In 13th-century England, a Knights Templar and few of the Barons men, fight to defend Rochester Castle against the tyrannical King John. King John Lackland reneges in 1215, the year the barons force him to sign to Magna Carta, on its parliamentary terms to resume his tyrannical misrule, and raised an army of pagan mercenaries to smash those barons who dare resist again. William d'Aubigny's warrior band, including knight Templar Thomas Marshal and his squire Guy, decides to make a stand in Rochester, a strategic castle to bar the road to London, so they force its lord, baron Reginald de Cornhill, to side with them after eliminating the Danish watchdogs. Captain Tiberius's mercenary band fails for months to make their numeric superiority count during a bloody siege, over which John presides personally, eager to take the castle before French and/or domestic rebel reinforcements may arrive. Baron Reginald's wife Isabel regrets their arranged marriage, enough to nearly-openly lust for handsome crusade veteran Thomas, who however takes his order vows seriously. I was disappointed by this movie, though some really good parts. Bad points: - a lot of caricatures of medieval society (prisoner in a cage, dirt, boiling oil, etc. - some scenes with useless "gore" - limited performance of actors - some discussions completely out of place (especially the castle lady texts), that would never have occurred at this time - and some lengths. Good points : - main characters (templar, king, danish chief) - the unlikely defender group - the castle besieging - some very good fights.<br/><br/>I appreciated the reminder of the 7 samurais, even if this movie is far away from Kurosawa's. To conclude : this movie is OK if you're looking for a basic diversion, but if you're a bit more demanding, go your way. I don't know what people are talking about here …<br/><br/>This was a great movie, lots of action, and over the top blood and gore.<br/><br/>Sure, some of the acting was a bit off, and it was all mud and blood but that's what the mid-evil times was , mud and dirt and lots of crap.<br/><br/>The lead actor was excellent for being a lost soul and the wife of the keep keeper was beautiful and what you'd expect from being locked up alone with and old man.<br/><br/>Over all I really liked it. If you want a bit of fun and an easy to watch movie without over analyzing it too pieces then go for it.<br/><br/>You won't be sorry. A gore fest aimed at indiscriminate action fans. Those interested in learning more about goings on in medieval history will probably find the splatter tedious and off-putting.
Berasyg replied
346 weeks ago