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The Reckoning
The Reckoning
Actors: Willem Dafoe, Paul Bettany, Marián Aguilera, Trevor Steedman, Simon McBurney
Director: Paul McGuigan
Genres: Indie & Art House, Drama, Mystery & Suspense
R     2004     1hr 52min

Set in 14th century England, THE RECKONING focuses on Nicholas (Bettany), a young priest who has broken his vow of chastity and in turn becomes a fugitive, escaping from his fellow monks and their judgment. Posing as an a...  more »

     

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Movie Details

Actors: Willem Dafoe, Paul Bettany, Marián Aguilera, Trevor Steedman, Simon McBurney
Director: Paul McGuigan
Creators: Andrew Warren, Angus Finney, Caroline Wood, Denise O'Dell, Mark Albela, Barry Unsworth, Mark Mills
Genres: Indie & Art House, Drama, Mystery & Suspense
Sub-Genres: Indie & Art House, Drama, Mystery & Suspense
Studio: Paramount
Format: DVD - Color,Widescreen,Anamorphic - Subtitled
DVD Release Date: 08/03/2004
Release Year: 2004
Run Time: 1hr 52min
Screens: Color,Widescreen,Anamorphic
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 7
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Languages: English
Subtitles: English

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Movie Reviews

Traveling actors in medieval England solve a murder
Linda Linguvic | New York City | 09/04/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)

"This 2004 film is set in medieval England in the year 1300. Paul Bettany plays the role of a priest who has been discovered in an act of adultery and has to run for his life. He meets up with a traveling troupe of actors whose leader is Willem Dafoe, and the group enters a town in the hope of making a few shillings and having their traveling cart repaired.

The townspeople are not interested in their play because there is a real life drama unfolding around them. A mute woman is accused of witchcraft and sentenced to hang for the murder of a young boy. The players decide to produce a play about that incident and Willem Dafoe visits her in her jail cell where she tells her story through sign language. Convinced of her innocence, they produce a new play. But naturally there are complications.

Filmed in Spain and England, the feeling of the times, and especially of the dirt, disease and poverty are captured well. The story is a good one although a little hard to follow. But, by the end, however, I understood it perfectly. Acting was uniformly good and I did feel the complexities of such an ambitious plot. However, the film editing could have been better. In one scene particularly, there were a few discordant spots that would have been better left on the cutting room floor.

Also, in spite of the attempts of the producers, this was no Shakespearean play. And although I did enjoy it, it was always from an outsider's perspective. I never really got caught up in the emotion.

I was also hoping for some extras on the DVD because I would have liked to go a little bit behind the scenes. But, alas, there was none.

Generally, I think this film was good. And it does get my recommendation. It just doesn't belong at the top of my list.

"
Medieval Murder Mystery
G P Padillo | Portland, ME United States | 11/23/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Reckoning is yet another wonderful piece of filmmaking that slipped under most people's radar. A 13th Century murder mystery it is visually stunning, mixing barbaric with modern sensibilities (sometimes a bit too much).

Paul Bettany is Father Nicholas a young, dishonored priest now fugitive fleeing his outraged parish for his life. Eventually meeting up with a troupe of traveling actors headed by Martin (Willem Dafoe) their roaming ends up in a village where a mute woman is to be put to death for the murder of a young boy.

Nicholas, Martin and company alter their morality plays to reflect the injustice surrounding them upsetting the authorities and much of the populace. Oh yeah, and then there's the plague!

A fascinating movie The Reckoning will probably not be to everyone's liking, but if you enjoy period pieces particularly medieval, this one features a terrific cast and is emotionally satisfying as well as theatrically compelling.
"
MORALITY PLAY
Michael Butts | Martinsburg, WV USA | 10/13/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

"THE RECKONING is a handsome, evocative drama set in 1300 England, a land bereft with poverty, plague and cruelty. A disgraced priest, wonderfully embodied by Paul Bettany, leaves the priesthood and joins up with a traveling band of actors, led by the ubiquitous and effective Willem Dafoe. They enter a village where a deaf mute woman has been convicted of the murder of a young lad. Evidence uncovered by the actors convinces them that the woman is innocent, and they set out to prove it by staging an original play, something out of the ordinary for the times. Most plays were religiously oriented, and this departure spoke of things to come. How the actors, particularly Bettany, come to prove the young woman's innocence forms the core of the movie, and although slow in pacing, it is nevertheless intriguing and very well done. Vincent Cassel as the Lord Dubose, Matthew McFadyen as the King's Justice and Brian Cox as one of the actors are outstanding in supporting roles.
A Very atmospheric film, quite original in its context (although NAME OF THE ROSE entered this territory earlier). A good and different film."
Decent movie that just misses the mark
Get What We Give | Georgia | 09/20/2004
(3 out of 5 stars)

"First of all, I love period films. Give me a period film over any other and I'm happy as I can be. Give me a period film that is historically acurate and I'm even more delighted. This film does both.

The acting is superb. The sets are absolutely dynamite. The costumes are great if not quite as filthy as I think things really were. The overall story just isn't all that good.

Paul Bettany as an outcast priest with a secret is really excellent. Willam Dafoe is good as usual, but I found him to be somewhat unbelievable in this role.

Frankly, my chief complaint is the way in which the film is presented. It is told matter-of-factly from the perspective of the actors. I'd rather it been a bit more atmospheric and less bright (cinematically speaking). There were not nearly enough fires burning inside buildings (remember France is as cold as the dickens in the fall and winter). I don't think the desperate situation of the hunger and starvation of the peasants was played up enough.

The story is oddly not one that is terribly unique. Back in the early 1980's there was a film very similar: The Name of the Rose with Sean Connery.

This film is really quite good, but is almost an attempt to create a CSI set in the dark ages.

I'd rather have seen a climax that was a bit different - I won't give it away.... but it would have been really cool to see retribution for the crimes play out by having the guilty party come down with the plague and then be killed - sort of a one two punch.

Anyway. It gets good marks from me for its setting and atmosphere more than anything else.

Check it out though."