Braveheart ‘sequel’ disappoints
Robert the Bruce (M, 123 mins) Directed by Richard Gray Reviewed by James Croot ★★1 ⁄2
As emotionally thrilling as it was historically inaccurate, Braveheart was one of the most memorable movies of the 1990s.
Mel Gibson’s potent combination of stirring speeches, breathtaking battles, committed performances and James Horner’s haunting soundtrack meant the three-hour running time practically flew by.
One the film’s key characters was Robert the Bruce. As played by Angus Macfadyen, the Scottish nobleman was handpicked by Gibson’s William Wallace to unite the clans in a bid for independence from England.
A somewhat complicated path followed, as Robert, still loyal to his father, vacillates between Wallace’s cause and demonstrating fealty to the English king. The film ends with him gaining a measure of redemption by leading the Scottish forces in the 1314 battle at Bannockburn.
Now, 25 years later, Macfadyen returns to his most famous role in this sequel-cum-spinoff.
Set mostly in 1312, seven years after Wallace’s death, Robert the
Bruce finds Scotland far from united. Six battles lost in the six years since he was crowned Scottish king have left Robert’s reputation in tatters. ‘‘A hollow echo of the man Wallace was,’’ fellow noblemen taunt, as they make their own claims to power.
Even Robert has now seemingly given up the ghost, telling his men to all go home, before walking into the highlands alone. But pursuers are all around him and, after being injured in one encounter, he crawls into a cave ready to face his fate.
However, discovered in the nick of time by the young members of a farming family, Robert is taken in and given the chance to see how much he still means to common folk.
Co-written by Macfadyen, this curiously ponderous tale will be deeply disappointing to fans of Gibson’s braw actioner. A quiet character study could have been fascinating, were Robert not portrayed as a passenger in his own movie.
While still holding his own in the rare skirmishes, 54-year-old Macfadyen’s portrayal of the 32-year-old is mostly done via looks and baleful glances. Instead, Australian director Richard Gray’s movie revolves around one family’s attempts to ward off forces loyal to the English and keep the memory of their lost patriarch alive. If you recognise the mother, that’s because it’s Kiwi actress Anna Hutchison (Shortland Street, Spartacus; War of the Damned) delivering a solid turn as a widow trying to keep her bairns safe from harm. Pitched somewhere between The Fugitive and a John Ford
western, Robert the Bruce’s ambitions are let down by a drifting, oddly fractured narrative, predictable plotting, underutilising the always impressive Jared Harris (Chernobyl), and Mel Elias’ underwhelming score.
Robert the Bruce is available now on Lightbox, iTunes and Google Play.