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THE RECKONING Send This Review to a Friend
If you are looking for a film that's different with some interesting things to say about the historical development of theater, an injustice, a crisis of conscience and the urge for redemption, all wrapped in a Middle Ages setting that provides a look at the times from a particular perspective, try "The Reckoning." The film, directed by Paul McGuigan, is based on Barry Unsworth's novel "Morality Play." Although it does some plot stretching to wrap everything up neatly, the film works up excitement as a rag-tag theatrical troupe gets involved in righting a wrong.
The scene is rural England in 1380. Paul Bettany, prominent this year for his role in "Master and Commander," plays Nicholas, a priest who flees for his life when caught in bed with a woman from his parish, a violation of his teachings as articulated in his sermon. There's more that we learn later. While desperately on the run, he encounters a struggling theater company accustomed to presenting religious plays of the time. The troupe has been sent to perform as a gift from one noble to another.
The actors are led by Martin (Willem Dafoe in a strong performance), who has just performed euthanasia on his dying father in accordance with his father's wishes. Now Martin is the leader of the company, and Nicholas wants to join and learn to act. It is also a shield for him. At first he is rejected, but then, at Martin's urging, he is accepted for minor roles. Gina McKee plays Martin's sister, another member of the company.
When arriving at the destination, the actors come upon the condemnation to death of a deaf-mute, Martha (Elvira Minguez), for the murder of a boy. Gradually, the actors are drawn into the realization that she is an innocent scapegoat for much darker doings involving the powerful Lord De Guise, an evil ruler played by Vincent Cassel, and caught up in the political passions of the time in which oppressed peasants revolt. The actors eventually stage a play for the villagers that reveals the truth, and it is a step toward the type of changes to take place, with theater groups moving beyond religious plays to perform plays that deal with broader subjects.
"The Reckoning" is rich in period atmosphere, from the look of the village built specially in Spain as a stand-in, to the inclusion of the dreaded plague that was sweeping Europe at the time. The story, scripted by Mark Mills, is intense and engrossing, if somewhat pat. But this is a film very different from run of the mill movies, and the need to rescue an innocent woman condemned to be hanged reverberates for our own time, when so many people on death row have been exonerated. It is also a deeply personal story in which a priest must come to terms with what he has done, yet another relevancy. A Paramount Classics release.
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