As The Reckoning unfolds onscreen, somewhere in the audience there is a television executive thinking to himself, "I've got it! A new spinoff of C.S.I. … set in the 1380s!"

The Reckoning is an old-fashioned medieval murder mystery, full of priests, traveling entertainers, dank stony passageways, and castle dungeons. But it is told with a modern sensibility—its hero is forward-thinking, preoccupied with the empirical analysis of dead bodies. The "dark ages," as they were called before the Enlightenment came along and cured all our ills with science and technology (yes, that's sarcasm), were a hard time for investigators. After all, there were no police helicopters, no fingerprint databases, no cell phones, and the authorities were about as interested in peasant affairs as they were in cattle affairs. Autopsies were a real mess. Forensic science was in its infancy. And it was hard to tell one suspect from the next because of the popularity of dark cowls, cloaks and hoods.

Nicholas (Master and Commander's Paul Bettany) is a fugitive priest running from angry villagers who caught him in adultery. Fearful and wounded by guilt, he disguises himself by cutting his hair, pulling up his hood, and resembling the Satan in Mel Gibson's The Passion of The Christ.

During his flight through foggy ol' England, he stumbles onto a not-so-merry band of players, the sort that Hamlet was so happy to see rumbling into town. The actors have recently suffered the loss in their family, and Nicholas eagerly volunteers to step in and fill the void. The company is not thrilled with the idea, for reasons that they keep to themselves. But their leader Martin (Willem Dafoe) accepts Nicholas due to a certain like-mindedness. This sets grouchy old Tobias (Bryan Cox) to grumbling about how the company held to better standards back in the old days when Martin's father was in charge. Meanwhile, Martin's sister Sarah (Gina McKee) is immediately drawn to the hunted, haunted priest, and you can see that she will eventually become his next temptation.

The players set up shop in the village surrounding a mountainside castle, where the poor people in the service of the dour and dastardly Lord De Guise (Vincent Cassel of Irreversible, Read My Lips, and the upcoming Oceans Twelve) are unsettled by the recent murder of a young boy. When Martin's production of "Adam and Eve" does poorly at the box office, he seizes upon an unconventional and controversial idea. Why not cast off this confining tradition of performing the same old Bible stories? Why not play something relevant, timely, and of great interest to the locals? He convinces his party to gather the details of the boy's death and then to perform a speculative re-enactment of the events.

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Soon, there's standing room only in the courtyard. The play's the most dramatic thing to visit town since the plague, and it's so effective that it stirs up dissension over the production's historical accuracy. Simon (Ewan Bremner), the local monk who found the dead boy, becomes indignant and agitated while De Guise's unruly enforcers rattle their weapons at the increasingly unruly crowd.

Suspicious, Nicholas and Martin visit the accused woman, an imprisoned mute named Martha (Elvira Minguez). She of course casts doubt on the verdict, so the two players begin a frantic, dangerous investigation that leads to confrontations, deceit, more murders, and the revelation that not everyone lurking about town is what they seem.

It is strange that there are not more films set in a context as promising, mysterious, and compelling as this. 1985's Ladyhawke overcame an incongruous rock-and-roll soundtrack to become one of a delightfully funny, romantic, and suspenseful adventure film—arguably Richard Donner's best. 1986's The Name of the Rose was a tragic oversimplification of Umberto Eco's novel, but the film had a dark enchantment all its own. More recent attempts have been lamentable failures, none worse than Brian Helgeland's The Order. But Nicholas's bit of detective work most resembles the stories of another monk investigator—television's Cadfael (Derek Jacobi) whose powers of observation rival those of Sherlock Holmes. Both monks have inklings of a rationality-driven future in the midst of their superstitious, primitive world.

