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Movies / Upcoming / The Reckoning
The Reckoning

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The Reckoning (2004)

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Reviews Counted:84

Fresh:34

Rotten:50

Average Rating:5.6/10

Consensus: A talky, ponderous movie.

Runtime: 1 hr 50 mins

Genre: Dramas

US Box Office: $0

Synopsis: Set in England during the late 1300s, Paul McGuigan's THE RECKONING follows Nicholas (Paul Bettany), a young priest literally running from his past. After encountering a band of wandering actors,... Set in England during the late 1300s, Paul McGuigan's THE RECKONING follows Nicholas (Paul Bettany), a young priest literally running from his past. After encountering a band of wandering actors, Nicholas is grudgingly allowed into the fold by the good-natured Martin (Willem Dafoe). When the troupe reaches an impoverished village, they get word of a strange murder and look into the story as the basis for a new play. However, Nicholas and Martin uncover more than they'd expected, and soon a deeper mystery emerges. Meanwhile, as Nicholas attempts to find justice, he also struggles to come to terms with his own troubled history. A medieval murder mystery in the vein of THE NAME OF THE ROSE, THE RECKONING is based on the Barry Unsworth novel MORALITY PLAY. Under the artfully somber direction of previous collaborator McGuigan, Bettany turns in an excellent performance as a guilt-ridden priest struggling to atone for his sins. In addition to Dafoe, the film also features fine supporting actors such as Brian Cox and Gina McKee. Utilizing its historical backdrop to the fullest extent, THE RECKONING immerses the audience in its medieval setting, revealing the period's many hardships and enhancing the drama of this intriguing, unfolding mystery. [More]

Starring: Willem Dafoe, Paul Bettany, Brian Cox, Gina McKee

Starring: Willem Dafoe, Paul Bettany, Brian Cox, Gina McKee, Ewen Bremner, Vincent Cassel, Simon McBurney

Director: Paul McGuigan

Director: Paul McGuigan
Screenwriter: Mark Mills
Producer: Caroline Wood
Composer: Adrian Lee, Mark Mancina
Studio: Paramount Classics

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Reviews for The Reckoning

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
10/30/06
Time Out
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Independent | comment Comment
03/06/05
Independent

[It's] a film with a lot on its mind -- perhaps too much. ... As it is, philosophical dilemmas spread through the film like a plague until they finally claim its life.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
02/01/05
Jeffrey Overstreet
Jeffrey Overstreet
Christianity Today

It's disappointing that The Reckoning devolves into a costumed murder mystery a la Jean-Jacques Annaud's 1986 film of Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose.

Full Review Source: Arkansas Democrat-Gazette | comment Comment
01/29/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Although raising intriguing questions about the moral obligation dramatists have to throw a spotlight on taboo subjects, The Reckoning offers simplistic solutions.

Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
06/08/04
Stella Papamichael
Stella Papamichael
BBC

Builds cleverly as the mystery deepens, then struggles to bring it all to a conclusion.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
06/05/04
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

A well-done murder mystery.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
06/03/04
Meg Jones
Meg Jones
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Wraps itself around Bettany’s guilty secrets like a hot-water bottle, leaving more interesting characters in the moral cold

Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
06/02/04
James Christopher
James Christopher
Times [UK]
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A multilayered snapshot of a decayed and disintegrating feudal system that richly develops themes and characters with an eerie modern resonance.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
05/13/04
Mark Halverson
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review

It is, despite the distractions, just a simple murder story, and the revelations in the end are hardly surprising or noteworthy.

Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
04/24/04
Eric D. Snider
Eric D. Snider
EricDSnider.com

As an existential awakening into the light and triumph of rational thought over superstition, it's an engaging film, but as a murder mystery it plods along as though weighted down by the heavens and more.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
04/17/04
Marc Savlov
Marc Savlov
Austin Chronicle

A challenging and thought-provoking film.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
04/16/04
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

… the premise and setting that are intriguing, but the obvious foreshadowing and labored attempt to slowly unravel the facts surrounding the plot are drawbacks.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas CityLife | comment Comment
04/09/04
Matt Kelemen
Matt Kelemen
Las Vegas CityLife

All that black, combined with the mundanity of the second act, induces us to close our eyes.

Full Review Source: Arizona Daily Star | comment Comment
04/09/04
Phil Villarreal
Phil Villarreal
Arizona Daily Star

May be as dreary and hopeless as the Middle Ages themselves.

Full Review Source: eye WEEKLY | comment Comment
04/09/04
Jason Anderson
Jason Anderson
eye WEEKLY

The interesting insights give way to undercover constables, and gut-spilling villains

Full Review Source: Movie Habit | comment Comment
04/09/04
Marty Mapes
Marty Mapes
Movie Habit

Collapses under the weight of unlikely melodrama and over-pretty visual flourishes...

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
04/05/04
John Beifuss
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Nitrate Online | comment Comment
04/05/04
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
Nitrate Online

It's as if the filmmakers had a 14th-century audience in mind, one that had never seen a movie.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
04/02/04
Marc Mohan
Marc Mohan
Oregonian
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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Latest News for The Reckoning

June 22, 2005: Trailer Bulletin: MirrorMask
It may not be as high-profile as many of 2005's A-list fantasy flicks, but "MirrorMask" is something that fans of fanciful cinema will absolutely want to keep an eye... More...

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