). They play in a similar category with very convincing acting and solid depiction of battle.
Especially 'The Last Duel' is somewhat unique, making historiography itself the pivot point of the movie.
There have been a few pretty good historical analyses of The Last Duel, specifically The Cynical Historian, and that while the period-setting is visually super well done, it does take quite a few liberties but is overall a great picture of the time. But thats also cuz the book they adapted from took some liberties
Eh, The King wasn't a good adaption of Agincourt...
and out of Ridley Scott's movies about duels, The Duelists is much better than the Last Duel, both historically and cinematically.
@@colbunkmust Yea his action style in The Duelists felt extremely real. I'm hoping he returns to that sort of realism for Napoleon!
The King was horsehite
The Last Duel was excellent
Thank you so much for mentioning the Battle of Teba at the very end of the video! My ancestors, Clan Logan of Restalrig (I am directly related to Sir Robert Logan,) who were two knight brothers of the twelve Scottish knights present, fought and died along side Douglas. Along with William De St Clair of Rosslyn who was surrounded and attacked first because his armor had the cross on it. Attacking moors thought he was a Crusader knight (they all were but he was the only one with a cross visible) and so they thought he was the leader. Sir William Keith of Galston, who was present, survived and is the one who collected the dead, and Bruce’s heart, to bring back to Scotland.
There's no source reference to what emblem St Clare was wearing, but probably it was his own blazon. Nor does the one source that describes his death refer to the reason the Saracens attacked him first. Meanwhile, by contrast, the knights of the Military Orders St John,vSantiago, Calatrava, etc., all wore large crosses on their surcoats, mantles and shields.
Jean le Bel tells us Douglas was accompanied by 7 knightsand 20 esquires John Barbour said that there no more than 10 left with him in his final fight- including the Logan brothers, who were from a feudal landholding family in lowland Lothian rather than a clan.
@@JohnFortune-zs8rk the Logan’s were a clan who lost their clan ship
Hearing about Edward the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd makes me really really want to see a movie about Edward the Black Prince and his life.
I'm not sure if they would sell many tickets in France 😂
Yeah but I think a lot of people might watch a movie about the french getting their butt kicked. We do like to make fun of them a lot.
@@HarryFlashmanVC the new Napoleon movie coming out this November will balance things out lol
@@kilgore1863oof
When History Buffs Has an Hour long Quality video we know we are in for a good time ❤
If only we knew what tf the movie was? 😂😂
@@DaveSCameronit's been on Netflix for a few years, I seen it when it 1st came out
Thats why I clicked the like button before the video had started
@@dakken74 Haven’t seen it. Any good?
@@AuntieTrichomeDefinitely worth a watch
Bloody hell Nick. Having to spend 10 minutes just fleshing out the history in the first few panels of the movie really emphasises the detail you go to. Brilliant episode as always.
I was very happy with Outlaw King. They did so much better than other movies set in the period.
You say other movies but all I'm thinking of is Braveheart lol
Greek fire is 50 percent Greek and 50 percent fire.
I love that every review takes years but it shows so clearly how much effort has gone in and I still rewatch ones i've seen over and over because they are so well done. Often much better than the film itself 😂
You know it’s real deal history when it’s almost an hour long… love History Buffs
I always thought that the imprisonment of Queen Margaret and the Countess of Buchanan in cages was very barbaric. After enduring such a terrible ordeal, it is a wonder that Margaret was able to bear children after her release.
There isn’t a channel that gets me more excited with a new upload than this one.
Just rewatched this recently. It was better than I remembered after my first watch. They got a lot of things right, but obviously took some freedoms concerning historical accuracy. Overall, a pretty solid production. A strong 7/10 from my perspective.
Nick, this was such a great episode -- easily a new favorite. Medieval Scotland has been a gap in my knowledge for a while and it is very nice to learn some more about it!
One of the few channels where the content is always 99% great.
Great work!
Yes! My favorite medieval film in terms of historical accuracy.
One of few movies that makes a good effort to make medieval weapons and armor accurate
And in terms of authenticity. Feel of the times.
@@ARCtrooperblueleaderAbsolutely! While I don’t think Outlaw King is a great film, it’s damn immersive and there’s a certain satisfaction seeing so much accurate clothing, weapons, and armour.
The story of the origin of the "braveheart" is absolutely epic and sent shivers down my spine. What a line from Douglas, "Onward Brave Heart, Douglas shalt follow thee or die"
The Battle of Teba was part of the Reconquista, and is in Spain.
