The Reckoning (2002)

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:

Willem Dafoe, Paul Bettany, Marián Aguilera

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Bettany	...	Nicholas
Marián 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:

horseback riding | murder | priest | actor | boy | 

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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 USA:

$18,044, 7 March 2004, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$256,620, 20 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?

Trivia

Largely shot in a disused gold mine in Spain.

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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

Tremendous

The Reckoning is a fantastic film that embraces all the aspects of a period piece, a drama, and a mystery. The plot is a beautiful mixture of good vs. evil, man vs. man, man vs. himself, and man vs. God. The younger style of Bettany mixed with the classic styles of Dafoe and Cox mirror the plot's various themes. Cinematography (not just what we see, but what the characters see) contributes tremendously to the heart of the story. The basis of the film, "The truth shall come to light," will leave you with a sense of needed self-discovery and/or reconciliation to a new breed of life. I hope all who see this work of art will experience, as displayed in the film, a "Reckoning" of their own.