This film was a total surprise for me. I went to see it without any pre conceived ideas; I had no clue what to expect. I based my decision on the the strength of the cast here assembled. It proved me right, as this is a movie that is very satisfying without being pretentious, or preachy.

It is, without a doubt, a major achievement for its director, Paul McGuigan. It probably would be intimidating to undertake a project of this magnitude and still bring together all the right elements to make this film enjoyable. The only sad part is that it seems this film is not getting its fair share the way it's being marketed, at least in this country.

Paul Bettany is amazing as the young priest who commits a terrible sin and has to leave the security of his church. He is fortunate to meet with the kind hearted Martin, and his troupe of players. William Dafoe is very good as the principal actor in this group. Brian Cox's role is brief, but he is very effective. Elvira Minguez has no dialogue at all, but her presence is crucial to the story and her Martha adds another layer to the story.

Despite the different acting styles and accents, the story keeps the viewer engrossed in the story. I do hope it will get the audience it sadly needs, for this is a much better film than the silly stuff being offered these days.

Nikolas (Paul Bettany) is a 14th (or so) century priest with a guilty conscience. Guilty of adultery, he exiles himself to the countryside and casts his lot with a group of itinerant theatrical players lead by Martin (DaFoe). Though Nikolas has no discernible acting talent, the troupe begins to grow attached to him, especially as he develops an interest in the mystery of the disappearance and death of several young boys in a small town the players have come to visit. Nikolas exhumes the corpse, attracting the attention and ire of the local magistrate, and discovers a cover-up and conspiracy which his conscience can not allow to go unexposed. Since the courts, the local law enforcement, the church and the local nobility will not listen, Nikolas must plead his case to the citizenry. The troupe takes up the task using their well honed talents.

This is a very clever, well written, very well filmed, carefully planned piece of historical fiction. The medieval period is portrayed with far greater accuracy and sensitivity than the usual contemporary film affords, though its cleanliness is a bit absurd, the set is magnificent and reminiscent of Herzog's talents in creating a historic context. The language of the film is also as authentic as it could be without resorting to archaic tongues few would understand. The acting is exceptional, though a couple of Bettany's soliloquies were a little predictably presented (he seems to do a lot of this sort of thing) with DaFoe and Gina McKee providing especially touching and intense performances.

The acting and strong script combine to make The Reckoning as good as a character study as it is as a dramatic mystery. It is not, however, a fast paced thriller and will undoubtedly disappoint those used to the style of mystery currently in vogue - that is guns-a-blazin' sex and violence-decorated kill-fests. If you're not in the mood for a slow-moving but intense film experience, avoid The Reckoning. If you want to be immersed in a different, but very real, world, and experience a contemporary issue through the eyes of those who live in that world, see it.

I read the book first (Morality Play by W. Unsworth, very charming, with sophisticated plot about almost philosophical issues of truth and its interpretations) and then I found out there was a movie made according to it and allready re-run several times on the czech version of HBO TV channel.

I watched The Reckoning only few weeks ago and I think it is a very beautiful movie. Not that moving as it might have been, but beautiful to watch. Well, after a little dissappointment /movie's major issue and its somewhat morbid ending are VERY different from the book/. But only because I was expecting something.

The Reckoning catches - best of all "medieval" films I have seen - the atmosphere of medieval society, which seem so very oppressive to us, with its fears and firmly given orders and the necessity to belong somewhere, be a member of a defined group - or not to be. This is gloomy. The plot is not made exactly as a thriller - not much surprising. Its major point is, I gues, to make viewers feel, as if they were inside the story, could touch the real people. And the characters feel as real people, reserved towards strangers and not pretending warmth, when not feeling it.

It is played wonderfully. Bettany is amazing as melancholic hero-anti-hero, who sruggles with his fears and overcomes it, Dafoe is real master actor with slight tendencies to manipate the others, realistic but brave enough to join the desperate outcast and do something good and almost suicidal, Cox is down-to-earth old man, McKee is silent medieval woman with no voice within the group.And the major villain Cassel is a charismatic dictator-nihilist, who enjoys cat-mouse plays. See it while you can :-).