According to the stories, Douglas was eager to pursue the fleeing Moors, and when he and his retinue were too far ahead, the Moors turned and tried to capture him as insurance.
Douglas initially attempted to turn and retreat to safety, but as he did, he saw Sir William St.Claire entirely surrounded, but fighting valiantly.
Douglas threw the heart and charged to save a friend and comrade. Likely, it was a calculated risk - rallying to St.Claire until the rest of the army could catch up, rather than being picked out one-by-one on the ride back (as St.Claire had been)
Unfortunately, by the time the army arrived, those defending St.Claire were dead, including Douglas and St.Claire.
There's a monument to Douglas at the town of Teba today, and they celebrate him with a local holiday.
If you want another good medieval tale of "death before dishonor," check out King John the Blind, of Poland, and his death at Crécy in 1346.
@@SlyBlu7 Found this on King John the Blind, *"Far be it that the King of Bohemia should run away. Instead, take me to the place where the noise of the battle is the loudest. The Lord will be with us. Nothing to fear. Just take good care of my son."*
What a legend!!
Loyalty till thee end.
I want a History Buff based of The Pacific - it's a mini series about the Marines during WWII. Interesting thing as well is that it is about a Marine who became an amazing historian.
The Pacific is actually based on 2 books by Marines who fought in WW2.
Robert Lecke wrote "Helmet for my Pillow" and later became an historian.
Eugene Sledge wrote "With the Old Breed"
I got that and Band of brothers on DVD. The pacific is in one of those fancy metal box set cases.
Unfortunately I have to store it horizontal because I accidentally broke one of the studs that holds the disc in place in the box.
Trying to get the disc out with those studs are a pain in the ass. You have to push hard. In this case I think I pushed too hard and broke it. The disc is fine though thank God.
Eugene sledges' writings are considered some of the best war memoirs in from any war period. I'd highly recommend having a read of the book with the old breed. 👍
I really like this channel. The History Buff doesn’t take the mickey out of the film it’s commenting on. The focus is on the Historical accuracies as well as the obvious inaccuracies and then better still, they tell you the historically accurate story in a really interesting and engaging way. They don’t take away from the film and aren’t suggesting that you won’t enjoy it just because it’s not an accurate portrayal of the historical story. I’m talking more of Braveheart here than the Outlaw King. We all know that the opening date in Braveheart is only 5+ years off the actual date when Wallace was born - which IS ridiculous AND means that no one bothered to open a single history book on the subject matter they were making a film about, to get the correct date ! This would’ve been so easy to do and yet it’s one of many things that A LOT of films do, they get the date wrong by a few years either side, which makes no sense AT ALL !! We all also know or should know that William Wallace was Sir William Wallace a Nobleman from a Noble family, he wasn’t a dirty looking kid living in a squalid hut somewhere in the highlands. But then neither were the majority of Scottish people !! They bathed regularly in the Middle Ages regardless of class, thus helping avoid disease, bad smells and fleas etc. Scotland is bloody COLD, so people certainly didn’t live in tiny camp-like dwellings - you’d freeze to death in winter 🥶 They lived in stone built small houses that were well insulated against the cold and rain - it’s just bloody insulting to see poor, dirty people wandering around with mud on their faces, completely inaccurate at best and ignorant at worst (again see Braveheart for this)…. I know they’re trying to portray the Scots as a poor people who are having a really hard time, but there’s no need for any of this, and avoiding the FACT that William Wallace was a nobleman is ridiculous too, being a nobleman doesn’t take anything away from what he achieved, it actually adds to the overall story because he’s chosen to fight for Scottish Independence and this carries more weight and adds more to the story, in my opinion. Anyway it’s nice to see a channel that appreciates the films that are made, and although sometimes wildly inaccurate, you’re encouraged to watch the film alongside listening and learning the REAL HISTORICAL FACTS here beforehand. Thanks
Fun fact about Robert The Bruce's family is they were actually of Norman French descent and the family name is derived from the name 'Le Bruce' which either means the willowlands or the brushwood thicket. I only know this because a Scottish friend of mine from Falkirk explained this to me in the pub one night.
Yeah, on his father's side, he was of Anglo-Norman descent, but his mother was a Gaelic speaking Gallowegian noble woman. Therefore, I'd assume The Bruce spoke Scots, Gaelic, Latin, and French.
