Nicholas Cage needs to pick his roles more carefully. Some actors can carry period films, but unfortunately, Cage isn't one of them.
Here we are supposed to buy Cage as Behman, a disillusioned 14th century knight, who has deserted the Crusades and the Church and returned to Europe with his comrade-in-arms, Felson. It sounds alright on paper, but Cage looks uncomfortable in his chain mail, leather costume and horrendous hairpiece.
The land is ravaged by a mysterious plague, and the religious masses believe it is the work of witchcraft. As deserters, Behman and Felson are arrested, but soon get roped into a mission to transport a 'witch', who looks just like an abused, frightened girl, to a faraway monastery in order to stop the plague.
Accompanying the two former Crusaders on the mission are a righteous priest, a noble knight, a guide for their journey and an altar boy who wants to become a knight. Soon, however, Behman realizes that there might be more to the girl than meets the eye, and that she might actually have some evil powers lurking inside her after all.
The film sets itself up as a supernatural adventure film, but despite a couple of really good sword fight scenes, something is missing. The characters don't have much time to develop, and the paper-thin plot, with its many clichés, just makes everything feel rushed.
Making things worse is the fact that Cage and Perlman are forced to utter some of the most forced-Shakesperean dialogue ever put to film. It sounded like a secondary school production of Hamlet.
And despite the European setting, for some reason the director has deemed that all the accents should be American, which means the British and European cast members have to put on fake American accents. One of them even sounds like a New York cabdriver! The only thing saving this movie for me are the thrilling fight scenes, and this one suspenseful scene where the group are trying to cross a shaky, rotting, wooden bridge. The supporting cast do a much better job than the two leads, especially Clare Foy who plays the witch.
Strictly for Cage fans, or people who don't have very high expectations from a Nic Cage film.
Here we are supposed to buy Cage as Behman, a disillusioned 14th century knight, who has deserted the Crusades and the Church and returned to Europe with his comrade-in-arms, Felson. It sounds alright on paper, but Cage looks uncomfortable in his chain mail, leather costume and horrendous hairpiece.
The land is ravaged by a mysterious plague, and the religious masses believe it is the work of witchcraft. As deserters, Behman and Felson are arrested, but soon get roped into a mission to transport a 'witch', who looks just like an abused, frightened girl, to a faraway monastery in order to stop the plague.
Accompanying the two former Crusaders on the mission are a righteous priest, a noble knight, a guide for their journey and an altar boy who wants to become a knight. Soon, however, Behman realizes that there might be more to the girl than meets the eye, and that she might actually have some evil powers lurking inside her after all.
The film sets itself up as a supernatural adventure film, but despite a couple of really good sword fight scenes, something is missing. The characters don't have much time to develop, and the paper-thin plot, with its many clichés, just makes everything feel rushed.
Making things worse is the fact that Cage and Perlman are forced to utter some of the most forced-Shakesperean dialogue ever put to film. It sounded like a secondary school production of Hamlet.
And despite the European setting, for some reason the director has deemed that all the accents should be American, which means the British and European cast members have to put on fake American accents. One of them even sounds like a New York cabdriver! The only thing saving this movie for me are the thrilling fight scenes, and this one suspenseful scene where the group are trying to cross a shaky, rotting, wooden bridge. The supporting cast do a much better job than the two leads, especially Clare Foy who plays the witch.
Strictly for Cage fans, or people who don't have very high expectations from a Nic Cage film.