The yarn talks upon a priest (Paul Bettany) who is joined with a comedian actors troupe (Willem Dafoe, Gina McKee, Brian Cox , among others). They will arrive in a village with a rousing castle ruled by a tyrant (Vincent Cassel). There happens one murder and is framed a deaf-mute woman (Elvira Minguez). The priest discovers the killing has occurred and attempt to solve it by recreating the crime in a play .

The film deals with Dark Ages , it's time of destruction , hunger, deceases and rampage . It's developed in 14th century , England , during King Richard's time , the Normans vanquished Saxons . War and pest originated millions of deaths . The story mingles medieval set , drama, suspense , sexual situations , a love story and is entertaining enough . The motion picture was in great majority directed in Spain (Andalucia) and has breathtaking scenarios . The movie obtained a limited success , in the United States got a resounding flop and achieved a lukewarm reception by the public ; however Europe attained more box office because is a European film more than American . The picture gets a certain resemblance to ¨The name of the rose¨ , thus the Medieval time , suspense , thrills and intrigue about killing . The main actors are very well , Paul Bettany and Willem Dafoe's interpretations are top notch likeness to support cast as Brian Cox, Ewen Bremmer, James Cosmo, Matthew Mac Fadden , all of them are outstanding . Cinematography by Peter Soba is magnificent and Mark Mancina's musical score is atmospheric . The movie is correctly directed by Paul McGuigan.

Rating : Good. Well worth watching.

The Reckoning really is a medieval thriller. Most of the people you ask what do you expect from a medieval movie will tell you that they'll see a bunch of guys in metal armors with large swords beating the living daylight out of each other. The Reckoning is more like The Name Of The Rose (1986). All the `good' guys aren't goodie little two-shoes and all the bad guys aren't evil, malicious, arrogant royals with black hearts. There are a lot of similarities with In The Name Of The Rose (1986). A young runaway priest meets a group of actors, joins them and they set off for the nearest town. Upon arrival they witness the trial of a deaf-mute woman who supposedly killed a boy in a nearby woods. Driven by guilt (for setting a play with misinterpreted story) actors decide to take the case in their own hands and solve the murder. Cast is very good. Paul Bettany really is a good actor. He's come a long way since A Knight's Tale (2001) and A Beautiful Mind (2001). Willem Defoe is truly magnificent. He's one of those actors that can play any given part and in The Reckoning he plays the leader of the actors, with ideas way ahead of his time. Brian Cox although has little screen time cannot be unnoticed. Gina McKee sucks, and I don't know what is she doing in this movie. Probably the producers wanted a woman character in the story so writers made up Sarah. Blah. Vincent Cassel is excellent as a blue-blooded count. Not much lines dough. I strongly recommend this film, for it is one of the best thrillers that has appeared in a past few years. If you liked In The Name Of The Rose (1986), I think you'll love this film too. And vice versa.

I've watched this movie 4 times in the last three days, and I'm still not sure I've grokked all of its subtleties yet. Beautiful, yes -- the village set is a series of enclosures, mazes within mazes, that contribute to the entrapped mood surrounding the characters. Even in the scenes outside the village, the woods and hills close in around the actors, like the enfolding wings and backdrops of a stage. The closeups are unsettlingly revealing - filthy fingers with smooth nails using a sharp, rough flint to cut hair down to the scalp....dark eyes revealing everything and nothing....a hand laid caressingly near the jugular....strong fingers....and Paul Bettany's disturbing blue eyes. I can't say enough about Bettany's take on the outcast priest -- he manages moral outrage and submissive pathos with equal ease, and his smiles always have a hint of tears behind them. A haunting performance -- I would go across the world to see Bettany play Hamlet or Macbeth.

The Reckoning is a fantastic film that embraces all the aspects of a period piece, a drama, and a mystery. The plot is a beautiful mixture of good vs. evil, man vs. man, man vs. himself, and man vs. God. The younger style of Bettany mixed with the classic styles of Dafoe and Cox mirror the plot's various themes. Cinematography (not just what we see, but what the characters see) contributes tremendously to the heart of the story. The basis of the film, "The truth shall come to light," will leave you with a sense of needed self-discovery and/or reconciliation to a new breed of life. I hope all who see this work of art will experience, as displayed in the film, a "Reckoning" of their own.