There was about 12 bruces before Robert... all who gained land n title his father the leper. Told him this.. and tactics. Harsh n cruel he seems but was right.. the time wasnt right.
Le Brus, I fact.
It’s de brus not le Bruce
Outlaw King and "The King" were really good movies. I enjoy the ride every time I watch them.
You don’t know how much I love this channel. Every time there’s an upload, I wish there were ten more.
I knew you would call BS on the Bruce letting Edward II just go back to London and cry. Anyone in their right mind would capture him and do anything you want to get what you want. Having the King of England in your custody was an automatic "I win" card.
The Scots would never capture or kill an English king. Conversely, the English defeated and captured David II (1346) with a reserve team and killed James IV (1513) with another reserve team. The imprisonment of David II and the ransom thereof is exactly what your suggesting here. God forbid anyone glorify that actual historical event.
I also do like how armor, at least at times, actually protects people from sword strikes. Normally historical movies have the swords being closer to lightsabers. Cutting right through the stuff that is there to protect them.
What a great time it was when both Outlaw King and The King came out within a few months of each other... We need more historical pieces like this
What stands out to me the most about the movie is how kind of neutral the portrayal of Edward the first is for a Scottish directed/written film when making him much more of an evil figure is accepted and expected from a Scottish audience. I assume making Edward the Second more villainous than you usually see in media was in part to make up for that
I mean, when you look at the context of history, Edward I was ruthless and cruel, but a good ruler, who probably means what he says at the beginning of the film to Robert. No more ruthless and cruel than Bruce was, or other Scottish Kings at the time. Edward II however, was well known for being a weak man who relied on fear (and didn't exactly pull it off)
It took me a while to guess who the hell Edward II was, mostly because I knew that he wasn't involved with the Bruce during this period.
@@Kinghobbe is interesting to see him get more focus than just being all Edward I
Loved this movie, for many of the same reasons you stated. So nice to see a film get the look and feel of the period correct, even if they had to fudge some of the history to make a film run coherently in a reasonable time. For a Netflix production, it was excellent.
47:34 One big reason the chainmail looks better and more historically accurate is because it's ACTUAL riveted mail. Not butted mail like you see in practically every other medieval film or tv show.
The other version of the heart story I heard, from author Jack White, was when James Douglas and his men were surrounded he called out to them, "you've followed me for as far as I can lead you men. But now, lets see you follow your king a little further" before hurling the casket into a mess of the enemy, which sparked a furious charge by the night's that led to a route and voxtiry. James Douglas was found dead, clutching his king's heart.
Fantastic vid - as a Scot but it was brutal hearing the butchering of “Loch Loomonde” as you pronounced it - Lowmand is how it’s said & “Fallkirk” is just - Fall Kirk 😃! Always a delight to hear of the history of my lovely country & remind me of why independence burns in our hearts here 🏴
Independence? Lmfao. Scottish Lords fought for more power for themselves. Changed absolutely nothing for 99% of the population. Nobody was more independent, or free. That wasn't even a real concept. The idea that we have more freedom now is hilariously wrong.
@@AverageAlien What Scots lords did or did not was of their time exactly the same as any part of Christian Europe. Of course you can't say that France, or Germany of Ireland isn't free, and not being under the yoke of a foreign power is indeed freedom.
@@Kinghobbe It's not freedom. Well, maybe freedom for the Lords and upper classes. There was no such thing as the concept of "freedom" for anyone else. The law was the law. They had their rights, they accepted the way the world worked, if they didn't, they would revolt. Simple as.
I’m no armor expert either. But I have put a huge amount of time researching and a ton of time wearing this. The armor is mostly incredibly accurate for the time showing off a ton of earlier coat of plates that were popular at the time and seen in wisby (visby) finds. The princes armor is a bit silly and the helmets seem to be nicer than they probably actually were. But I remember this movie being a huge buzz when it came out specifically for this. I even talked to the armorer a bit through Facebook.
Keep up the great work nick. Always happy when I see a history buffs upload. This one especially.
Oh hell yes, this was a movie that I wished History Buff would cover one day and it seems today my dream has come true.
Excellent piece Mr. Hodges. I would like to suggest the 2003 movie Wonderland, starring Val Kilmer. It is about the 1981 Wonderland Ave. Murders that involved actor John Holmes. Very good cast, and the story was part of the inspiration for Boogie Nights.
