{"id":813,"date":"2011-03-01T16:16:20","date_gmt":"2011-03-01T16:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/?p=813"},"modified":"2011-03-01T16:18:33","modified_gmt":"2011-03-01T16:18:33","slug":"ironclad-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/drama\/ironclad-4\/","title":{"rendered":"Ironclad – 4*"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Now and then, there are films that need to show raw violence, in order to recreate the reality of a situation, contrary to the sensitivity of some. Writer\/director Jonathan English<\/a> may have never experienced 13th<\/sup> Century Britain, but it\u2019s safe to suggest that the blade resolved most disputes \u2013\u00a0be that of the sword or axe variety. English\u2019s Ironclad<\/em><\/a> is a medieval maniacal massacre with a desperate, ferocious and no-holds-barred bloodlust that surpasses even last year\u2019s Centurion<\/a><\/em> that relished in its body count and blood spillage.<\/p>\n

Ironclad<\/em>\u2019s story has a significant purpose, though, that captures the contemporary imagination: freedom for every man. It\u2019s for this reason that we empathise with its characters\u2019 determination to defend this ideal from the tyrannical rule of the Roman Catholic Church and the King. Hence, we easily commit to the grounds for the barbarity.<\/p>\n

After the Oscar-winning The King\u2019s Speech<\/em><\/a>, Ironclad<\/em> is \u2013 in the simplest of terms \u2013 predominantly anti-royal and republican in nature. The story picks up in 1215, after debauched King John (Paul Giamatti<\/a>) is forced to meet the demands of his discontented barons and sign the Magna Carta. Even though this document was more about taxation hikes and the nobility\u2019s treatment, English plays to the romantic notion of it being about human rights protection against royal rule. A furious King John then decides to reinforce his rule and slaughter the barons involved, with the dubious blessing of the Pope and the Vatican, plus a little Viking manpower from some disgruntled Danes angered by the Church\u2019s involvement in their lands.<\/p>\n

However, one plucky Baron Albany (Brian Cox<\/a>) and his mishmash of a half a dozen men decide to make a stand against the King and his thugs. They defend the common man\u2019s honour from Britain\u2019s pinnacle of power, Castle Rochester in Kent, until the French Army arrives to liberate the land, and install a French Prince on the English throne. It\u2019s glorious, heroic and epic stuff to prompt a defiant roar from every English lion.<\/p>\n

Ironclad<\/em> recreates the grim scene well, but has a few surprises. It goes a step further than previous historical efforts, by placing the viewer directly within the relentless battle action, and creating a terrifying sense of claustrophobia and threat of axe attack at any moment. In fact, we see men hacked in half before us, from head to toe, and others losing limbs, which are subsequently used to beat others senseless, whilst the camera lens gets sprayed in claret. It has a thrillingly destructive momentum to it.<\/p>\n

That said English\u2019s preference for Michael Bay<\/a>‘s favourite cinematic tool of 5D cameras to reproduce erratic action \u2013 as in Transformers<\/em><\/a> \u2013\u00a0greatly jars, making watching the action unbearable and nauseating in parts. In fact, this lessens the authenticity somewhat, creating an experience like that of a video game, which is a shame and probably not really necessary.<\/p>\n

The reality of the siege the Baron\u2019s resistance fighters face is greatly heightened by the testing length of the film (121 minutes) and its equally testing weather conditions. But the latter helps recreate some magnificently extravagant and quite stunning panoramic views to show the gloomy conditions of the era, even if the former falls prey to some lagging moments in the story, as our \u2018heroes\u2019 await the next onslaught.<\/p>\n

One thing is for certain: Ironclad<\/em> would not be half the film it is, if it were not for some memorable and quite captivating talent. Giamatti is a tonic as the deranged and bile-spewing King John verses Cox as audacious Albany. Deliciously overplayed to the hilt, their performances mark the key points, with one momentous confrontation near the end, in a film that sensibly places moments of ironic humour throughout to provide a respite from all the death.<\/p>\n

James Purefoy<\/a> as disillusioned Templar Knight Marshall again demonstrates why he\u2019s first choice in any historical affair. Purefoy has a rousing and magnetic presence as the great, unsung anti-hero, cultivated by his stint in Rome and other such period roles. His role greatly bolsters the romantic notion of story \u2013\u00a0and he should also be commended for swinging around a five-foot Templar Knight sword replica.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, one casting does not sit comfortably. 127 Hours<\/em><\/a> actress Kate Mara<\/a> plays opposite Purefoy as Marshall’s love interest, Lady Isabel. Isabel is like a \u2018Maid Marion on heat\u2019, delivering some of the corniest lines in the lull moments to seduce her knight. Mara appears a little too youthful and not nearly naive enough to be fully credible in the role, even though she’s meant to be a young wife. Her cringe-worthy attempts at getting Marshall in the sack seem almost immaturely ludicrous and definitely unladylike in the spate of things. If she is trying to be portrayed as a strong female for that contingent of the audience to identity with, her casting sadly backfires. That said there are some excellent performances to enjoy from Mackenzie Crook<\/a>, Jason Flemyng<\/a>, Jamie Foreman<\/a> and Casualty<\/em><\/a>\u2019s Aneurin Barnard<\/a> as Albany\u2019s band of merry mutilators, as well as British acting royalty Derek Jacobi<\/a> and Charles Dance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ironclad<\/em> is an unapologetic, bold and praiseworthy piece from English, considering the independent nature of the production and its ‘cheaper’ budget (\u00a320 million). It\u2019s designed to bang the patriotic drum, not only in the story, but also for British film-making that\u2019s taken a battering in itself in the past year. Indeed, it provides a healthy example of a true British epic contender to rival those of the mainstream variety that are out soon, like a lone voice of resilience that you can\u2019t help but root for.<\/p>\n

4\/5 stars<\/strong><\/p>\n

By @FilmGazer<\/p>\n

Watch the trailer<\/strong> HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Now and then, there are films that need to show raw violence, in order to recreate the reality of a situation, contrary to the sensitivity of some. Writer\/director Jonathan English may have never experienced 13th Century Britain, but it\u2019s safe to suggest that the blade resolved most disputes \u2013\u00a0be that of the sword or axe … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Ironclad – 4*”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[495,819,813,818,811,821,820,809,814,817,816,810,496,815,773,621,812,464],"class_list":["post-813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-drama","tag-127-hours","tag-aneurin-barnard","tag-brian-cox","tag-casualty","tag-centurion","tag-charles-dance","tag-derek-jacobi","tag-ironclad","tag-james-purefoy","tag-jamie-foreman","tag-jason-flemyng","tag-jonathan-english","tag-kate-mara","tag-mackenzie-crook","tag-michael-bay","tag-paul-giamatti","tag-the-kings-speech","tag-transformers"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=813"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":817,"href":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/813\/revisions\/817"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}