It’s the fashion now to make history movies down and dirty — the characters in Christopher Smith’s 13th-century odyssey look as if they’ve never touched water in their lives. Small wonder that bubonic plague has its way with most of them.
The Black Death killed millions and no one knew the cause, thinking it was either God’s revenge or just the Devil’s nasty work. Ulric (Sean Bean), a bloodthirsty bishop’s representative, suspects it’s the Devil — and is ordered to tramp with a group of mercenaries to a faraway village which has apparently escaped the plague. Leading the band of sweaty brothers is a would-be monk (Eddie Redmayne), who is looking for his lost love (Kimberley Nixon).
When they reach the village, however, the men encounter a striking woman (Carice van Houten) in what looks like early Marks & Spencer, who is determined to get rid of them before they do the same to her. She is clearly some sort of witch but it doesn’t seem as if acting was among her supernatural studies.
The film looks good and Bean and Redmayne carry it along capably — but pestilence is a hard thing to carry off if you’re not Ingmar Bergman.
Black Death
Cert: 15
