Movie Review: Ironclad

By Angela Roberts

July 20, 2011

Ironclad poster

England, 1215. King John has just signed the Magna Carta under duress, and he’s quite indignant about it. Forget that his general arrogance and ineptitude at foreign affairs brought him to it; he’s King, after all. And kings are supposed to get what they want. So, King John hires an army of big, savage Danes to help him murder and pillage his way back to having absolute power once again. He sets about violently killing every baron who signed the Magna Carta, and unfortunately starts with the keep where devout monk Brother Marcus and the three Knights Templar under his charge have sheltered for the night. John orders the monk murdered, the baron executed, and the castle razed. The only survivor is Templar Knight Thomas Marshall, who rides for Canterbury to warn the Archbishop of what has transpired. There Baron William d’Albany, the leader of the last rebellion, Thomas and the Archbishop hatch a desperate plan; the Baron and Thomas will gather together a ragtag group of fighters and hold the venerable castle Rochester against John while the Archbishop arranges for help from France and a new king.

The Baron assembles his medieval Magnificent Seven, mostly men who are fiercely loyal to him and his money, and they take over Rochester from the weak ineffectual Baron living there. What follows is a months’ long siege filled with bloody battles and hardship. And few will survive. This is the story of Ironclad, the first film I saw at Fantasia this year.

This UK production was really very impressive. There’s a lot to like about this movie. The cast is phenomenal, and instantly recognizable if you’ve seen anything out of the UK, HBO, or Hollywood for that matter. In fact, production values appear pretty high; the sets are gorgeous, the fights are realistic without being too gory, there are explosions, siege engines, etc. Really, I don’t know why I’ve never seen this movie in the cinema. This type of production is even popular now. But that’s the way, I suppose. At least one can get their medieval adventure fix at festivals like Fantasia.

Story-wise, the film is adequate. There is some cliché, some obvious plot points, and a very obvious struggle to reconcile modern sensibilities with medieval thought. The Magna Carta becomes a symbol of a very modern approach to democracy. And characters spout off constantly about how they’re fighting for the ‘people’ against the king’s dictatorship. Which people, we never ask. It’s not essential to understanding and enjoying the film. And when it really comes down to it, the film succeeds because it keeps things simple; it distills the macro into the micro, focusing on one small group of characters to describe the growing pangs of a nation.

Yes, the fights are fantastic. And there are some awesome moments in medieval warfare. Best part: when Thomas first brings out his greatsword and cleaves a man nearly in half. Other best part: when John’s engineers build a big wooden siege tower and the castle defenders cobble together a catapult and destroy it with flaming missiles. And another: when the mine, made from burning pigs alive no less, destroys half the keep’s central tower. I mean, you learn stuff. And the gore, even when looking at John’s rather bitter and bloodthirsty punishments, is handled in a typical PG-13 fashion. We see some blood and guts, but we look away at all the right moments.

And so we should. Because character is the strength of this film. Director Jonathan English allows his actors to stretch their muscles and convey heavy emotion with just their expressions. There isn’t much in the way of exposition when it comes to the inner workings of these characters, these fighters, these men who really can’t or won’t do anything else. James Purefoy’s Thomas is wracked with guilt, and Purefoy manages to convey in his mannerisms and expressions all the conflicting feelings that the taciturn Thomas experiences on a daily basis; pain, temptation, guilt, desire, love, acceptance, a crisis of faith. Brian Cox, as the Baron, presents a man that you can believe his men follow willingly. You can see it in his manner and that knowing sparkle in his eye. Every character gets their own little moment, even the psychopathic Coterel, who convinces greenhorn squire Guy to teach him how to write his name. The most poignant moment, I think, was for large axe-wielding warrior Wulfstan, as he leaves his children to follow the Baron to certain death. Definitely the one moment in the film where I was tempted to cry; you find yourself rooting for him throughout the film. You find yourself rooting for all of them.

Of special note is Paul Giamatti as King John. He’s deliciously evil as the disgraced King. He really latched onto this role; he chews the scenery but not in the awful way that so many talented actors do when they get this type of role. No, he inhabits the skin of the character and embraces him. He’s treacherous, evil, calculating. But Giamatti also brings a note of humanity to the character. There are some beautiful moments where you get to see just how damaged John is, and you start to understand his utter faith in his right to rule. I don’t think anyone else could have pulled it off as well, and one will be reminded while watching this film of why Giamatti is such a celebrated actor these days.

I think that if you like medieval adventure films, you will enjoy this film as much as I did. Find this on DVD when it comes out, and watch it. You won’t be disappointed.

P.S. = Favorite character actor sighting: Look for Vladimir Kulich of The 13th Warrior fame as the leader of the Danes, Tiberius.

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