A gem of a film. Artistic without being pretentious, moving without being cliché. Paul Bettany is completely believable as a tormented priest, Willem Dafoe is as always intense and a joy to watch. The movie takes place in the dark ages mostly in a small outpost in the English countryside. A woman is wrongly accused of murder and a traveling troupe of actors, lead by Dafoe, enters the town and becomes involved in clearing her name of the accusation.

I was most impressed with the set they used for the village, it's incredible. The set immerses you in the desperate and dramatic feel of the film properly. The film has an authentic theatrical feel to it. More like it's being acted on stage rather than on location. I recommend this well acted tale.

There were several reasons why I was looking forward to seeing this movie: 1) An appealing genre: It was said to be a movie in the class of 'The Name of the Rose', which is great, 2) an appealing plot, 3) an appealing trailer, which is just mesmerizing, and 4) an appealing cast, with actors such as Bettany, Dafoe and Cassel. I did find it both entertaining and including much of the right, somber mood, but still it missed something as a movie. It was just not convincing enough. I had a strong feeling that quite a few of the actors didn't fit their characters, I didn't feel anything about the characters as a spectator, the setting wasn't authentic enough, and the dramatic development was rather weak. It started out very promising, but somehow it never came to its right. But what I really enjoyed about this movie was that it was a great tribute to the art of acting. Moreover, there are great costumes and music. Actually, I would have preferred it to be a (traveling) play rather than a movie... :-) However, Paul Bettany freaks (like me) should absolutely not miss it.

Director Paul McGuigan gathers a team of excellent actors in this medieval mystery drama. This is not an easy genre, although there are excellent books to start from and at least one film to remember, 'The Name of the Rose' that was a great success a couple of decades ago. In 'Reckoning' the staging of the action is very good, the characters are strong and credible, and the atmosphere of the time - 14th century England - makes it to the screen. The story of an ex-priest joining a group of actors who get involved in a crime and wrong justice story in a village they perform is quite interesting, at least at the beginning. Paul Bettamy and William Defoe give good performances, and the rest of the team is not far behind. The problem is with the story - it starts well leading to a theater in movie scene which is the key of the whole movie. The mistake in the script is that this scene comes too early, and the rest of the story is too easy to predict and not interesting enough. I lost interest in the second half, and it looked like the director also ran out of ideas, most of the best visuals are in the first half, the second just repeats what we saw in the first and in many other films. Overall a movie above average, 7 out of 10 on my personal scale.

The mission of the movie seems to be to portray how things were in the middle ages, and while I think it's a pretty good and well-acted movie with a relevant story, I doubt that most of the main characters' actions and way of thinking are anywhere near historically accurate. The year is 1380. What's all this about voting?? And the priest's sense of justice seems just a wee bit too well-developed. And would the actors turn around to help a deaf and dumb condemned prisoner that they practically didn't know? Doesn't feel realistic to me. The movie seems glazed over with a lot of modern sentiment and sense of justice (and democracy!), which essentially turns it into light entertainment rather than a serious story. But at its heart it does have a message of showing how the powerful used to prey on the powerless (and, indirectly, how they still do today), and as such does contribute something to the current mass audience's understanding of history and the world.

7 out of 10.

Everything in the setting and art direction of this nicely done dramatic mystery is of Academy Award caliber, so why was it not nominated? It should have been.

The plot is simple but handled in a most perceptive and well-conceived manner, and makes for a riveting tale, with superb performances by nearly everyone involved. A murder mystery set in the 13th century in England, of course with the dangerous politics of aristocracy as fodder.

The fault of this film is in the portrayal of the villain, who is lacking in development and nothing more than a one-dimensional Simon Legree. One fully expects him to pull his mustache and cackle. His eventual downfall is welcome, but handled in way that just seems unrealistic for the times.

