THE RECKONING is an unusually layered mystery dealing with corrupt leaders in the 1300s. Nicholas (Paul Bettany, MASTER & COMMANDER: THE FAR SIDE OF THE WORLD) is a priest on the run – for he has been caught sleeping with another man’s wife and maybe an even worse crime. He comes upon a troupe of actors led by Martin (Willem Dafoe, THE ENGLISH PATIENT), who takes him in to fill a hole in the cast after one of their member’s dies.
They arrive at a town, run by Lord De Guise (Vincent Cassel, IRREVERISIBLE) and discover that a young boy has been recently murdered for which a deaf and dumb woman named Martha (Elvira Minguez, THE DANCER UPSTAIRS) stands to hang for the crime. Martin’s Bible-inspired plays have been doing poorly so he decides to put on the story of the murdered boy. Troupe member Tobias (Brian Cox, THE 25TH HOUR) doesn’t like the idea, because the story was not given to them by God. However, he is outvoted by the other members, including Martin's sister Sarah (Gina McKee, ATONEMENT), who is fascinated by Nicholas' mysterious persona. When Nicholas and Martin go to visit the accused for research, they discover a thicker mystery than they thought. As a way to cleanse his soul, Nicholas takes it upon himself to find the truth, which leads to complications that he couldn’t have expected.
The film has solid performances, especially from Dafoe, whom crafts his thespian as worldly and strange and surprisingly flexible. Bettany gives his priest a human quality, a man motivated by more complex feelings than simple guilt. Cox's Tobias is the kind of person who would have complaints even on the best day of his life. What's special about these medieval characters feel like real characters of the era, not modern voices playing masquerade.
The surprisingly layered plot goes one way than turns down a different path once obstacles get in the way. Characters can't just force past them just because that's where the plot was destined to go. The film is thoughtful about its subject matter and doesn’t paint the tale as a black and white battle between the rich and the poor. The themes deal with redemption, sin, power and truth. In an age when superstition was just as rampant than disease, truth is a rare luxury. THE RECKONING is an unexpected gem of a thriller – uniquely set and surprisingly thoughtful.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
