A ripping yarn capably told, this cinematic history lesson may not be wholly factually sound, but scores brownie points for unflinching brutality and ruthless realism.
Like all sieges, this offers moments of choppy terror and excitement followed by dull sit-it-out-and-starve spots. Straddled between uproarious schoolboy tosh and serious historical movie, this still offers enough dismemberments, royal tantrums and portcullis-rammings to make for a lively Saturday night out.
The result may churn the stomach more than tickle the brain, but it’s a rollicking ride all the same.
(Director) English tries everything – including romance – to make things more inspiring but cannot overcome the bleakness, the inaccuracies or a tepid script that short-changes the characters.
Should be a perfectly solid basis for a medieval gorefest, but there’s something inescapably Holy Grail-ish about the clueless staging.
Historically accurate? It's not certain everyone involved is even on the same script.
Historical garbage.
It's a persuasive portrayal of a violent era and its harsh privations.
Like a companion to last year's Robin Hood, this is tense, thrilling, action-packed stuff.
The characters and dialogue lack the vibrancy of the action but, all in all, this is much more enjoyable than Ridley Scott’s po-faced Robin Hood.
The message is that a tyrant's word isn't worth the paper it's written on.
Looking good, the man who cornered the hangdog market
Interview: James Purefoy, actor
General release. Check local listings for show times.