Medieval – Movie Review
Director: Petr Jakl
Writer: Petr Jakl (Screenplay)
Writer: Petr Jakl Sr, Petr Bok (Story)
Cast
- Ben Foster (Leave No Trace)
- Sophie Lowe (Above Suspicion)
- Michael Caine (Inception)
- Til Schweiger (Inglorious Basterds)
- Matthew Goode (The Lookout)
Plot: The story of fifteenth-century Czech icon and warlord Jan Zizka, who defeated armies of the Teutonic Order and the Holy Roman Empire.
Runtime: 2 Hours 6 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Medieval starts as the battle to see whom the rightful king of France unfolds. fearless warrior Jan Zizka (Foster) is hired to protect Lord Boresh (Caine) as he looks to put the rightful king in place. To gain an upper hand Jan’s men kidnapped Rosenberg’s (Schweiger) fiancée Katherine (Lowe).
This sets off a series of events, that leads Jan to build an army to battle against Rosenberg and Sigismund’s (Goode) men. Once it gets personal, the battle becomes clear to Katherine that she wasn’t aware of the world outside the walls.
Verdict on Medieval
Characters
Jan Zizka is a warlord that shows his enemies mercy if they join him and protects people. He is available for a price and his men are fiercely loyal to him. Jan finds himself in the middle of the battle to become king of France, willing to help the side that doesn’t hurt the innocent. After he kidnaps the future queen, he shows his compassionate side towards people.
Katherine is the soon-to-be Queen; she hasn’t seen the battles outside the walls but, once she does, she sees the wrongs being committed in the king’s name. She finds herself working with Jan to bring much-needed peace to the land.
Rosenberg and Sigismund are the men leading the attacks on Jan, keeping their deal a secret to make sure they end up where they want to.
In the supporting characters, we get to meet the different warriors willing to fight for Jan or against him. They have different strengths and bring different battles to the table.
Performances
Ben Foster is the star of the show, taking the leading role of Jan Zizka. He handles the calm side and the battle sequences well. Elsewhere in the cast, Sophie Lowe is great in her role, with Roland Moller being a perfect enemy in Torak for Jan.
Story
The story follows Jan Zizka and his battle against a rising power trying to pick the next king of France. Showing how he must use his battle knowledge and skills to battle back.
This story has plenty going on with political battles in the background, which feels more like Game of Thrones. When it comes to the battles outside the walls, we see how many different people come together in battles. It does get to play into the historical importance Jan Zizka had for his people and his military skills above anyone for the time.
Themes
Medieval is an action history movie that leads into the big battle sequences to rise above the basics it could have been. The standout sequence is the smoke-filled corner, which shows the outnumbered moment that has a unique outcome to that moment. There are other sequences that work very well for the film, bringing to life the battles placed upon.
Where to Watch: MEDIEVAL will be released in cinemas, on digital, and on-demand from 28th October.
Final Thoughts – Medieval is filled with big battle sequences that carry the slower story moments.