Here is a fellow who is suspected of planning a revolt against the King of England, yet he only has about 6 knights in his stable when push comes to shove? What? Then the angry villagers burn down the gigantic castle, which was the size of about the rest of the town. Right, they'd prefer to just burn it down rather than use it.

Other than that, a great film.

"The Reckoning" is one of those movies that starts off well but then falls apart in the second half.

Paul Bettany stars as Nicholas, a priest in the Middle Ages who is forced to flee his village when he is caught en flagrante with another man's wife. While hiding in the woods, he encounters a troupe of traveling actors who allow him to join their company. When they arrive at a nearby city, they discover that a woman there has just been sentenced to death for the murder of a young boy. When the troupe decides to reenact the crime in a performance for the townspeople, Nicholas, while doing the research, becomes convinced that the woman is innocent and that the lord of the town himself may be the guilty party.

For the first half hour or so, the movie has us hooked with the novelty of the setting and the masterful way in which the art direction, costume design and cinematography capture the look and feel of life in late 14th Century England. The plot in its initial stages retains just enough ambiguity to keep us intrigued about where exactly it is headed. Unfortunately, about midway through the film, the story addresses that very question and it turns out to be a not very satisfactory answer. As Nicholas becomes more and more overtly involved with solving the mystery and more and more involved in the life of the villagers, the story itself become more and more contrived and melodramatic. We simply don't believe much of what we see happening on the screen, neither the acting troupe's dramatization of the events nor Nicholas' face-to-face confrontation with the evil lord of the city. The scenes in the story are put forward in such a theatrical way that the film begins to feel less like real life and more like the movies. It probably doesn't help that Bettany and Willem Dafoe as the head of the actor's ensemble deliver fairly bland, lackluster performances.

I wanted to like "The Reckoning" very much, and for a while I really thought I would. But the elements just don't come together in any convincing, meaningful way and so we are left largely disappointed at the end.

The film pairs the director Paul McGuigan with lead actor Paul Bettany once more; Bettany was the star, though not the lead name, of McGuigan's 2000 film 'Gangster No 1', Bettany's breakthrough role.

Set in medieval/feudal times the film's plot pits the poor people, the serfs, against the noble elite, the lords. The conviction of a woman, set to be hanged, for the murder of a boy is the backdrop to a travelling group of actors of the Royal Court arriving in the hamlet to stage their uninspired morality plays based on scenes from the Bible. In their midst is a priest (Bettany), who is on the run for a crime of his own. Inspired by the murder the actors decide to stage a play of their own creation. Their enactment leads to the discovery that the condemned woman is not guilty of the murder. What follows is a series of reckonings in which there is an ultimate reckoning for the priest.

The film cast is an eclectic one (American, British and Spanish) with many well known and fine actors. Not all are well employed though Bettany, Dafoe (dodgy regional English accent aside) and Elvira Minguez (who plays the wrongfully convicted mute Martha) give strong performances. Bettany and Minguez are especially good, playing their respective roles with passion and emotion. For any Bettany fan this is highly recommended as he does what he does best - look beautiful whilst combining cynicism with earnestness.

The mood and feeling of the medieval period, sometimes described as the dark ages, is really well captured and there is a strong sense of austerity, chilliness and mystery/menace throughout. The director uses lighting well: an early scene, illustrative of this, shows Bettany cutting his hair to rid him of the emblematic hairstyle of a priest. A blue filter is used conveying ice and water metaphors for the cold existence of a priest now cast out. Moments like this make the film quite compelling viewing.

The film is rather ambitious trying to show religious collusion with corrupt politics, man's struggle with God, injustice, the lot and politics of being an actor in this era as well as ordinary moral torments. It possibly would have been more effective if the director had focused on just one of these themes.

I can imagine this gaining cult status in time not least for the scenes in which Dafoe practises Ashtanga Yoga poses.

