Review of Ironclad (2011) by Tyrone H — 06 Sep 2011

Oh dear...

I've watched enough films to know how this works. Most real life events don't have the requisite drama within real time historic events to make a film work so there is the inevitable 'poetic licence' taken to create that drama. I have also enjoyed films where the history has been bent and twisted almost beyond recognition (Braveheart). I've also seen others where the same is done or worse (U-571, The Patriot, etc...) and the results are less watchable.

Ironclad unfortunately fell into the 2nd category. In fact I became so incensed by the lack of historical accuracy I was even angrier than when I watched U-571 where the filmmakers changed a pivotal act in the war Americanising it for mercenary reasons. It's probably because I remember the events quite well from school where we seemed to study the events around signing the Magna Carta forever. It is also because the film itself strongly portrays itself as depicting true life events so many watching it would take the events portrayed as gospel.

In fact the French didn't arrive on English shores until 6 months after the events portrayed, and, oh a minor detail, King John didn't die in the retreat from Rochester. He actually went on into the North of the country trapping the armies of the rebel barons in London, defeating King Alexander II of Scotland and it was only the intervention of the French which turned the tide and he died of an illness on campaign against them.

Should these changes have annoyed me? Maybe not but if the set-up for the film hadn't made such a virtue of the events leading up to the siege, maybe I wouldn't have been so put off. Because at the heart of this movie is a medieval 'magnificent 7' that had it been set in a generic medieval kingdom with a generic medieval king I would have enjoyed, certainly the action and battle scenes were well done even if the shaky cam was a little overused. The stuff away from the battle is a bit mixed as the directing is all over the place but the cast do a good job, with the exception of Paul Giamatti, who I am usually a big fan of, but just annoyed me for his wholly negative portrayal of King John.

I won't be watching this again...