Andrew Garfield is really good in this. It looked like he took this role seriously and managed to pull off quiet determination. All of the uprising was happening because of the 'ploughman' yet he was the last person you would expect to be like this. When it is made clear that he is basically Robin Hood then it makes the character a lot more interesting and I wish they had done this earlier in the film. Thomasin McKenzie was quite good as Alyce. The character was a little underwritten but I thought that McKenzie managed to squeeze every interesting drop out of the character and was a good supporting presence to the Ploughman.
It took me a long time to realise that Jamie Bell was in this movie. He has shaved his head and also it's been a while since I saw him in something so he managed to sneak into the film as John Ball. He was usually referred to as the Heretic that just that one name made him interesting although Bell deserves a lot of praise for what he did in the film. I thought that Woody Norman was really good as King Richard. He is trying to be some sort of king but when he listens to his advisors and sees it going wrong then he just seems to double down. He was utterly unlikeable and the fact that he wasn't killed but allowed to be suffering from his nightmares is perhaps the best punishment for the King.
There was a scene where the King and the advisors are looking over a map as the people get closer and the way that it was directed and acted reminded you that this was a Paul Greengrass film. Paul Greengrass manages to make this film entertaining which given there aren't that many action scenes and he can't use tank or guns or anything like that and still make the film work shows how good a director he is. Credit also has to go to Volker Bertelmann for another great soundtrack after working wonders on Conclave and All Quiet on the Western Front. The costume designers Godena-Jihasz Attila and Toth Andras did a great job with the costumes and the cinematography was also stunning and made 14th century look like an interesting place to visit despite the horrible stuff that was happening.
This was a mystery screening at my local cinema and it was one of the best ones for a long time. I really enjoyed this film even though its not a big action packed film but Greengrass manages to make stories that don't have the biggest range in terms of drama and make them interesting and at 128 minutes it does not outstay its welcome. I thought that it was an interesting story with great performances and it is the best Robin Hood story of the year which isn't something I thought I would right.
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