I don't know what to mention first, the acting, music score, the costumes, the pace, the dialogue, direction, the plot, the cinematography. I am in awe. I can only imagine how it must have felt to have been involved in the making of this true work of art. It's a privilege to watch it. Every beat, every glimpse and especially the Orchestral background music which enhances and potentiates the other artistic elements. This is a play to be considered a classic and one to study for many, many years to come. From the 1300's the evolution of the play from Bible stories to drama which depict or portray real life and human characteristics and foibles, this is not only a morality play but a portrait of the evolution and art of drama. This play also demonstrates the power of the people of a place to change the status quo. The power in the end lies not with evil but in Truth. And, by the way while I'm on the subject? I'm totally flabbergasted and ashamed of the designation of R rating for this true work of art. This huge mistake just shows that as a people, we, in the USA feel that it's better to have our children watch violence and bloodshed, but true human portrayals which may include some minor sex is off limits. This masterpiece which contains true Good, Christian and other Religious Good Values we have rated "R". Good job.

This movie certainly isn't for everybody. It's a dark, rough-hewn art house style movie with virtually zero action. If you're looking for cheap thrills, big battles, and steamy romance, look elsewhere. It's a small budget, small scale medieval movie, without the best of direction. Some scenes seem unnecessary, the pacing is a little off, and the budget rears it's ugly head quite obviously in a few spots, especially near the end.

All told though this movie delivers quite a bang. The actors all give solid performances, with a lot of emotion. The visuals are stunning, with colors that reinforce the mood at every turn. The suspense, and raw emotion of the film has a killing power.

The dialog has several pointed references to modern times, which I found to be delightful. Apparently this is not to everyone's taste though.

Many people are likely to compare this to "The Name of the Rose." The plot and mood have strong similarities, and the medieval realism shines through equally well in both, but "The Reconing" seems to be faster paced, and the actors have a humility that is refreshing.

In my mind, this movie is a real gem, an unpolished beauty. I'm sad for the people that made the movie, because without advertisement, it was sheer luck that I even found it. However, I'm happy for myself that it didn't get that treatment, because it let me buy the movie for cheap, and I definitely got the better end of the bargain.

If you can find it, grab it up! Good medieval movies are hard to come by, and this should be one of the best.

Once in a while, you find a film that hardly anyone else around you knows of that has a brilliant cast and is ten times more exciting that the average Hollywood "thriller" such as, say, Seven, and is not only about the excitement of the action that goes on, but the brilliance of the acting and writing. This film, along with Snow White: A Tale of Terror and Hard Candy, is the epitome of that kind of film.

The protagonist is an awkward former priest, Nicolas, who was banished from the church for sleeping with another man's wife. After the event he runs from his village and joins a troupe of travelling actors. On their stop in another village, the actors become involved in performing a play about a village boy who was murdered only to find that they've got the wrong story and that the mute woman who stands accused of the murder is innocent. Determined to save her, Nicolas risks his own life to solve the mystery.

The film, as a whole, is brilliant with a wonderful cast and an exciting story that leaves one guessing until the very end in a pitch-perfect climax. Book purists, however, may not like the changes from the book, but I would recommend watching it with an open mind and open ears as the mystery is quite a bit more complex in the film than in the book.

As for the protagonist, knowing Paul Bettany as a very talented actor with the ability to really become the character and expose the heart and soul of the character, his performance as Nicolas is no different. As a man of God who cannot help but be human, he gives a very personal performance that makes one wonder why his wife has an Oscar and he doesn't.

Murder mysteries have always captivated the human mind for one reason or another. One only has to turn on the TV to TNT or USA and chances are that a "Law & Order" episode will be on. Setting one in the Middle Ages has plenty of possibilities, since what people knew and how they acted at the time are vastly different from what people know and do in the present day. Sadly, the result is a mess for 90% of the movie.

Nicholas (Paul Bettany) is a priest who fled his town after committing an unspeakable act. He joins up with a troupe of traveling actors (led by Willem Dafoe), and they come across a town where they perform a play. When they arrive, a deaf-mute girl has been convicted of a murder. The group of actors decide to put on a play about the crime, and while creating it, they realize that nothing is what it seems.

