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Movies / On DVD / The Reckoning
The Reckoning

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The Reckoning (2004)

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Reviews Counted: 84

Fresh: 34

Rotten:50

Average Rating: 5.6/10

Consensus: A talky, ponderous movie.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for some sexuality and violent images

Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Mar 5, 2004 Limited

Synopsis: Set in England during the late 1300s, Paul McGuigan's THE RECKONING follows Nicholas (Paul Bettany), a young priest literally running from his past. After encountering a band of wandering actors,... Set in England during the late 1300s, Paul McGuigan's THE RECKONING follows Nicholas (Paul Bettany), a young priest literally running from his past. After encountering a band of wandering actors, Nicholas is grudgingly allowed into the fold by the good-natured Martin (Willem Dafoe). When the troupe reaches an impoverished village, they get word of a strange murder and look into the story as the basis for a new play. However, Nicholas and Martin uncover more than they'd expected, and soon a deeper mystery emerges. Meanwhile, as Nicholas attempts to find justice, he also struggles to come to terms with his own troubled history. A medieval murder mystery in the vein of THE NAME OF THE ROSE, THE RECKONING is based on the Barry Unsworth novel MORALITY PLAY. Under the artfully somber direction of previous collaborator McGuigan, Bettany turns in an excellent performance as a guilt-ridden priest struggling to atone for his sins. In addition to Dafoe, the film also features fine supporting actors such as Brian Cox and Gina McKee. Utilizing its historical backdrop to the fullest extent, THE RECKONING immerses the audience in its medieval setting, revealing the period's many hardships and enhancing the drama of this intriguing, unfolding mystery. [More]

Starring: Willem Dafoe, Paul Bettany, Brian Cox, Gina McKee

Starring: Willem Dafoe, Paul Bettany, Brian Cox, Gina McKee, Ewen Bremner, Vincent Cassel, Simon McBurney

Director: Paul McGuigan

Director: Paul McGuigan
Screenwriter: Mark Mills
Producer: Caroline Wood
Composer: Adrian Lee, Mark Mancina
Studio: Paramount Classics

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Release:

Aug 3, 2004

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Reviews for The Reckoning

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
10/30/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
03/06/05
Independent
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

[It's] a film with a lot on its mind -- perhaps too much. ... As it is, philosophical dilemmas spread through the film like a plague until they finally claim its life.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
02/01/05
Jeffrey Overstreet
Christianity Today

It's disappointing that The Reckoning devolves into a costumed murder mystery a la Jean-Jacques Annaud's 1986 film of Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose.

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
01/29/05
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Although raising intriguing questions about the moral obligation dramatists have to throw a spotlight on taboo subjects, The Reckoning offers simplistic solutions.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
06/08/04
Stella Papamichael
BBC

Builds cleverly as the mystery deepens, then struggles to bring it all to a conclusion.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
06/05/04
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

A well-done murder mystery.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
06/03/04
Meg Jones
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Wraps itself around Bettany’s guilty secrets like a hot-water bottle, leaving more interesting characters in the moral cold

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
06/02/04
James Christopher
Times [UK]

A multilayered snapshot of a decayed and disintegrating feudal system that richly develops themes and characters with an eerie modern resonance.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
05/13/04
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review

It is, despite the distractions, just a simple murder story, and the revelations in the end are hardly surprising or noteworthy.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
04/24/04
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

As an existential awakening into the light and triumph of rational thought over superstition, it's an engaging film, but as a murder mystery it plods along as though weighted down by the heavens and more.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
04/17/04
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

A challenging and thought-provoking film.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
04/16/04
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

… the premise and setting that are intriguing, but the obvious foreshadowing and labored attempt to slowly unravel the facts surrounding the plot are drawbacks.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas CityLife | comment Comment
04/09/04
Matt Kelemen
Las Vegas CityLife

All that black, combined with the mundanity of the second act, induces us to close our eyes.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
04/09/04
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

May be as dreary and hopeless as the Middle Ages themselves.

Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
04/09/04
Jason Anderson
eye WEEKLY

The interesting insights give way to undercover constables, and gut-spilling villains

Full Review Source: Movie Habit | comment Comment
04/09/04
Marty Mapes
Movie Habit

Collapses under the weight of unlikely melodrama and over-pretty visual flourishes...

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
04/05/04
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Nitrate Online | comment Comment
04/05/04
Cynthia Fuchs
Nitrate Online

It's as if the filmmakers had a 14th-century audience in mind, one that had never seen a movie.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
04/02/04
Marc Mohan
Oregonian
 
 
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