The Reckoning (I) (2003)

A priest on the lam takes up with a traveling band of actors, who then discover a murder has occurred and try to solve it by recreating the crime in a play.

Director:

Paul McGuigan

Writers:

Barry Unsworth (novel), Mark Mills (screenplay)

Stars:

Paul Bettany, Marian Aguilera, Trevor Steedman

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Bettany	...	Nicholas
Marian Aguilera	...	Nicholas' Lover
Trevor Steedman	...	Jealous Husband
Simon McBurney	...	Stephen
Tom Hardy	...	Straw
Brian Cox	...	Tobias
Willem Dafoe	...	Martin
Gina McKee	...	Sarah
Stuart Wells	...	Springer (as George Wells)
Vincent Cassel	...	Lord De Guise
Elvira Mínguez	...	Martha
Richard Durden	...	Town Justice
Ewen Bremner	...	Simon Damian
Mark Benton	...	Sheriff
Hamish McColl	...	Innkeeper

Storyline

In 14th-century England, a young monk breaks his vow of chastity and flees the wrath of his bishop and fellow monks. A fugitive priest, he then witnesses the murder of a traveling performer--and subsequently, the mourning of actor by his fellow troupe members. He eventually becomes initiated into the troupe as a player, replacing the murdered man. They travel from town to town performing their standard morality play. They arrive in a town where a boy has been killed and a young deaf-mute girl has been imprisoned for the crime--sentenced to death for witchcraft and murder. Discarding the expected bible stories, the actors stage a performance based on the crime. Through the performance of the play, they discover that the townspeople know the young woman did not, in fact, commit the murder. The stage becomes a place where vital human truth is told. Thus, simultaneously, the fugitive priest comes to terms with his own crime and makes a powerful sacrifice, thereby redeeming himself.

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Plot Keywords:

priest | murder | actor | monk | death | 

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Taglines:

The truth shall come to light

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality and violent images

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Germany] Paramount Classics

Country:

UK Spain

Language:

English Latin

Release Date:

4 June 2004 (UK)

Also Known As:

Morality Play

Filming Locations:

Edlesborough, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$18,044 (USA) (5 March 2004)

Gross:

$256,620 (USA) (18 June 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kanzaman, M.D.A. Films S.L., Renaissance Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Brother Simon Damien is shown holding a pen in his left hand, but the position of the quill in the scenes where it is writing indicate a right-handed grip.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Nicholas: Seek those things that are above, not those things that are upon the earth.

User Reviews

A well told well acted story.

A gem of a film. Artistic without being pretentious, moving without being cliché. Paul Bettany is completely believable as a tormented priest, Willem Dafoe is as always intense and a joy to watch. The movie takes place in the dark ages mostly in a small outpost in the English countryside. A woman is wrongly accused of murder and a traveling troupe of actors, lead by Dafoe, enters the town and becomes involved in clearing her name of the accusation.

I was most impressed with the set they used for the village, it's incredible. The set immerses you in the desperate and dramatic feel of the film properly. The film has an authentic theatrical feel to it. More like it's being acted on stage rather than on location. I recommend this well acted tale.