Review of Black Death (2010) by David G — 04 Apr 2017

It's 1348 and the black plague is taking its toll all across England. Everywhere that is except a remote village located within a marsh where the inhabitants live free of disease. The Church suspects dark arts are involved and so send God-fearing warrior Ulrich (Sean Bean) to investigate and if necessary purge the guilty along with his band of mercenaries and Osmund (Eddie Redmayne), a young monk who volunteers to guide the party.

When they eventually arrive they find a community that have a strong belief in something, but it's certainly not God, and when the inevitable conflict erupts they find that they have their own ideas on purging the guilty.

This is a well-shot and well-acted if relentlessly bleak movie that doesn't take a side, both groups being portrayed as equally fearful, intolerant and eager to shed blood for what they believe in.

Director Christopher Smith lays the atmosphere of danger and threat on thick, well-capturing an almost unimaginably cruel and brutal era, though you could argue that one extended sequence of torture and death goes a little too far.

Overall this is gripping stuff though and you'll be near, if not on the edge of your seat throughout, so long as you have the stomach for it.