Review of Ironclad (2011) by Eve D — 12 Jul 2011

Classy it is not, much less exquisite in its storytelling. What it does offer, however, is two solid hours of gory medieval action. Paul Giamatti doesn't quite look the part as the ruthless king John, but the rest of cast - including James Purefoy, whom I know previously from HBO's Rome - do the best with what they have to work with.

So what we're left with here is a decent "sword and axe" flick, shot in a way deprived completely of creativity (as if they've left the handling of the cameras to a bunch of novices).

Or perhaps it's some sort of perpetual curse, as in the knights templar genre being forever doomed to wander the depths of mediocracy. I mean, name me one such film that has been truly outstanding? And no, The Seventh Seal doesn't count, however great it may be.