Product Description

Set in 14th century England, THE RECKONING focuses on Nicholas (Bettany), a young priest who has broken his vow of chastity and in turn becomes a fugitive, escaping from his fellow monks and their judgment. Posing as an actor in a traveling acting troupe, Nicholas, along with the actors, discovers that a young woman convicted of killing a boy is actually innocent and the troupe sets out to prove her innocence by incorporating the crime into their plays.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40436 in DVD
• Released on: 2004-08-03
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 112 minutes

From The New Yorker
Adapted from Barry Unsworth's novel "Morality Play," Paul McGuigan's film strives to be a brooding medieval drama. The fantastic sets and cinematography lure the audience into a sobering fourteenth-century story about a disgraced priest (Paul Bettany) who, after he joins a band of travelling actors (headed by Willem Dafoe), tries to solve the murder of a child. The action centers on the play the group of actors writes in an attempt to unravel the crime. The film begins promisingly, and Bettany provides another outstanding performance, but it bogs down when the focus shifts toward the making of the play rather than concentrating on the mystery itself. -Bruce Diones
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Traveling actors in medieval England solve a murder
This 2004 film is set in medieval England in the year 1300. Paul Bettany plays the role of a priest who has been discovered in an act of adultery and has to run for his life. He meets up with a traveling troupe of actors whose leader is Willem Dafoe, and the group enters a town in the hope of making a few shillings and having their traveling cart repaired.

The townspeople are not interested in their play because there is a real life drama unfolding around them. A mute woman is accused of witchcraft and sentenced to hang for the murder of a young boy. The players decide to produce a play about that incident and Willem Dafoe visits her in her jail cell where she tells her story through sign language. Convinced of her innocence, they produce a new play. But naturally there are complications.

Filmed in Spain and England, the feeling of the times, and especially of the dirt, disease and poverty are captured well. The story is a good one although a little hard to follow. But, by the end, however, I understood it perfectly. Acting was uniformly good and I did feel the complexities of such an ambitious plot. However, the film editing could have been better. In one scene particularly, there were a few discordant spots that would have been better left on the cutting room floor.

Also, in spite of the attempts of the producers, this was no Shakespearean play. And although I did enjoy it, it was always from an outsider's perspective. I never really got caught up in the emotion.

I was also hoping for some extras on the DVD because I would have liked to go a little bit behind the scenes. But, alas, there was none.

Generally, I think this film was good. And it does get my recommendation. It just doesn't belong at the top of my list.

Medieval Murder Mystery
The Reckoning is yet another wonderful piece of filmmaking that slipped under most people's radar. A 13th Century murder mystery it is visually stunning, mixing barbaric with modern sensibilities (sometimes a bit too much).

Paul Bettany is Father Nicholas a young, dishonored priest now fugitive fleeing his outraged parish for his life. Eventually meeting up with a troupe of traveling actors headed by Martin (Willem Dafoe) their roaming ends up in a village where a mute woman is to be put to death for the murder of a young boy.

Nicholas, Martin and company alter their morality plays to reflect the injustice surrounding them upsetting the authorities and much of the populace. Oh yeah, and then there's the plague!

A fascinating movie The Reckoning will probably not be to everyone's liking, but if you enjoy period pieces particularly medieval, this one features a terrific cast and is emotionally satisfying as well as theatrically compelling.

MORALITY PLAY
THE RECKONING is a handsome, evocative drama set in 1300 England, a land bereft with poverty, plague and cruelty. A disgraced priest, wonderfully embodied by Paul Bettany, leaves the priesthood and joins up with a traveling band of actors, led by the ubiquitous and effective Willem Dafoe. They enter a village where a deaf mute woman has been convicted of the murder of a young lad. Evidence uncovered by the actors convinces them that the woman is innocent, and they set out to prove it by staging an original play, something out of the ordinary for the times. Most plays were religiously oriented, and this departure spoke of things to come. How the actors, particularly Bettany, come to prove the young woman's innocence forms the core of the movie, and although slow in pacing, it is nevertheless intriguing and very well done. Vincent Cassel as the Lord Dubose, Matthew McFadyen as the King's Justice and Brian Cox as one of the actors are outstanding in supporting roles.
A Very atmospheric film, quite original in its context (although NAME OF THE ROSE entered this territory earlier). A good and different film.