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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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61 - 80 (sorted by date)
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The fascinating issue of the secularization of theatre is reduced to mere whodunnit pretext.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
03/11/04
Geoff Pevere
Geoff Pevere
Toronto Star
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Overwrought, overdirected and overly silly.

Full Review Source: Film Blather | comment Comment
03/11/04
Eugene Novikov
Eugene Novikov
Film Blather

What had been an intriguing, character-driven narrative steeped in gritty period detail like The Name of the Rose degenerates into the art-house cinema equivalent of C.S.I., without that series' narrative drive and economy.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
03/11/04
Timothy Knight
Timothy Knight
Reel.com

Director McGuigan doesn’t show much interest in tempo or character development, and the pace is numbing.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
03/11/04
Rex Reed
Rex Reed
New York Observer
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An intriguing misfire, with heavy-handed direction threatening to obscure the efforts of a gifted cast.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
03/11/04
Philip Wuntch
Philip Wuntch
Dallas Morning News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The central conceit of 'let's save lives by putting on a play' seems not only artificial, but also hollow.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
03/11/04
Robert K. Elder
Robert K. Elder
Chicago Tribune

Belongs to an impressive breed of suspense thriller that wrings tension not from gunfights or explosions, but from examining issues of personal integrity and morality.

Full Review Source: FilmStew.com | comment Comment
03/11/04
Brett Buckalew
Brett Buckalew
FilmStew.com

Life certainly was harder back in the 14th centurty, dirtier too. The story, however, based on Barry Unsworth's novel "Morality Play" is not so interesting.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
03/09/04
Marcy Dermansky
Marcy Dermansky
About.com

gets bogged down in the final reckoning

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
03/08/04
Jules Brenner
Jules Brenner
Filmcritic.com

The Reckoning is uneven sometimes, it's implausible, but I admire the chances it takes and I liked its bold heart.

Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
03/08/04
Richard Roeper
Richard Roeper
Ebert & Roeper
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Beneath the ill-fitting title lies an intriguing if flawed medieval murder mystery.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
03/06/04
Michael Rechtshaffen
Michael Rechtshaffen
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An intriguing mix of the familiar and the alien.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
03/05/04
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Top-notch cinematography and set design that perfectly capture a hardscrabble medieval milieu, along with artful but sluggish direction by Paul McGuigan, make this a superficially faultless production that somehow lacks juice.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
03/05/04
Megan Lehmann
Megan Lehmann
New York Post

Has so many ideas working in it that they all but suffocate its thin plot.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
03/05/04
Jack Mathews
Jack Mathews
New York Daily News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Everything in this film is spelled out to the point of tedium.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
03/05/04
Glenn Whipp
Glenn Whipp
Los Angeles Daily News

Offers nothing better than mob justice as an answer to the quandaries it presents, and an able cast, looking out of place in the Middle Ages, can't do much of anything with the material.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
03/05/04
Sheri Linden
Sheri Linden
Boxoffice Magazine

[A] terrific little film, a very contemporary-feeling detective story set amongst the squalor and the misery of the middle ages...

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
03/05/04
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

A comparably lively wrap-up comes maybe 100 minutes in, which is mighty late for an already near-quaint drama to be getting its jump-start.

Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
03/05/04
Mike Clark
Mike Clark
USA Today
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A serial-killer movie without a car chase, a wise older cop, a pounding electronic score or even Ashley Judd. Apparently, miracles do happen.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
03/05/04
Stephen Whitty
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Fine cast delivers the goods, but the murkiness is thick and finally overpowering.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
03/05/04
Gene Seymour
Gene Seymour
Newsday
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
61 - 80 (sorted by date)
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June 22, 2005: Trailer Bulletin: MirrorMask
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