As a fan of Eddie Redmayne, when I saw that BBC iPlayer had this film, I jumped at the chance to watch it. Was I pleased with what I saw? For the most part, yes.
For a start, Eddie Redmayne delivers the best performance of the film as Osmund, a young monk who is having conflicting thoughts about his faith in his religion since falling in love with a girl named Averill (played by Fresh Meat's Kimberley Nixon). Redmayne adds soul and complexity to the character, yet since we see the film through his eyes, it is easy to feel sympathy for him. Another good performance comes from Sean Bean as Ulric, the leader of a group of soldiers who take Osmund as a guide to find a necromancer (including John Lynch, The Fades' Johnny Harris, Dead Set's Andy Nyman and Paradox's Emun Elliot). While the writing for his character isn't as deep as Osmund, Bean still manages to add layers of brutality and humanity to his character. (*SPOILER* In case you are wondering, yes, Sean Bean does die.) Finally, Carice van Houten creates an impression with the role of Langiva, one of the leaders of the village where the necromancer supposedly resides. Her character changes from a seemingly kind-hearted, pleasant woman to an evil, manipulative hag. a showdown between her Redmayne's character near the climax makes for incredible viewing with a brilliant twist.
Director Christopher Smith obviously had good fun with this film. There are a small amount of battle scenes and gore in this film, but where there is gore, there's a lot. Arms being hacked off, heads being crushed by maces, plague-ridden corpses, even one character is pulled apart by horses.
One bad point of the film would be the script. Aside from Osmund, there is little character development and some of the scenes seem to drag a bit, but that's just a little part of the film. Many scenes including a thrilling pagan ritual performed in a forest more than make up for this.
For the most part, Black Death is a thrilling, gruesome and dark film that features a fantastic performance from Eddie Redmayne. If you get the opportunity to view this film, take it.
For a start, Eddie Redmayne delivers the best performance of the film as Osmund, a young monk who is having conflicting thoughts about his faith in his religion since falling in love with a girl named Averill (played by Fresh Meat's Kimberley Nixon). Redmayne adds soul and complexity to the character, yet since we see the film through his eyes, it is easy to feel sympathy for him. Another good performance comes from Sean Bean as Ulric, the leader of a group of soldiers who take Osmund as a guide to find a necromancer (including John Lynch, The Fades' Johnny Harris, Dead Set's Andy Nyman and Paradox's Emun Elliot). While the writing for his character isn't as deep as Osmund, Bean still manages to add layers of brutality and humanity to his character. (*SPOILER* In case you are wondering, yes, Sean Bean does die.) Finally, Carice van Houten creates an impression with the role of Langiva, one of the leaders of the village where the necromancer supposedly resides. Her character changes from a seemingly kind-hearted, pleasant woman to an evil, manipulative hag. a showdown between her Redmayne's character near the climax makes for incredible viewing with a brilliant twist.
Director Christopher Smith obviously had good fun with this film. There are a small amount of battle scenes and gore in this film, but where there is gore, there's a lot. Arms being hacked off, heads being crushed by maces, plague-ridden corpses, even one character is pulled apart by horses.
One bad point of the film would be the script. Aside from Osmund, there is little character development and some of the scenes seem to drag a bit, but that's just a little part of the film. Many scenes including a thrilling pagan ritual performed in a forest more than make up for this.
For the most part, Black Death is a thrilling, gruesome and dark film that features a fantastic performance from Eddie Redmayne. If you get the opportunity to view this film, take it.
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