Quartile rating: 5/10 · 1 rating
A mysterious warrior teams up with the daughter and son of a deposed Chinese Emperor to defeat their cruel brother, who seeks their deaths.
Outcast (2014) is a formulaic East-meets-West action adventure that fails to capitalize on its intriguing cross-cultural premise. The plot is a generic protect-the-royals quest with little surprise or depth, and the acting—including Nicolas Cage and Hayden Christensen in clearly paycheck roles—is largely wooden and unconvincing. The cinematography benefits from Chinese locations and some decent production value, lifting it slightly above the rest. The concept of Crusader knights in medieval China had potential novelty but is executed in a by-the-numbers fashion. The ending resolves predictably with little emotional payoff.