Genre: Drama/Historical
Director: Tom Hooper
Writer: Chad Taylor
Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ben Mendelsohn, Asa Butterfield, Gaspard Ulliel, Kevin McKidd, Joe Alwyn, Ruth Wilson, Toni Servillo
Plot: An elderly man stricken by illness lays frail in his bed with a middle-aged woman (Ruth Wilson) by his side. She holds his hand and asks if she can get him anything but a silence lingers. The man says no and instead seems ready to reflect on his life. He wonders to himself if he could back and do things over, would he do things differently?
1735. The Stuart family is in Rome attending the state funeral of matriarch Maria, who died after an illness. Family patriarch James (Ben Mendelsohn) is given his condolences from his friend Prospero (Toni Servillo), archbishop of Bologna. 10-year-old Henry is off-put by his father’s sadness and is comforted by his teenage brother Charles (Nicholas Hoult). Charles pulls Henry aside and promises to tell him more about their aloof father.
Their grandfather was once the King of England, Scotland, & Ireland but his Catholic faith and ties to the Church led to tensions. His army deserted him and he was exiled as to France, to be replaced as King by his protestant daughter’s husband. Their father James, however, stayed loyal to the cause and believed himself to be the rightful heir to the throne. With simmering support in Scotland, James planned on raising arms and taking it back. However, upon arriving, he fell severely ill and had to abandon his cause. Charles tells Henry that even though their father is ashamed of his failed coup, there is still support for their cause and they will always have the divine right.
Ten years later. Charles is now a brash young bachelor, living lavishly in Italy. His relationship with father remains icy while he and Henry (Asa Butterfield) are still close. Charles accidentally stumbles upon Henry with his lover, an man older than even Charles. He leaves the room immediately and does not tell a soul. Later in the week, Charles witnesses first-hand a battle between French and Italian prospects and is excited by the thrill it gives him.
At a meeting, Prospero (who has since been elected Pope Benedict XIV) informs the Stuart family of France’s plan to invade England in support of the Stuarts (effectively known as the Jacobite cause). While he is eager to push for the throne again, James is timid and says he is not confident in his own abilities to assist in this effort. Charles senses his father’s self-doubt and sees this as an opportunity to take center stage. He volunteers to go to France to assist with the invasion. James names his Prince Regent, giving him the ability to act in his father’s name, and Benedict gives him the Church’s approval. He bids farewell to his family and heads west.
In France, Charles is pleased to meet with his cousin King Louis XV (Gaspard Ulliel), a major supporter of the Jacobites gaining control. Louis lays out their war strategy and Charles is eager to lead the soldiers into battle. Louis is concerned with Charles’s lack of experience but Charles touts his vast amounts of education, including in the art of war. During preparations for the invasion, harsh weather storms Europe and Louis calls off their plans. Charles is unable to get him to commit to another invasion, which frustrates him.
Seeing that the British Army is currently preoccupied in Flanders, Charles sees now as the perfect opportunity to strike. He receives letters from home and learns that Henry’s latest betrothal has fallen apart, much to their father’s disappointment. This gives Charles the motivation to make both his father and (hopefully) future son proud. He chooses to head to Scotland on his own to seize upon the swelling of support for his cause in the Scottish Highlands.
Upon landing in Scotland, he takes a moment to breathe in the air - this being his first experience in his home country. He meets up with wealthy merchants (and Jacobite sympathizers) from Glasgow who advise him to head up north, where he will be able to amass a sizable army. Some are skeptical of his chances of victory and advise him to head back but he is adamant that he will succeed. After the meeting, Charles becomes smitten with Clementina (Anya Taylor-Joy), the daughter of one of the merchants. He spends the next few days courting her as he assembles weapons and supplies for his cause.
In the Highlands, Charles starts stealthy raising an army to storm into England. His high-born cockiness clashes with the rigidness of the rural Highland clanspeople but they are still firmly in support of the Jacobite cause. This predominantly Catholic region feels they are under threat of persecution and assimilation from the Church of England government and Charles seizes upon this fear in a number of impassioned speeches. In the first battle, Charles’s army is successful in defeating the unsuspecting government forces. Charles celebrates the victory by bedding Clementina that night.
