Ironclad (2011)

Memorable, crazy movie

Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Gory, full blooded picture with full on action scenes( too many). This leads to the film being slightly overlong. An all star cast throws themselves into their roles, though the usually excellent Paul Giamatti as King John drifts occasionally into his natural American accent.

Spoilers ahead... Ironclad was like eating a massive bowl of porridge, boring. Formulaic action with no real character. The weirdest thing was the Princess (or whoever she was) endlessly fawning over the templar guy and sexually harassing him throughout the film while he pulls the "God is watching" face, especially funny when she slowly and creepily shows him her Bush...Who were all the people? Nobody knows or cares. King John was just generic douche bag bad guy and the hero of the film has literally no personality whatsoever. None. Can't even remember his name and I've only just finished watching it.

During the Third Crusade between 1190 and 1194, King John of England, known as "John landless" attempted to usurp the throne of his brother Richard the Lionheart, who was fighting in the "Crusade of the Kings". Having been forgiven by his brother on his deathbed and appointed his heir, John began a reign that cost you maintain and John was the fifth son of Henry II and many disputed the throne. This led him to fight both Arthur of Brittany son of Richard and during most of his reign with the France of Louis VIII to gain recognition and support their lands. At the beginning of the thirteenth century King John was forced to sign in 1215 the "Magna Carta", which this June 15 met no less than 800 years. It determined that the monarch ceded some power being this limited, while the foundations of the common law in England sit. Thus a certain stability in the relationship with the barons of the kingdom would remain. The problem occurs when the king ignores the signed document, supported by the Pope and began a persecution of the barons who took part in the signing of the Charter with the intention of regaining power in the kingdom. So it begins at the First Barons' War (1215-1217). It is at this point that the film begins, we see it reflected the harshness and brutality of medieval siege of England in the early thirteenth century. Baron Albany is observed bringing together a group of gentlemen who along with Thomas Marshal, a Templar knight. The same, possibly a fictional character inspired by William Marshall, who really was not a Templar knight, supported Archbishop of Canterbury Stephen Langton, throughout the film struggle not only against the army of King Juan but also against himself, and you can see try not to break their vows of chastity once she meets Lady Isabel who was wife of Baron Reginald of Cornhill, a resident of Rochester Castle. The rebel group led by Baron Albany takes the castle on behalf of the rebellion and that is where the resistance begins. You can see the seven months that the siege carried out by King John, summarized in the lack of supplies must overcome those who were part of the resistance. An army of mercenaries hired by the Danish monarch trying to take the castle, including destroying part of it, since it represented a strategic position to the domain of southern England. Thus an almost constant battle in which you can see the cruelty of the time, perhaps exaggerated and blood for others, bordering on explicitness view movies Tarantino pound. The resolution of the story, and therefore siege by John Lackland, the hotel is a little of what really happened, but what the hell !!! this is Hollywood.

While not very deep, and light on character development, IRONCLAD is a well-made medieval action movie which is like BRAVEHEART crossed with THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN. The story is about the siege of Rochester Castle during the final years of King John of England's reign. A group of seven men, led by a Knight Templar (James Purefoy) go to Rochester Castle to defend it against King John who his hellbent on retaking lands that he lost after signing the Magna Carta. The reason for it being Rochester Castle is because it was strategically important for the monarchy. During the first part of the movie, the team is assembled and the premise is set up rather well with an expository introduction (there is some voice-over sprinkled throughout the film). The latter part of the movie is the siege, and this is definitely the strongest part of the movie. The battle scenes are brutally violent and bloody, as limbs and heads are hacked and slashed in a variety of ways. What's even better is that most of it was accomplished using good-ole prosthetics, as opposed to CGI. However, up to this point, we don't really know much about the characters outside of Purefoy's Thomas Marshal. During a lull in between battle sequences is when the movie starts to pay attention to the characters. Even Paul Giamatti's villainous King John is given time to shine, which makes the film more balanced. Other than Giamatti, the best performance is given by James Purefoy, who is given the best treatment in the screenplay as a conflicted Knight Templar. As a man who has seen lots of bloodshed in his time as a knight, he begins to have second thoughts about his calling and, in the process, finds love with one of the women at the castle. Normally, when you talk about romantic subplots in movies, particularly action movies, they often feel tacked on or superfluous. Not so here, as the romance is in service of the characters and isn't overplayed. Other standout elements would be the cinematography, and the way the battle sequences were shot. They really put you into the thick of battle and give a good sense of what it might have been like to fend off an enemy in a confined space. The effects work during these sequences was also outstanding. The score was also well-done, and stirring when it needed to be. Overall, this movie is pretty good and definitely worth seeing. There are some philosophical questions pondered late into it, and while nothing really deep is said, it does add a little depth to what could have been just an ordinary medieval kill-fest. Recommended, especially to people who enjoy period war movies.