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Ironclad Holds
Director Jonathan English’s New Movie Surprises
Ironclad is Jonathan English’s dramatic portrayal of the siege of Rochester in the year 1215, waged by the bitter and recently deposed King John of England (Paul Giamatti), who, after having been defeated and forced to surrender his sovereign power to the people of England through the signing of the Magna Carta, sought to reclaim his throne with the help of a small army of Danish mercenaries and the blessing of the Pope. Under the leadership of Baron Albany (Brian Cox) and a mysterious Templar knight named Thomas Marshall (James Purefoy), a band of unlikely heroes gathers together for a “300” style showdown to stop the advancing army long enough for support to arrive.
English’s greatest triumph is the way that he presents the siege as an aesthetic event: the viewer is oddly aware that the battle is taking place on film, yet the emotion and intensity of war is conveyed powerfully. At times, though only subtly, the audience will notice the sun’s glare, water and blood splatter on the camera lens – small details that communicate the seriousness of the fighting. The images are intensified by a powerful score. In close-quarters combat the camera shakes violently with the characters’ movements, not great for someone who experiences motion-induced nausea but an effect that contributes to the aesthetic nature of the film. The end result was a film that beautifully portrayed the graphic realities of what was no doubt a vicious conflict.
Unfortunately, despite a couple of commendable performances, Ironclad falls a bit short when it comes to plot and dialogue. Disregarding any historical inaccuracies (though English seems to have done his research and portrayed the siege as accurately as a dramatic interpretation derived from what few historical records may exist on the subject) the story felt somewhat contrived. In particular, the romance between Thomas and a sexually repressed lady of Rochester castle (Kate Mara) plays out too concisely to be believable, even if it is cliché. In many places, the dialogue is somewhat predictable, unnatural, and too predicative of what’s to come in the next scene. Luckily, English’s portrayal of pain, sacrifice, fear and suspense of the siege will pull you to the true focus of the film: the glorious assertion of human rights by the people of England. The film is graphic and gory. But that’s the price you pay for some high-quality medieval ass-kicking.