As the Jacobite forces head towards Edinburgh, Charles meets George Murray (Kevin McKidd) - an experienced war veteran who fought for Charles’s father in the 1715 rebellion. Upon Murray’s recommendation, Charles allows his trusted generals to form a Scottish Council that will help guide their forces. Their success continues in Edinburgh, where they gain control of the Scottish capital. This makes Charles ready to plan an invasion of England. In Edinburgh, Clementina informs Charles that she is pregnant with their child. Charles lights up about hearing this, envisioning their son being the future King of England, Scotland, & Ireland.
This alerts the attention of the English government in London. Sensing the growing threat, they decide to summon one of their most noble leaders and the King’s son - the Duke of Cumberland (Joe Alwyn) - back from Flanders to push back against Charles’s forces. Meanwhile, the Scottish Council are resistant against Charles’s eagerness to invade England so soon. A faction of them believe that their focus should be on creating a stronghold in Scotland and seeking Scottish independence - which is the main concern of the Scottish people, anyhow. This faction is spearheaded by Murray, who says they at least need to stick to hilly regions as this plays to the strength of highland war tactics. Charles doubles down on his own plan to cut straight through flat areas for London. Charles’s persistence for gaining absolute power convinces some of the members to support him and the invasion is given the go-ahead. Infuriated, Murray resigns out of protest.
The Jacobite army splits into two, with half holding the North and the other half driving towards London. They face much more civilian resistance upon crossing the border. Charles finds himself stretched thin financially and requests more money from France. King Louis sends more resources but the ship it is on is intercepted by Cumberland’s forces and it becomes a total loss for the Jacobites. Meanwhile, the Scottish Council is adamant that they have gotten as far south as they can and it would be best they retreat since Cumberland’s army are gaining steam. Charles throws a fit and demands that they keep pushing London since they are already halfway there. This time, the Council overrules Charles and the retreat begins. Cumberland’s army continues pressing on them, all the way north.
Charles falls ill and is nursed by Clementina. He is angered his people not listening to him and she recommends that he flee to France where they can raise their family. However, Charles insists that he stick with his men and defeat Cumberland’s army for a symbolic victory.
The two sides are due to meet at Culloden Moor. Due to miscommunication of logistics, half of the Jacobite men are unable to make it in time and they are now outnumbered by the English. Murray, however, does decide to return to fight alongside the Jacobites. This massive battle goes decisively to the government forces as thousands of Jacobite lives are lost. Cumberland seeks to find Charles but the young Prince has escaped.
In a coastal town, Charles and Clementina are smuggled onto a boat by a sympathizer family. In order for him to leave the port, Charles must dress disguised as a maid named Betty Burke. They make it out and head back to France. In Italy, Clementina goes into labor and has a baby girl named Charlotte. While he is delighted to see her, he is saddened that he was not born a potential heir. This only adds insult to the injury of his massive failure. He decides not to marry Clementina and instead keep her as a mistress (and thus Charlotte as illegitimate).
As the months go on, Charles finds his life in shambles. He is now impotent, which adds more stress to his current situation. Fed up with his drunkenness and downbeat demeanor, Clementina tells him she is leaving and taking Charlotte with her.He receives shocking news from Scotland that the failed rebellion has led to a massive effort by the British government to clamp down on the Highland clans, go to extremes to strip them of their culture. His father, frustrated at Henry’s failed engagements, approves his son to become a Cardinal in the church. Even though he knows his brother’s predicament, this frustrates Charles as as it means the Stuart line has effectively ended. Feeling betrayed, he stops talking to the both of them.
40 years later. A lonely old Charles is paid a visit by Henry, who tells him that the Vatican has officially recognized the current King of Great Britain - effectively putting out the final flame of Jacobite support. Feeling the end is near for his brother, Henry arranges a reunion between Charles and his long estranged daughter Charlotte (Ruth Wilson).
He laments his regret for how things went down years before, reckoning that he was too young to be within grasp of such power. He was over-eager to impress his father and reclaim his family’s glory. And worst of all, he always prioritized his thirst for prestige over feeling real emotion. He tells Charlotte that he will legitimize her as his own. She says he doesn’t need to do that but he says it is his last chance to do something right. He signs the letter, officially making her a part of the Stuart dynasty. Charlotte says she will stay with him for his remaining time left on the Earth.
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