Medieval lives up to its title as a barbaric tale of bloody conflict, political machinations, and religious oppression. Ben Foster leads a veteran ensemble as Jan Žižka, a historic Czech warrior renowned for his innovative battle strategies. The violence is stomach-churning. Heads are smashed to a pulp, limbs hacked, women assaulted, and innocents skewered like kebabs as duplicitous nobles vie for control of Europe. If only the script matched the brutal action scenes. Medieval realistically depicts savagery but struggles to form a compelling narrative.
The film opens in 1402 Italy with Lord Boreš (Michael Caine) on his way to Rome. His voice-over explains that Europe is in ruins after the death of Charles IV. A new emperor is needed to unite warring factions and end the people’s suffering. Two popes have divided the Catholic Church. He views the pope in France as an imposter. Boreš hopes to curry favor with the pope in Rome. He wants Wenceslaus IV of Bohemia (Karel Roden), the eldest son of Charles IV, crowned as the rightful Holy Roman Emperor.
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Žižka and his men save Boreš from an ambush. The assassins were hired by Lord Henry Rosenberg (Til Schweiger). Boreš returns to Prague to meet with Rosenberg in front of Wenceslaus IV and his younger brother, King Sigismund of Hungary (Matthew Goode). They need Rosenberg’s money to finance their rule. But the wealthy Rosenberg won’t be influenced by a weak king.
Boreš has a drastic idea to force Rosenberg’s cooperation. He hires Žižka to kidnap Lady Katherine (Sophie Lowe), Rosenberg’s fiancé. He reveals a secret to Žižka why Katherine is so important. Rosenberg unleashes the vile Torak (Roland Møller) to recover his betrothed. Katherine witnesses Rosenberg’s horrific treatment of his peasants. She begins to understand why Žižka disdains nobility and the church. The plot thickens as Žižka attempts to bring Katherine to Boreš. King Sigismund has ulterior motives and also needs Rosenberg’s cooperation. Katherine is the key pawn to all of their ambitions.
Dialogue in Medieval
The biggest problem is the dialogue connecting the pieces together. Medieval has multiple supporting characters with their own agendas. The film jumps back and forth between them like a ping-pong ball. Apart from Sigismund, who feels destined to rule by God, the other noblemen have little exposition. They’re obviously power-hungry but lack depth and are poorly defined. Wenceslaus IV has a huge stake in orchestrating Katherine’s kidnapping. He mutters a few measly lines then melts into the background. It also doesn’t make sense that Boreš vanishes for the entire second act.
Medieval tries to follow a similar track as Mel Gibson’s Braveheart. The heroic fighter and regal lady become enamored while fending off evil aristocrats. Foster and Lowe have little chemistry together. It doesn’t help that the plot has her constantly escaping and being recaptured. There’s little time for them to establish a viable connection. Žižka is a beast on the battlefield but understated as the protagonist. The character should have been more dynamic and intense for cinematic reasons. That’s a knock on the director and script. Foster has proven screen presence.
Medieval succeeds at portraying the cruel Middle Ages and Jan Žižka’s tactical prowess. You get your fill of war, despair, and subjugation. It sadly misses the mark everywhere else. The plot and characters don’t resonate when they should have been impactful.
Medieval is a production of J.B.J. Film, Genesy, Double Tree Entertainment, KORD.Media, and Wog Film. It will be released theatrically on September 9th from The Avenue Entertainment.
