George and the Dragon (2004)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Tom Reeve

Writers:

Michael Burks (writer)
Tom Reeve (writer)

Release Date:

2004 (Russia)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Romance

Tagline:

George left England as a Knight and soldier. He Came home a Dragonslayer... and a Legend.

Plot:

A knight returning from the Crusades takes on a dragon and becomes a legend.

Plot Keywords:

Dragon | Knight | Princess | Fight | Egg

Cast

James Purefoy	...	George
Piper Perabo	...	Princess Luma
Patrick Swayze	...	Garth
Michael Clarke Duncan	...	Tarik
Bill Treacher	...	Elmendorf
Jean-Pierre Castaldi	...	Father Bernard
Rollo Weeks	...	Wryn
Paul Freeman	...	Sir Robert
Stefan Jürgens	...	Bulchar
Stefan Weinert	...	Mercenary #1
Phil McKee	...	McNally
Caroline Carver	...	Sister Angela
Simon Callow	...	King Edgar
Joan Plowright	...	Mother Superior
Carl Chase	...	Aard

Also Known As:

Dragon Sword (USA) (TV title)
George & the Dragon (USA) (alternative spelling)
George und das Ei des Drachen (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG for action violence.

Runtime:

Brazil:93 min

Country:

USA | Germany | UK

Language:

English | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

Iceland:12 | USA:R (TV rating) | USA:PG | Singapore:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Carousel Picture Company, Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Company:

ApolloMedia

Trivia:

Val Kilmer's cameo was filmed while on break from the Mindhunters (2004) shoot.

Quotes:

George: [after father Bernard gets slashed in the belly with a sword, and blood pours out. George smells the "blood"] This isn't blood. This is Burgundy!
Father Bernard: [Father Bernard points to the wounded wine bladder he carried under his robe] But there's a big big hole here.

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Star Wars (1977)

Nice entertainment, good cast, weak realization

Probably it could've been a better work, but still I got lots of fun. In first place it reminded me greatly "A Knight's Tale" - the same historical/fantasy action comedy. Quite interesting actors/characters interleaving: Purefoy starring as George here played a tiny but plot-significant role of Prince Edward in "Knight's Tale" and this character could be the future of George; and vice-versa for another comic fantasy "Willow", also close by the mood to this one, where we had Kilmer starring, and his tiny but plot-important role of El Cameo #1 in "George..." could be the bad future of his thief character in "Willow", would he not have a chance to show himself as a true hero.

We also have a charming princess, which reminds me the one out of "Shrek", with strong character and extraordinary view on the world, a sweet smile for friends and a hard hand for foes, quite a charismatic character as well as George himself, and James Purefoy makes a very charismatic presence in the film, becoming my personal actor discovery, so if you love Purefoy, that's definitely a title to enjoy.

I haven't seen Patrick Swayze on screen for a long while and he was my reason to buy this movie, but that's definitely not his best appearance, I had an impression that he wasn't giving himself a lot into playing that knight. I heard he did want to plain villains, but he still looks best as romantic hero by his manners, and thus he fits well for this role since his character is quite ambiguous: not romantic, not sensitive, eager for power and fame, but he does show the qualities of a strong chief and he's also drawing sympathies as a deft and humorous warrior. Almost until the end I was hoping they would still end up friends with George, as they started out being naturally attracted to one another as two of a kind, but the end roughly outlines the core difference between them – purity of the heart, even still showing their similarities.

Well, the bottom line – that's not a piece of art, but a very good entertainment, perfect for kids. Simple nice and romantic plot, a classical fairy-tale story, with right moral accents. Very good set of actors, the characters are almost all hilarious: what of the Father Bernard played by Jean-Pierre Castaldi or George's best friend out of Crusades - Tarik the Moor played by Michael Clarke Duncan! None of "good guys" in the film actually is too good - they're not "white and noble" but they are good at heart! And thus we have a moral too: to judge people by their hearts and actions, not just their manners. And the plot is not without a knot - quite a nice & kind "upside down" view of a famous Christian legend of George the Dragon slayer!