The fascinating issue of the secularization of theatre is reduced to mere whodunnit pretext.
The Reckoning (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:84
Fresh:34
Rotten:50
Average Rating:5.6/10
Consensus: A talky, ponderous movie.
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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Reviews for The Reckoning
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.
Director McGuigan doesn’t show much interest in tempo or character development, and the pace is numbing.
An intriguing misfire, with heavy-handed direction threatening to obscure the efforts of a gifted cast.
The central conceit of 'let's save lives by putting on a play' seems not only artificial, but also hollow.
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.
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.
The Reckoning is uneven sometimes, it's implausible, but I admire the chances it takes and I liked its bold heart.
Beneath the ill-fitting title lies an intriguing if flawed medieval murder mystery.
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.
Has so many ideas working in it that they all but suffocate its thin plot.
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.
[A] terrific little film, a very contemporary-feeling detective story set amongst the squalor and the misery of the middle ages...
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.
A serial-killer movie without a car chase, a wise older cop, a pounding electronic score or even Ashley Judd. Apparently, miracles do happen.
Fine cast delivers the goods, but the murkiness is thick and finally overpowering.
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June 22, 2005:
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