Few will disagree that the main purpose of a murder mystery is to not only find out who did it, but why. "The Reckoning" accomplishes this, to be sure, but it's nearly impossible to figure out what is going on. Granted, a good mystery keeps the audience hanging until the end, but the protagonist is not supposed to get ahead of the viewer. That's what happens here. While everything is explained in the final 20 minutes, that means that for for over an hour and a half the film is an irritating mess.

Additionally, this film relies on the viewer to not ask some questions about the common knowledge at the time. I have read posts on IMDb questioning this, and I have my doubts as well. I won't say what it is, but if you watch the movie, you'll wonder the same thing.

The acting isn't standout at all. The actors simply do what is required of them, but they could have been played by anyone. Willem Dafoe tries to add a little spice with his subtly curious accent, but there's really not enough material to do anything really original with. The exception is Elvira Minguez, who despite not being able to speak or hear, manages to gain our sympathy.

Paul McGuigan knows how to make a film look nice, but he doesn't know how to make it make sense. The setting is very authentic, and everything LOOKS great, but the story construction brings everything down. His later feature, "Lucky Number Slevin," suffered from a similar problem, but not as bad. McGuigan keeps the pace up, but the the plot twists are barely emphasized at all, many are almost "blink and miss." Worse, he leaves some of the key elements to the imagination when they shouldn't be. Finally, he doesn't have much control over his actors' accents, some of which are so thick that it's impossible to understand what they are saying.

Overall, it's another film that looks better than it really is.

In 1380, in England, after committing two capital sins, the priest Nicholas (Paul Bettany) leaves the habit and joins a troupe of players leaded by Martin (Willen Dafoe). The group arrives in a small village in the lands of Lord De Guise (Vincent Cassel), where a boy has been recently murdered. Martin convinces the players to perform the crime on the stage, and Nicholas finds the hidden truth about the mysterious death.

A couple of days ago I saw the trailer of "The Reckoning", I liked and I decided to see this movie. What a great surprise! The riveting story is very well directed and acted, with another spectacular performance of this great actor Paul Bettany; has an original screenplay, with a dramatic full of mystery story and excellent lines and dialogs. I particularly liked the definition of the cynical Lord De Guise, something like "that between faith and reason lays the true God: power". There is a great mistake about 96 minutes, when Lord De Guise is discussing with Nicholas, and his lips are not moving in a certain shot. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Um Crime de Paixão" ("A Crime of Passion")

Both Paul Bettany and Willem Dafoe consistently make quality, often surprising choices, whether they pick "art films" or big, commercial Hollywood films like Firewall and Spider-Man as projects. The Reckoning is no exception. This "medieval thriller" is unusual in many respects, all of them good, and although "thriller" is apt in a way, the focus here is as much on cultural changes in the immediate pre-Renaissance era.

Bettany plays Nicholas, a priest who has committed questionable crimes and who has subsequently fled his home and at least outwardly abandoned his calling as he quests for repentance. He meets up with a traveling band of actors whose master player has just died. Martin (Dafoe), the previous master player's son, has inherited the title. Because a bridge is out, they have to take a different path than they intended, and they happen upon a feudal village where a woman has just been convicted of murdering a young boy.

Various complications arise, and The Reckoning becomes a quest to solve a series of crimes. At the same time, Nicholas continues on his goal of repentance and we see the beginnings of a cultural clash between progressive, Renaissance-like ideas and the more traditional religious and feudal society. These clashes are even represented within the acting troupe, among different members, and as a struggle within Nicholas.

The period/costume drama production design is handled beautifully. Novelist Barry Unsworth and the filmmakers seem to have done a lot of research towards getting various facets of daily life correct for the era. The story is handled very smoothly, and it is complex enough that it could have easily turned into a mess. The settings are gorgeous to look at--much of the film was shot on location in Spain and the UK. And Paul McGuigan's direction and the cast's performances are excellent. Period/costume drama is still a genre that I sometimes have difficulty "sinking into" as a viewer--too often there's kind of a pretentious "this is fine/high drama" vibe given off by those films--but that's not at all a problem here.

The Reckoning provides a very nice mixture of themes and moods in a very well made, engaging film.

