Henry Saw: Two Medieval Dramas - Black Death and Ironclad

One works pretty well...the other not so much...





Black Death:

A harsh and brutal little film that unfortunately is limited by both its budget and its premise. Despite strong work from Sean Bean and Carice van Houten, and a strong sense of setting, I was left dissapointed by this genre piece.

"In medieval England fallen under the shadow of the Black Death, a young monk called Osmund is charged in leading a fearsome knight, Ulric and his group of mercenaries to a remote marsh. Their quest is to hunt down a necromancer - someone able to bring the dead back to life. Torn between his love of God and the love of a young woman, Osmund discovers the necromancer, a mysterious beauty called Langiva. After Langiva reveals her Satanic identity and offers Osmund his hearts desire, the horror of his real journey begins." (Via IMDB)

Perhaps I was let down by Black Death because I was expecting a different sort of movie. Based upon its low profile and its set-up I assumed this was going to be a gritty little action film like The 13th Warrior or Centurion. Instead, there are really only two action scenes, both quite brief, and neither are that well done. Black Death is more about the battle of wills that takes place between the religious and devout knights and the pagan villagers. The film is hurt by the fact that the actor who plays the main character of Osmund (Eddie Redmayne) has no screen presence. The whole film relies on us caring about Osmund and his relationship with his lost love...and Redmayne is just not a compelling performer.

Black Death is not a bad movie, it just fails to register on any level, and I had almost forgotten all about it five minutes after I turned it off.

Grade: C

Best Scene: The first action scene which is surprisingly brutal.




Ironclad:

Here's an odd little picture. Starring a bunch of "that guys" (and Brian Cox), Ironclad is a compelling siege film that doesn't let its small budget get in the way of making an ambitious and fun movie. In fact, because writer/director Jonathan English couldn't make a movie on the same scale as Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven or John Woo's Red Cliff, Ironclad is a down and dirty action film that feels unique despite playing in the same sandbox as dozens of other movies.

Plot Summary: "It is the year 1215 and the rebel barons of England have forced their despised King John to put his royal seal to the Magna Carta, a noble, seminal document that upheld the rights of free-men. Yet within months of pledging himself to the great charter, the King reneged on his word and assembled a mercenary army on the south coast of England with the intention of bringing the barons and the country back under his tyrannical rule. Barring his way stood the mighty Rochester castle, a place that would become the symbol of the rebel's momentous struggle for justice and freedom." (Via IMDB)

Even though Ironclad claims to be based on a true story the version of history portrayed in the film is wildly inaccurate. I must admit that I don't really care; Ironclad set out to entertain, not educate, and it succeeds towards that goal. Ironclad basically follows the standard Seven Samurai model of a small band of heroes fighting against a much larger oppressive force. Our team of heroes include such actors as James Purefoy (Rome's Marc Antony) as the Templar Knight who anchors the defending force, Jason Flemyng (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) as a arrogant womanizer just looking out for money and a good fight, and Mackenzie Crook (UK's The Office) as a master of knife fighting. Leading this cobbled together crew is Brian Cox, who despite being perhaps too familiar a sight in these kind of movies, is always a welcome presence.

The most famous actor in Ironclad is probably the weirdest bit of casting: Paul Giamatti as a particularly nasty version of King John. Giamatti has played villains before (Big Fat Liar, Shoot Em Up) but it was still strange seeing him put on an English accent and ham it up as one of the most oft portrayed villains in cinematic history. Still, odd though it may be, Giamatti is quite good in the role and is particularly strong at delivering a sinister monologue near the end of the film.

Jonathan English manages to deliver several thrilling action scenes, and unlike many other similar films in this genre, gets us to care enough about each character that we feel it when they die. The one major part of the film that does not work is a forced romance between Purefoy and a married maiden who lives in the castle (played by Kate Mara).

Ironclad is hardly art, it's certainly a trashy version of history, but it is an enjoyable action film. If you view it with low expectations, and a willingness to laugh off the rather large plot holes and contrivances, I bet you will have a good time.

Grade: B-

Best Scene: The final confrontation between James Purefoy and the leader of the mercenary army.