Fans of period dramas and historical films can rejoice because an excellent option is on the Netflix UK catalogue.

Starring Chris Pine in the lead alongside Florence Pugh, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Tony Curran, Callan Mulvey, Billy Howle, Sam Spruell, James Cosmo and Stephen Dillane, the film charts some significant events from the Scottish Wars of Independence in 1304–07.

Outlaw King, co-written, produced, and directed by David Mackenzie, is a rousing 2018 historical drama. The film’s official summary reads: “After being crowned King of Scotland, legendary warrior Robert the Bruce is forced into exile by the English and leads a band of outlaws to help him reclaim the throne.

“A true David vs. Goliath story of how the 14th century Scottish ‘Outlaw King’ Robert the Bruce used cunning and bravery to defeat the much larger and better equipped occupying English army.”

In a chat with Entertainment Weekly, Pine spoke about mastering the Scottish accent for the film as the actor said: “It was difficult to get an accent to be organic that is so foreign from my own. There were particular sounds that I stumbled on, but also just getting the musicality of the language down.

“I didn’t want it to be a movie about an accent; I didn’t want people to not believe I was Scottish, but I also couldn’t draw too much attention to it and away from the story.”

With a 69 per cent audience approval rating on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, Outlaw King received generally positive reviews, with one fan says: “Great movie all around, deserves way more love than it has received. This one will age well, fantastic period piece with stunning cinematography, solid acting/cast, and realistic fight scenes.”

Another viewer lauded the film and wrote: “Noticed that not only were the cast amazing but the extras in the battle scenes were unbelievable, probably the best extras I’ve seen in any movie.”

While one audience review said: “I quite enjoyed this historical tale. It has a quick pace, simple dialogue, brutal violence and charming characters. Quite simply a fun film to watch.”

A critical review of the movie reads: “The film lifts itself and has great technical and production design, great lead performances, and a story that while familiar, is a much better representation of the same story we have gotten before.”

While another reviewer showered praise on Chris Pine for his portrayal of the Scottish king: “Chris Pine gives a strong performance in this well-constructed tale of Robert the Bruce’s fight for Scotland’s freedom.”

A third critic said of the movie: “Outlaw King is a gripping, moving and grand film full of spellbinding performances. Pine effortlessly embodies Bruce’s conviction, bravery, and compassion.”

Outlaw King is currently available to stream on Netflix.