I really like Paul Bettany and Dafoe is either wonderful or awful depending on the role, but always worth watching. I also think Barry Unsworth, author of the book on which this film was based, is a superb writer. So when I came across this movie, I was anxious to see it, and in some ways it did not disappoint.

It was well acted. Paul and Dafoe were both good, and the supporting players were convincing. The script was weak, however. The villain was so heinous he was almost a cartoon and the motives of our hero (Bettany's character) we muddled at best. And although the villagers certainly looked like I would imagine 14th century serfs would look, they seemed to have enough leisure time to worry about social injustice and working together for a better life (when they were not searching for roots and twigs, no doubt).

It would have been a far more interesting movie if it had concerned itself with the trials and travails of the traveling players instead of trying to be an action/suspense film.

The Reckoning is only a moderately satisfying film. I enjoyed the Middle-Ages scenario and the design of the film was suitably primitive. As far as its being a murder mystery, though, I'm afraid it telegraphs its moves, leaving not much to the imagination. And while it's wonderful to see such a good ensemble of actors, they certainly did their share of carpet chewing. Paul Bettany's share of the carpet chewing, however, left me disappointed. Frankly, I don't think Bettany is heavyweight enough to be the main protagonist in this sort of film, and after seeing his wonderful performance in A Knight's Tale - especially his great comedic speech at the joust - I was somewhat disappointed to see him do a reprise of the same type of speech - though not comedic - at one point in The Reckoning. In short, Bettany's persona as a leading-man falls short of his talents as a supporting actor. He certainly can't be regarded as being on the same level as his co-star Willem Defoe, and he'd even be hard pressed to match the performance of supporting players the caliber of Brian Cox. Sorry, but good actor though he is, Bettany lacks charisma. Nevertheless, I'd like to have him to prove me wrong. In any event, go see this film. It's certainly better than 95% of the rest of the movies out there.

'The Reckoning' is set in the middle ages in England. It is the story of a priest with a past (Bettany), a troupe of travelling actors, and a murder in a small village. All is not as it appears and although the answers will probably be clear to the viewer, it is in my opinion a story worth investigating. This movie is one that got away. Paramount was slow and unenthusiastic in its distribution and marketing. That's a shame because 'The Reckoning' has a great cast and a decent story.

The basic story is about a priest with a secret, a group of travelling players and a murder in a small village where all may not be as it seems. The players (led by Willem Dafoe, Brian Cox and Gina McKee)are finding it increasingly difficult to earn a living. The only material performed are stories from the Bible and with competition from larger town guilds (Sheffield, York, Wakefield) where denizens can see everything in a week, smaller ensembles like the travelling one are finding it more difficult to survive. Upon reaching the village and learning of the recent murder (and imminent hanging of the murderer) Dafoe and players decide to perform the murder in an attempt to reinvigorate their flagging fortunes. Brian Cox has a pretty telling line after a first performance has measly results. He notes that in the old days they'd have gotten six shillings while now it's only two. This in itself was initially what attracted me to the film. It is an interesting point in theatrical history between liturgical dramas that were organized by the church and the Tudor period of English Renaissance theatre. I like to think that the film carries a subtle in-joke about the state of movie going as well: Multiplexes wiping out single theatre cinemas and part of the reason that this film didn't receive a generous release.

But I digress. The story really picks up when the troupe tries to learn about the murder so that they can perform it. They're attempt is controversial for breaking with tradition, but also for its sensational aspect (the boy has just been buried) and the fact that they're retelling isn't what the village suspects the truth to be. I'll say no more of the plot as no to spoil it. The heart of the movie is character and the lead character is Paul Bettany's priest There are some who may find the priest dim, or meddlesome. I admit it was clear pretty almost immediately who the main villain of the film was and what his crimes were. The movie for me was more interesting as one where a character who is bright but fallible tries to piece the mystery together and unravel the conspiracy. Considering the silence he works with when he asks questions, I don't think his work is that bad at putting pieces together until the inevitable conclusion.