The Last Samurai is one of my all time favorite movies and I loved your review of it. I’d like to see you do Black Hawk Down which is another of my favorites.
I enjoyed the movie much more than I thought I would. Chris Pine was very good as Robert Bruce.. The Costumes WERE a refreshing change from "Braveheart",as was the rest of the movie. I hope it becomes as famous. Great review!
Absolutely brilliant review. As a period of history which im fascinating in it was excellent and a great movie. Apart from a few pronunciation errors of Scottish towns/ sites i cannot fault you. Keep up the great work for all the history buffs out there.
It's rare to see a movie that is so clearly in dialogue with another movie -- in this case, of course, that means that the filmmakers know that _Braveheart_ is going to be on much of the audience's mind.
What about Return of the King building off of Two Towers, that it self was built off of Fellowship of the ring
@@Bringmeoneofthosechickens That's... that's just literal sequels. And I may be wrong, but those were all filmed in pretty quick succession, too, yeah?
@@TotallyRealistic yea true
@@TotallyRealistic filmed simultaneously
Braveheart was a turd of a movie.
Damn I never knew about them taking Bruce's heart with them during the crusades. Pretty cool
Great video.
I would say that the best idea Bruce had about Schiltrons was the placement of them as close as possible to the opposing line of cavalry. This massively reduced the 'medieval tank" aspect of the cavalry charge as with the horse armour (collectively with horses and the heavily armoured Knights too) weighed around one ton. The prevention of the the speed required to blast through opposing infantry breaking up their lines meant that they we're slow enough to dispatch with spears from their mount and then incapacitated by their armour (beetle on its back) a quick axe to through the visor or a blade to the armpit. The schiltrons on the second day (the main battle after the skirmishes of the day before) were in a straight line stretching 700 odd yeards between the Bannockburn and Pelstream burn with marshes around the Pelstream towards Stirling.
The Scots moved down the sloped Balquiderrock wood from the High ground on to the Carse of Balquiderrock, a well rehearsed move. The English were capped at the back of the carse with what seemed to be the Bannocburn and part of the Pelstream, believing they would be protected from a rear attack.The campsite also hemmed them in. As the Scots army moved forward, they spread completely between the two burns, the Bannockburn was in spate. The Scots were lined up facing the English army who were the worst of wear due to "wassailing" which is basically getting wrecked on mull wine. The English were unprepared for a direct attack.
The Scots neeled (very famously noted in primary sources) and it is claimed that the English King thought they were begging forgiveness but they were just being lined up and checked for position by marshals and then the genius move, marching forward in position for another perhaps 100 yards, reducing any capacity of the English cavalry to build up any sort of productive speed.
The battle was arguably won when the cavalry were rendered so uselessly slow, and very easy pickings and because all the infantry rushed forward after the chaotic English cavalry charge, the ability to regroup and recharge was almost completely eradicated and chaos and panic ensued over probably a few hours until the English were forced to retreat, many drowning in the Bannockburn.
At Bannockburn most of the English Knights, recognised by their surcoats were captured and thrown back behind the schiltron to be ransomed later, Bruce did get his wife and daughter back, and Bishop Wishart and many other Scots captives held in England cam home though Wishart was by this time blind.
Your reviews are always so insightful. Thanks Nick!
3:05 - Also worth noting Alexander III's wife Yolande was Pregnant at the time of the Kings death, so for a few months the Guardians of Scotland ruled in hope she was give birth to a son.
No way did he just do one of my favorite movies
Single complaint about this movie is the use of fire arrows and the distinct lack of lances during charges. That says something about how much I loved this movie's accuracy.
Some of these clips are taken from the 1996 low budget film, "The Bruce", which was crowdfunded, years before Kickstarter was even a dream. So basically, because I chucked in a few quid, I was present when some of these shots were made. And also "The Bruce" and "Outlaw King" both used Blackness Castle as a location, as did the Mel Gibson version of "Hamlet". It has a very rocky, courtyard, which is very distinctive, and is a great visual.
I just returned to The US from a visit to Scotland and Stirling Castle was my favorite part. Had to come watch this video again. My wife was really tired of me talking about Scottish history.
Been waiting for you to review this one! It's actually a very decent visual representation of the medieval world, especially by Hollywood standards. The story on the other hand, I'm not too certain on, however, in about 52 minutes I should have a much better idea on that!
The presentation of your videos is always a treat, if I know with the film in question or not. Fantastic storytelling!
