Underdog rebels bolstered by a good guy Templar Knights fight against tyrannical king John. A perfect movie when you don’t want to think too much and simply get your medieval blood/gore/swordplay action fix. Plenty of olde-tyme fighting, complete with blood spurting, limb-severing, head rolling action with a sprinkling of history and a dash of sex. The acting wasn’t the best, but it was tried and true guy-flick entertainment for a bachelor night at home.
One of the most interesting things about this movie is that Paul Giamatti is in it as the king. Giamatti’s pudgy mug didn’t quite fit the image of an english king at first, but that small detail was quickly overridden by a great conveyance of royal sliminess. Brian Cox, the leader of the rebels was his stoic self. The champion, James Purefoy was dark and dramatic – but steamy enough for the hot princess Kate Mara. Others were good too, like the recognizable Jason Flemying (Mr Hyde in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen).
Standard fare for a medieval action flick. It was refreshing that they didn’t use slow-motion action sequences to make things more dramatic.