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critics consensus

Black Death delivers the fire and brimstone violence its subject matter warrants, while posing some interesting questions of faith and religion. Read critic reviews

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Movie Info

During the time of the bubonic plague in 14th-century England, young monk Osmund (Eddie Redmayne) is recruited by the knight Ulric (Sean Bean) to lead a group of soldiers through the marshes into a mysterious village, where rumors are spreading that a necromancer is raising plague victims from the dead. Osmund agrees, but he has an ulterior motive--to find Averill (Kimberley Nixon), a young woman who has gone missing. Along the way, the group encounters unimagined darkness.

Cast & Crew

Sean Bean
Ulric
Eddie Redmayne
Osmund
Carice van Houten
Langiva
Kimberley Nixon
Averill
John Lynch
Wolfstan
Andy Nyman
Dalywag
Johnny Harris
Mold
Tim McInnerny
Hob
David Warner
The Abbot
Tygo Gernandt
Ivo
Christopher Smith
Director
Dario Poloni
Screenwriter
Jens Meurer
Producer
Robert Bernstein
Producer
Douglas Rae
Producer
Phil Robertson
Producer
Judy Tossell
Executive Producer
Chris Curling
Executive Producer
Mark Woolley
Executive Producer
Tim Haslam
Executive Producer
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News & Interviews for Black Death

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Critic Reviews for Black Death

All Critics (66) | Top Critics (20) | Fresh (47) | Rotten (19)

  • By not rushing things, by keeping things moving at their own measured pace, Smith gives Poloni's screenplay a chance to breathe and evolve in a way it might not have been able to otherwise.

    March 25, 2011 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

    Sara Michelle Fetters

    MovieFreak.com

  • "Going medieval" on your enemies isn't just a figure of speech in Christopher Smith's stylish spatter-horror exercise, which uses desperation-fueled religious fervor to interrogate the intersection of fear and faith.

    March 12, 2011 | Rating: 7/10 | Full Review…

    Ian Buckwalter

    NPR

  • There's something here for just about everyone, or at least for everyone who looks back fondly on the similarly themed Wicker Man from 1973.

    March 11, 2011 | Rating: B | Full Review…

    Peter Rainer

    Christian Science Monitor

  • Slams Christians against pagans with little love for either.

    March 11, 2011 | Rating: 3/5

    Jeannette Catsoulis

    New York Times

  • Though deadly serious, Christopher Smith's European-made bubonic- plague melodrama provides good value with lots of blood and guts, as well as a solid cast.

    March 11, 2011 | Rating: 2.5/4 | Full Review…

    Lou Lumenick

    New York Post

  • Early on "Black Death" falls victim to its own sluggish sickness, its narrative drive proving no match for the aggressively rotted pallor, dour acting and tiresomely handheld you-are-there aesthetics.

    March 10, 2011 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

    Robert Abele

    Los Angeles Times
View All Critic Reviews (66)

Audience Reviews for Black Death

  • Jun 29, 2016
    Bleak, intelligent and highly thought-provoking, this unfairly neglected blend of medieval drama and horror should have gotten a lot more attention than it did. Full review on filmotrope. com
    Carlos M Super Reviewer
  • Jan 06, 2016
    A very gritty well told story that starts off good but soon loses its way and gets very religous and can be allot to take in at times, Sean Bean was great even though it looked like he came straight from filming Lord Of The Rings, Overall it's a good film just didn't know how to end it without it getting weird.
    Jamie C Super Reviewer
  • Jul 07, 2013
    Solid movie, which though creepy, dark, and disturbing, is strangely uplifting at times. Really, this film is like a set of emotional peaks and valleys.
    Stephen S Super Reviewer
  • Apr 14, 2013
    [img]http://images.rottentomatoes.com/images/user/icons/icon14.gif[/img]
    Directors C Super Reviewer
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