The Headsman (2005)

Director Simon Aeby's epic film chronicles the time-tested loyalty of two friends during Europe's 16th-century Inquisition. Orphans Martin (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Georg (Peter McDonald)... See full summary »

Director:

Simon Aeby

Writers:

Steve Attridge, Susanne Freund

Stars:

Steven Berkoff, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Julie Cox

1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Steven Berkoff	...	Inquisitor
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau	...	Martin
Julie Cox	...	Margaretha
Lili Gesler	...	Librarian's daughter
Patrick Godfrey	...	Bertram
Anastasia Griffith	...	Anna
Lee Ingleby	...	Bernhard
Eddie Marsan	...	Fabio
Joe Mason	...	Jakob
Peter McDonald	...	Georg
John Shrapnel	...	Archbishop

Storyline

Director Simon Aeby's epic film chronicles the time-tested loyalty of two friends during Europe's 16th-century Inquisition. Orphans Martin (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Georg (Peter McDonald) bond as children, but walk very different paths as adults. Georg follows his calling to join the church, while Martin becomes an army captain. When fate places Martin in the role of executioner, he must choose between friendship and fundamentalist doctrine.

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Plot Keywords:

executioner | sword | inquisition

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and a scene of sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK Austria Switzerland Luxembourg Hungary Germany

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 January 2006 (Austria)

Also Known As:

Shadow of the Sword

Filming Locations:

Austria

Box Office

Budget:

$8,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Allegro Film, Eurofilm Stúdió, Film and Music Entertainment (F&ME)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min 104 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"Shadow Of My Love"
Music by Matthias Weber and Michael Summ
Lyrics by Suzanne Vinnik
Performed by Suzanne Vinnik
Published by Point Dume Musikverlag
Licensed by kind permission from Point Dume Musikverlag

User Reviews

It was good... Think Name of the Rose without the intrigue

The actors played very well, the atmosphere was very sharp, so they got the feel right. I remember reading the Name of the Rose and noticing that the movie failed to mention almost anything about the religious background of the story from the book. When watching The Headsman, I felt like they presented more of that background in detriment of the story which felt a bit rushed. But, after all, some viewers actually complained about too little information regarding the Anabaptists so I guess the movie actually showed the actions, rather than the background, just as the Name of the Rose movie.

Bottom line: it was a good script. It would have probably been better as a miniseries and with a slightly different ending, but it was a story worth knowing. You should be warned about some torture and pure human stupidevil scenes.