Review of Black Death (2010) by Stephen S — 06 Jul 2013
Black Death is a brutal medieval plague thriller that happens to have a brain and a heart. It's a bit janky, with really inconsistent cinematography - nearly the whole beginning act had me wincing, yet peppered throughout are more than a handful of drop-dead beautiful shots - and a script that could have used about 10 more edits.
Stiiilll, though, this is a good story (ya hear that, movies? It's okay to tell a story), and it's adequately, if not well, told, and I can't deny I was riveted at times. As a look at one man's fall to the dark side, it's noticeably similar to Revenge of the Sith, only it's a much better movie.
Christopher Smith has made two very worthwhile thrillers in a row (before this he directed the absurd and absurdly fun Triangle), this one being markedly better than the previous. As a visualist and storyteller, he needs tempering, definitely, but I can see Smith helming a real masterpiece someday.
This review of Black Death (2010) was written by Stephen S on 06 Jul 2013.
Black Death has generally received positive reviews.
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