The intrigue of medieval mysteries comes, I propose, from the way that the prominent elemental aspects of that world—stone, fire, swords, horses, dark woods, fortresses—lend themselves to metaphor more easily than the manmade inventions of high-tech times. This same quality draws readers again and again to the fantasies of Tolkien, Lewis, and the King Arthur legends. Further, the inhabitants of this more primitive country seem so much more aware of invisible spiritual realities. In the 14th Century, the revolution of science and the implications of evolution had not yet fractured the faith of humankind, and their ideologies remain compelling and in some ways more truthful today than our modern tendencies toward rationalization and denial.

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The Reckoning also demonstrates how, while some things change, some things stay the same. What are the headlines in this township? Church corruption. Child abuse. Controversial and violent popular entertainment and issues of historical accuracy. There is even a troubling parallel to recent stories about Michael Jackson.

The actors are perfectly cast for this shadowy journey through rugged landscapes. Director Paul McGuigan (Gangster No. 1) must have chosen them for their craggy visages. Their grave expressions suggest that they might indeed have been forced to trudge through marshes and woods and pastures for days on end in preparation for the roles. Production designer Andrew McAlpine and cinematographer Peter Sova create a grey, damp, disintegrating world of peasants, muddy avenues, and cold chills.

Willem Dafoe (Spider-man, Finding Nemo, The Last Temptation of Christ) is the film's true highlight, developing a character of convincing internal conflict. He turns in a performance of raw and at times astonishing physicality—the contortions of his pre-performance exercises become a visual metaphor for his ability to bend the conventions of drama and to transform his caution into bravery. It's some of the great actor's best work. Bryan Cox (Adaptation, X-Men 2) brings snarling energy to Tobias. Paul Bettany makes a convincing monk, youthful enough to be impulsive and valiant while carrying a heavy conscience and a familiarity with the evils that men do.

But don't expect a Brother Nicholas franchise any time soon. McGuigan and screenwriter Mark Mills, adapting Barry Unsworth's novel Morality Play, fumble the film's momentum in the final act by allowing the heroes to stumble into a verbose and wearying philosophical debate instead of a rousing climax. They drive the actors into melodramatic speeches that spoil the film's subtlety and upset the delicate balance of action and exploration. More marginal characters like De Guise and Simon are one-dimensional, even when they suddenly become crucial to the story. Worse, the revelation at the conclusion is anticlimactic and lacks imagination.

It's quite an unfortunate stumble, as the storytellers seem interested in some important questions and vital themes. The story wants to be about the power of art to reveal the truth of a matter, just as Hamlet's players proved they could "catch the conscience of a king."

The Reckoning also distinguishes itself from other recent mysteries that implicate a corrupt Christianity. While it becomes evident that some within the church are capable of malevolent deeds, Nicholas makes it clear that faith itself is not to be faulted—only those who commit evil within the church walls.

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Nicholas's frequent references to God and moral responsibility, not to mention the prominence of a cross, remind us that there is no greater love than that of a man who lays down his life for his friends. Rather than merely preaching his pious beliefs, he aggressively engages in an artistic upheaval, promoting change through theatre and selfless acts.

Further, the film sets up an important debate between Nicholas and his nemesis: How could a benevolent God allow people to suffer, especially his own Son, so severely? If there is no God, is everything permissible? Is life really just a scramble for power? Who is stronger—the man who believes in a benevolent invisible God, or the man who does not?

The Reckoning is a film with a lot on its mind … perhaps too much. If these issues had been more integral to the entirety of the story instead of springing out at us at the end (I have a feeling it works better in the novel), the film might have reached a profound conclusion. As it is, philosophical dilemmas spread through the film like a plague until they finally claim its life. There are so many questions asked—spiritual and rational—that the film finally cannot decide which mystery to solve.

Talk About It

Discussion starters
  1. After Nicholas commits the sin of adultery, does he deal with his sin in an honorable fashion? Do you find him to be an admirable Christian hero?

  2. What are some examples of stories that have the power to convict an audience about their sins? What is the difference between the way art works on an audience and the way preaching works on a congregation? Have you ever been convicted by a work of art? What great stories might be timely to perform for our culture today?

