 An Exiled Priest. A Mysterious Murder. A Crime Of Passion. Willem Dafoe (Shadow of the Vampire) and Paul Bettany (Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World) deliver powerful performances in this riveting story of temptation, murder and redemption. Against the turbulent backdrop of England during the Middle Ages, a priest (Bettany), on the run from his disgraceful past, encounters a ragtag band of traveling actors who are searching for their next performance. Soon after arriving together at an unknown village, the troupe discovers that a mute woman has been sentenced to death for the murder of a local boy. To seek out the truth, the leader of the actors (Dafoe) decides to break tradition of performing biblical plays and stages a performance based on the alleged facts of the crime. Suddenly the stage becomes the setting for solving a spellbinding murder-mystery...one that will reveal the power of art, the temptation of evil and the ultimate cost of justice. Cast Notes: Paul Bettany (Nicholas), Marián Aguilera (Nicholas' Lover), Trevor Steedman (Jealous Husband), Simon McBurney (Stephen), Tom Hardy (Straw), Brian Cox (Tobias), Willem Dafoe (Martin), Gina McKee (Sarah), Stuart Wells (Springer [as George Wells]), Vincent Cassel (Lord De Guise), Elvira Mínguez (Martha), Richard Durden (Town Justice), Ewen Bremner (Simon Damian), Mark Benton (Sheriff), Hamish McColl (Innkeeper). User Comment: Harusame More Films Like this?!, 18 February 2004 • 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. Summary: Why There Aren't More Films Like this?!. User Comment: squishyjelly from Phoenix, 28 March 2004 • 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. Summary: Tremendous. IMDb Rating (04/26/06): 6.5/10 from 1,029 users
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