Stone of Destiny cover art

Stone of Destiny Details

2008 Certificate PG
  • Rated:
  • 70
  • from 1399 members

The story of Ian Hamilton, a dedicated nationalist who reignited Scottish national pride in the 1950s with his daring raid on the heart of England to bring the Stone of Scone back to Scotland. Read more

Starring Kate Mara, Billy Boyd, Ciaron Kelly, Robert Carlyle
Director Charles Martin Smith
Genres Action/Adventure, Comedy

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Stone of Destiny

The story of Ian Hamilton, a dedicated nationalist who reignited Scottish national pride in the 1950s with his daring raid on the heart of England to bring the Stone of Scone back to Scotland.

Starring Kate Mara, Billy Boyd, Ciaron Kelly, Robert Carlyle, Charlie Cox, Brenda Fricker, Rab Affleck, Stephen McCole, Ron Donachie, Johnny Meres
Director Charles Martin Smith
Studio Odeon Sky Filmworks
Run time DVD: 1 hr 36 mins
Certificate Certificate PG
Genres Action/Adventure, Comedy
Language DVD: English
Released DVD: 20 Apr 2009
Production year: 2008
Format DVD
  • Critics' reviews of Stone of Destiny

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  • 3 stars out of

    The eponymous rock is no more than a heavy lump of sandstone but to the Scots it represents a symbol of their... read more on Time Out

    • Derek Adams, 
    • Time Out
  • Most helpful member's review of Stone of Destiny

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  • 35 out of 36 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 4 stars [Highly rated reviewer]

    A story that needs to be told

    There is a lot of controversy over the issue of the Stone of Destiny. Many people believe that the Stone was never taken to England, but rather remained in Scotland, while King Edward was led to a fake. This film however, tells the story of the version I believe to be true.

    For those who don;t know, the Stone of Destiny is allegedly Jacob's Pillow. Wether that's true or not, what is true, is the fact that it was used in the coronation of Scottish kings and queens. When the English stole it, they began to use it in their coronations, so that the king/queeen of England would also rule Scotland.

    The Stone of Destiny tells the true story of four Scottish students who stole the Stone on Christmas Day in 1950 as a political statement.

    Ian Hamilton, the protaganist, is the young Scot who is angry that Scottish people don't seem to have the right to look after their own affairs (Not to get my own political views in too much but this is an issue we as Scots can all relate to today), and that it is widely ignored by the British parliament. He is sad that people are ashamed to be Scottish, and decides to act upon it.

    It's great to see Billy Boyd and Robert Carlyle in the film, showing that the are truley patriotic, and willing to help make a statement. The sad thing about this film is that there are next to no reviews on it, and it wasn't very well advertised. We can all guess the reasons to that though ...

    The film is being displayed as a 'comedy', which is very, very wrong. It contains familiar Scottish humour throughout, but deals with a very serious issue, and to be honest, it makes me quite angry how people are calling it a comedy, and not taking it seriously. This film is as political as Green Day's American Idiot album, and many would consider as big a statement as Ian Hamilton made in 1950.

    The one thing I didn't like about the Stone of Destiny is that it was very short. There is certianly room for improvement, as the film is quite fast paced, and if it had just slowed it down a little, it could have been a classic.

    I would definitely reccomend the Stone of Destiny to anyone with interest in Scottish history or politics. The averege film fan will find some value in it too, with the film being both very interesting, and quite exciting, particularly in the parts where the Stone is being stolen. It was a very informitive and entertaining film, and a story which is very relevant to today's Scotland.

    • Arbobug
      • Arbobug from Dundee
  • Most recent members' review of Stone of Destiny

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  • 1 out of 1 person found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    Excellent

    This tale was told fantastically by the director. Very accurate. highly recommend it

      • A customer from Livingston
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Rating breakdown

1,399 Member ratings
  • 100
140
  • 90
65
  • 80
324
  • 70
309
  • 60
309
  • 50
89
  • 40
85
  • 30
24
  • 20
37
  • 10
17

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    • The story of Ian Hamilton, a dedicated nationalist who reignited Scottish national pride in the 1950s with his daring raid on the heart of England to bring the Stone of Scone back to Scotland....