Absolutely loved this video. This whole channel is a mix of my two favorite things, history and movies, and every new upload hits
The armour is decent; lots of real maille and the helmets and shields are good too. The English armour has a few fantastic elements here and there. But the clothing is pretty good! Apart from some details, it's the best I've seen in any Medieval movie!
Yay! My month is made! A new History Buffs! One of my favorite channels on the entirety of TH-cam.
Yay!!! Another History Buffs feature!!! 😊😊😊😊
I think every man on the planet understands the urge to fire the Warwolf 😂
Chris Pine with a surprisingly decent Scottish accent.
Florence Pugh is always great.
Robert the Bruce’s story really is almost made for film.
I was pleasantly surprised a how good Pine’s accent was.
I was just about to comment and ask if someone could say how his accent sounds to a Scottish person. Sounded convincing enough to me, but then I'm not a native speaker of English, so I can only recognise the broadest strokes of different accents and might be completely wrong haha. Nice to know he really did a good job!
In my opinion the Outlaw King is one of the most historically accurate or for actually authentic historical drama movies I've ever seen. Yes they made some changes or inaccuracies like the biggest example being Edward II being at the battle of Loudon Hill or the McDouggal attack and some more but still just like you said, this was mostly for narrative and dramatic purposes which is totally fine and logical since its a movie, and these inaccuracies are used wisely and contribute to the whole plot. But other than that, most of the events, people, material culture are very accurate to the period this take place.
Sure there are some inaccuracies even there like the plate pauldrons on the English and the many aventails hanging from the chins of soldiers,but that's still far less compared to other historical drama films. Also the everyday clothing for nobles and even simple folk looked bright, colourful and rich in styles and decorations.
Lastly I'm glad they didn't use that much of that stupid blue/grey filter they mostly use for films set in the European Middle ages.
Outlaw King for me gets a 7.5/10, one of the best produced historical movies and it shows that you can combine a good amount of historical accuracy/authenticity and be entertaining at the same time.
Another thing to point out is that Raibeart Bruis (Robert Bruce) was a skilled warrior as film described. Many films depict medieval kings to fight like some kind of knight or soldiers, but in reality, kings usually stayed way the far back, giving command to his troops (because if the kings die in battle, his army will lose morale and it will be utter political chaos).
In many historical documents and oral history, it is indicated that Raibeart actually engaged in combat as a warrior, boosting morale of the soldiers, but also getting some earful from his nobleman for being so careless (which was perfectly reasonable from what’s explained above)
One significant kill that we can confirm from Raibeart is Sir Henry de Bohun. When Bohun charged straight to Raibeart with lande, after spotting him at Bannockburn, Raibeart confidentially charged toward Bohun and killed Bohun with a single blow from his battle axe. On top of that, Raibeart also killed the squire that accompanied Bohun to the attack.
Raibeart was truly a mad lad to pull this stunt off as a king and I think the outlaw king depicted very well how he was a warrior, not only tactician. Although it would have been a way more badass to see Raibeart swinging a battle axe to his enemies skull, the action sequence was still great.
Glòir do dh'Alba!
I don't think the story includes a squire, does it. De Bohun attacked single handed, on the spur of the moment.
@@JohnFortune-zs8rk I think there are different versions of story where he killed the squire as well, but yea he did definitively killed De Bohun
I always say Braveheart captured the Spirit of the Scots & Scotland with its romanticism and view on Independence and freedom in a dramatic fashion, sacrificing authenticity - where The Outlaw King picks that up and completes it.
Also, King Edward I was asked by Bishop Frazer to arbitrate with the Community of the Realm of Scotland on who should be King of Scots, and apparently this was a known and common practice in European medieval law when kings died without-heir and there were competing claims, considering that at the time kings were seen to be answerable only to the Pope and to God Himself - hence why the request for arbitration. I recommend Robert Bruce And The Community of the Realm Of Scotland by G.W.S. Barrows for anyone who would like further reading (it seems like this book was the main source for the Historian here).
I loved Stephen Dillane's performance as Edward I. As a massive GOT fan, only Stannis could play Longshanks
"They'll bend the knee or I'll destroy them. With War Wolf."
I disagree Charles Dance would be better, especially since the character Tywin Lannister is based on Edward I
@@Apollo890 this is true. I'm also just a massive Stannis fan :P
Really good account. Though you didn't mention the nod to the Frenchmen that fought with them. There were reputed to be at least 250 Templar knights at Bannockburn.
