Many know the tale of William Wallace, the Scottish knight who was a prominent leader in the First War of Scottish Independence, as portrayed by Mel Gibson in a wee film called Braveheart. Now, picture Wallace’s severed head hung from a monument in the town square. This is the atmosphere of Outlaw King, an epic set against the backdrop of a crippled Scotland itching for justice. Positioned as a long-gestating passion project for Scotsman helmer David Mackenzie, Outlaw King is a sincere war picture with ferocious violence and an inconsistent but righteously beating heart.

It’s 1304. King Edward I of England proclaims himself as Lord Paramount of Scotland, and Scottish nobility across the land are drawn into a reluctant agreement to pay taxes and kneel to a King crowned through coercion and war. Prominent among these taxed families is Robert the Bruce (Chris Pine), who is soon compelled into...