  3. Try to imagine life without the existence of God: How would you prioritize your life? Upon what would we base a belief in right and wrong, good and evil?

  4. What is our responsibility to the injustly oppressed? Who do you most sympathize with in the film: Nicholas, who risks his life for the innocent? Martin, who hesitates and is concerned for his life and the lives of his company? Tobias, who doesn't want to get involved?

The Family Corner

For parents to consider

The film is appropriately rated R and contains a scene of strong sexuality, discussion of vile sexual behavior, exposure of rotting corpses, and scenes of violence.

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What Other Critics Are Saying
compiled by Jeffrey Overstreet

from Film Forum, 03/11/04

Opening in a limited release, The Reckoning follows the flight of Nicholas, an adulterous priest played by Paul Bettany (A Beautiful Mind, Master and Commander). Nicholas goes into hiding by joining a team of traveling actors as they look for a new place to set up their stage. When they arrive in a troubled town where the sinister Lord De Guise (Vincent Cassel) looks down with contempt on the villagers, they discover that the residents are not interested in common Bible story dramas. So, in a shrewd business decision, the leader of the company (Willem Dafoe) decides to stage a dramatization of a recent murder. In doing so, he and Nicholas provoke questions about whether or not an accused and imprisoned woman is actually guilty.

The Reckoning distinguishes itself from other recent mysteries that implicate a corrupt Christianity. Some of its religious characters prove themselves capable of malevolent deeds, but Nicholas makes it clear that faith itself is not to be faulted—only those who commit evil within the church walls.

The film takes seriously its spiritual subject matter. In fact, it takes on too much: How could a benevolent God allow people to suffer, especially his own Son, so severely? If there is no God, is everything permissible? Is life really just a scramble for power? Who is stronger—the man who believes in a benevolent invisible God, or the man who does not? If these issues had been more integral to the entirety of the story instead of springing out at us at the end (I have a feeling it works better in the novel), the film might have reached a profound conclusion. As it is, philosophical dilemmas spread through the film like a plague until they finally claim its life. There are so many questions asked—spiritual and rational—that the film finally cannot decide which mystery to solve. (My full review is at Christianity Today Movies.)

David DiCerto (Catholic News Service) says the movie is "an engaging medieval whodunit. Like the medieval mystery dramas it depicts, the film uses narrative storytelling to discuss abstract theological concepts like good and evil, faith and doubt, fate and free will. In addition to posing profound philosophical questions, the film explores the power of popular entertainment … to influence an audience and the idea of art as a conduit for truth."

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In the mainstream press, opinions come in all shapes and sizes, but Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper both gave it "thumbs up" on their show.

from Film Forum, 03/18/04

Chris Monroe (Christian Spotlight) says The Reckoning "honors truth, justice and authentic faith in God." Highlighting the character of the conscience-driven priest, Monroe says, "Nicholas can be interpreted as a kind of Christ-figure in this film. Obviously, he is not perfect like Jesus, but after his reform, he does things that exemplify Christ—including sacrifice. This film … does not shelter from depicting the ugliness of sin, but it does not do so without bringing about something fully redemptive."

Steve Lansingh (The Film Forum) disagrees. He says the medieval murder mystery "is described as a story of redemption. Therefore, I expected at least one of the following to take place: 1) the guilty party would confess his crime before his accusers, 2) he would express his penitence to them, 3) he would ask forgiveness of them, 4) he would attempt to make whatever restitution was possible, or 5) he would submit to justice for his wrongdoing." Apparently, none of these things take place in the movie. "In the end it doesn't amount to much."

The Reckoning
Our Rating
2½ Stars - Fair
Average Rating
 
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Mpaa Rating
R (for some sexuality and violent images)
Directed By
Paul McGuigan
Run Time
1 hour 52 minutes
Cast
Willem Dafoe, Paul Bettany, Marián Aguilera
Theatre Release
June 04, 2004 by Paramount Classics
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