Have read that decades ago about templars and so far here is no evidence at all of that (at least that I have ever found) though it makes for a nice story.
@@Kinghobbe check out the relationship between clan sinclair and the templars. Clan sinclair were very much involved in the wars of independence
idk what it is, I don't really spend anytime thinking about this channel when im off youtube, and I never check on the channel, but as SOON as I see a notification for a new history buffs video, I stop everything and watch. usually get a snack too. I just know its going to be _that_ kind of video. love the stuff. I think it brings me back to the days growing up watching the history channel (before pawn stars, ancient aliens, and all the buy low-sell high garbage they pump out now). Thanks for the good vibes
Mums a Kirkpatrick, our family claim to notoriety was stabbing comyn the red in the church, our slogan to this day is still “I make sure” the last words before he drew his dagger for Robert. Was gutted seeing our seven seconds of glory cut 😢😂
Yeah, Braveheart should be considered fiction, at least is nice to rise interest in the public about history, but man, i just cannot stop loving that movie haha.
Glad they made justice with Outlaw King, also a very good movie that deserves more attention, thanks for the video.
Except I think movies like Braveheart don't actually pique people's interest in history. Instead, people watch it, love the excitement, drama, and costumes, and come away choosing to believe it *is* history, and henceforth refuse to believe anyone who would attempt to correct it. They come away insisting on believing that Scots wore kilts, chose "bravery" over "cowardly armor", and painted their faces blue as they fought to a backdrop of wailing bagpipes. And as for the actual social history behind the whole thing, well they can't really be bothered with it to begin with.
@@herecomesaregular8418Braveheart is a turd of a movie.
Suffered through it once and swore I'd never subject myself to it again.
My one problem with outlaw king is that it was too short, dont get me wrong i love the film but I think atun shei films said it best when he said outlaw king shouldve been half an hour longer
There are also some deleted scenes which i think shouldve been left in
I agree, the film's pace is too quick for a story spanning multiple years of warfare. They could have continued an hour after Loudon hill, extending the runtime to 3 hours and ended with Bannockburn.
This was a great film no one saw. I love that it (mostly) covers the same story of beaveheart, from a different point of view and more historical lense. Now i get to watch this youtube on it :)
I fully appreciate how much research you did to present this on your TH-cam channel.
Roberts end was so sweet. James Douglas honored him to the end, taking his heart into battle against the enemies of God, proclaiming his loyalty until death, then meeting his end and honoring his wishes. God save Alba & the mighty gaels.
It's another great example of how historical authenticity is superior to accuracy because it allows you to tell a story without completely abandoning reality. Great video mate!
I know he mentioned it later, but another historical inaccuracy from Braveheart was that Edward I and his son were of the Plantagenet dynasty, defiantly would not have spoken English.
Yeah that's the fact alot of these movies exclude likely for simplicity. For once I would love to see this depicted. Imagine a movie or a series that shows the contrast between the English speaking peasents and there french overlords.
I think that if one is not a Scotsman, one has to be at least an Englishman to follow all these names. As an American, I'll come back when I get my PhD in medieval history.
Love these videos, even so.
Absolutely loved this. Always looking forward to one of your videos. This movie was brilliant and as a Scottish man myself, a hugely soothing experience after the pain of Braveheart. Great review.
As a Direct Father-to-Son Descendant of Sir William Douglas de Hardie, I appreciate the mentions here. Great video!
48:23 lol here he mentions that yellow was a commonly used color because it was made using horse urine then a second later a wide shot with alot of ppl standing is shown and the guy front and center is wearing a yellow colored hat😅. I don't know if that was intentional but I laughed my ass off
My 17th great grandfather sir Roger Kirkpatrick stained his dirk with the blood of the Comyn right alongside the Bruce. This is where the words of house Kirkpatrick come from.
"I Mak Siccar" I'll Make Sure. This is what my grandfather told the Bruce when he walked out of the church and said "I doubt I've killed him" . My grandpa, the scottish terminator, is the guy in the painting at 16:18
That is absolutely awesome!
I always felt The Outlaw King (2018) paired well as a double feature with The King (2019). Both Netflix movies.
I just watched this. Its sad it was so unpublicized. This was so outstanding. A worthy followup to Braveheart
I always found Robert the Bruce and Edward I to be two fascinating men in a fascinating time.
Both were extraordinary, brilliant and Flawed, brutal and brave.