Unintrusive score earns points, great atmosphere and good performances from a half a step behind Bettany, a world weary AC-Tor Brian Cox, imaginative and inventive Willem Dafoe and serpentine Vincent Cassel. Intelligent enough to work the little grey matter between your ears and with a decent question about salvation and redemption, 'The Reckoning' is worthwhile. Throw in a philosophical debate on the nature of a God who allows war, suffering and plague and it was enough to keep me engaged. Watch it if you can find it, 'The Reckoning' was under-rated and unfairly missed.

I enjoyed this movie immensely. The plot surrounds Nicholas, a fugitive priest who has committed a terrible crime(Paul Bettany). He joins up with a troupe of traveling actors led by Martin(Willem Dafoe)and Tobias(Brian Cox). They agree to let him join, and travel to a town in France(??). Upon their arrival, they become aware of the death of a young boy and the woman accused of the crime. It is soon apparent that the woman, Martha (Elvira Minguez) is clearly not guilty, and Nicholas and the other actors try and solve the murder by re-creating it in a play.

The plot is so thick and gritty, and filled with twists and turns. The actual events are a bit graphic and overall quite disturbing, and the end breaks my heart. The sets and costumes are more accurate than any Medieval movie I've watched in a while.

The acting is simply wonderful, although some normally great actors aren't quite given enough.(Ewen Bremner tries hard and isn't as effective as was intended)

Paul Bettany, who started out as a naked,cheeky actor in "A Knight's Tale", gives a simply stunning performance as Nicholas with as much depth and grit as anyone could ask. He's become a favorite of mine and is one of the most underrated and under-appreciated actors of today's times.

Willem Dafoe is a joy to watch, as always. He gives a heartfelt (and rather bendy and flexibly) performance. Vincent Cassel is eeeeeevvvviilllll. And damn good at it. Overall, the three principal actors mentioned above are really what carry this intense, suspenseful drama.

The film does deal with some tough issues (murder, rape, Christianity among some of them). A lot of people are calling it 'negative'. It is negative. The whole situation is negative. There's not a whole lot of joy in this movie. But the character of Nicholas is not an archetype of all Catholic priests (and I'd certainly hope not). And the movie is actually pretty relevant to somethings happening in today's worlds (RE: rich and powerful people getting away with heinous crimes without any reprimand and how society should do more about it. *coughmichaeljacksoncough*)

All in all, I enjoyed this movie a lot and will rent it or buy it to own.

**** out of ****

** HEREIN BE SPOILERS**

Recap: Nicholas de Valance (Bettany) is a priest that has fallen from his wow of chastity. In disgrace he runs away from his village and happen upon a poor traveling band of actors. Their leader has just died and after some reluctance is adopted by the band to fill the open spot. The band is now lead by the dead leader's son Martin (Dafoe) and they're heading for Durham. However, a destroyed bridge makes them to take a detour into unknown land and they end up in a village up in the mountains. They arrive just as a woman is sentenced to death for the murder of a young boy. The actors are in need of money and decide to perform. The usual play from the Bible has a bad turnout and they still need money. Martin convinces them to perform an act from the villagers own life, the story of the murder. As they research the before the play, they bribe a guard to let them speak to the woman Martha (Mínguez), who turns out to be both deaf and mute. Nicholas is convinced of her innocence and when they perform the play the audience becomes agitated. The local sheriff threatens the actors to make them leave town, but Nicholas is obsessed to find the truth and stay when the others leave. There are deeper and darker secrets buried with the boy, but Nicholas too carries his own secrets...

Comments: A thriller set in medieval times, even sometimes get the feel of CSI Medieval. The story is told in a slow and calm manner, but I never found it dull or boring (but some might). There was always something little to think about or some little mystery behind the next corner. The scenery and costumes were done well. However the real attraction was to see the stellar acting. Both Paul Bettany and Willem Dafoe are amazingly good. I believe Vincent Cassel and Matthew MacFadyen should be mentioned as well, even if the entire cast was very good. Had the story kept up with the acting it would have been a tremendously good movie, now the story lagged a little behind, though it was still good. So, in numbers... a weak 8 out of ten...

8/10