Seeing the title and the poster first, I thought it had an enormous potential, but would eventually be some lame B, even C, movie with horrible acting due to a bad director. And when I finally saw it, it didn't really knock me off my feet, but it made me appreciate the effort of little people in the movie world.
To be honest, the film isn't groundbreaking. And if you're an average moviegoer who rarely looks for something beyond the screen to hold on - it will remain as such. However, if you look beside that filthy production vibe and slightly lower budget, you will find an excellent film about a truly important historical event.
It features some really powerful, yet widely neglected, talents. In the lead role is almighty James Purefoy, who has by now proven himself in numerous sword-wielding roles. And, frankly, I love seeing him all dressed up in armor swinging his way through hordes of enemies. He is, without a doubt, born in the wrong century. Paul Giamatti was a huge surprise! His acting was astonishing and his representation of John of England was majestic. You can just sense the presence of anger and lunacy in his exasperated speeches. Next, we see Jason Flemyng with his gritty appearance hacking his way through the antagonists. And, finally, Brian Cox playing a Baron with tons of experience to keep them all together.
This might not be a movie with the production of Troy, Gladiator or Kingdom of Heaven, but it does have soul. It does come with that filthy feeling that medieval times should have. It's muddy, it's loud, it's angry and it is a bloody mess!
An extremely solid 7 out of 10.
