Ironclad Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.5

Ironclad Blu-ray Movie Review

"Let's see what rats have taken up in my home..."

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown August 15, 2011

I suspect there are very few people who know what the Magna Carta was (at least on this side of the pond), and even fewer who could explain its historical significance. I had to brush up on the charter myself, despite having spent six chilly November days pounding out a 75-page term paper on the subject some ten years ago. Then there's King John, whose claim to cinematic fame is as the chief antagonist in the Robin Hood mythos. Don't feel too bad if your first thought just now was, "wait, isn't Robin's rival the Sherriff of Nottingham?" You aren't alone. John Softsword, so nicknamed at the time for his numerous military defeats, isn't exactly given much attention on screen, much less in history classes. Thankfully, you needn't brush up on the Magna Carta, King John or his siege of Rochester Castle in 1215 to wade through Ironclad, unless compiling a list of historical inaccuracies is a favorite pastime. Writer/director/producer Jonathan English tries to sidestep such inaccuracies, reveling in the mud and blood of 13th century warfare to fairly successful ends, but he indulges in too many Hollywood conventions to yield a very memorable period piece. Decent as Ironclad is, there's really only one thing that sets it apart: Paul Giamatti.

Long live the king...

England, in the year 1215, under the reign of King John for sixteen years. The most villainous of England's monarch's, John was renowned for losing wars with France, levying punitive taxes, and sleeping with the wives of barons. The barons finally rebelled against their king, and became locked in a bloody civil war, lasting for over three years and decimating both armies. In time, the Knights Templar were drawn into this conflict. With the help of these highly trained warrior monks, King John and his royal army were eventually defeated. It was agreed that John could remain on the throne on one condition: that he would sign a document upholding the rights and privileges of all free men, but ultimately limiting the power of the monarchy. The Magna Carta was sealed at Runnymede on the 15th of June in the year of our Lord 1215. It will be remembered throughout history. What is not remembered is what King John did next.

What King John (Paul Giamatti, Sideways) did was win the favor of the Pope (who in turn excommunicated the barons), seek revenge on his traitorous countrymen, and try to take England back by force with the help of a horde of Danish mercenaries led by Captain Tiberius (Vladimir Kulich, The 13th Warrior), an imposing blademaster. In other words, John took swift, vicious action; a strategy that worked rather well until he came to Rochester Castle, a crucial stronghold in the southeast. There, a small band of rebels -- among them Baron William de Albany (Brian Cox, Troy), his squire Guy (Aneurin Barnard), a skilled Templar by the name of Marshall (James Purefoy, Rome), agile fighter Becket (Jason Flemyng, Clash of the Titans), deadly bowman Marks (Mackenzie Crook, Pirates of the Caribbean), hardened veteran Wulfstan (Rhys Parry Jones, Flick) and a criminal named Coteral (Jamie Foreman, Layer Cake) -- make a fortified stand against John's bastard army, holding out against impossible odds in the hope that the French will send aid before the king seizes the castle. What follows is a month-long siege in which John and his forces, 4,000 strong, pick away at twenty rebels determined to keep him from breaching Rochester's walls.

English doesn't merely tinker with history, he splays it open and haphazardly stitches it back together with little regard for what the Siege of 1215 entailed, the particular stages of John's assault (even the order of his attacks), the rebels who were a part of the battle (as well as the number of rebels involved), what the eventual outcome of the siege meant for John and, most startlingly, who lived, who died and, yes, which side won. (Once you're finished with the movie, take a minute to read up on what actually occurred at Rochester Castle that fateful October and November. If you're anything like me, you'll be stunned by how many liberties were taken and how dramatic many of these liberties are. Although, if you enjoy Ironclad, reading up on the Siege might not be such a good idea after all.) Instead, English seems perfectly content with conveying the "feel" of 13th century combat and capturing the look of the era; he isn't interested in telling the story of the Siege, just in repurposing several elements and concocting a wholly fictional tale. Worse, the end result isn't more brutal, exciting or even marketable. In fact, the story history tells is far more fascinating. Ironclad smears dirt and grime across its brow, tosses in a few helpless love interests for our fearless warriors, dabbles in a bit of transparent social commentary, sprays blood into the air and... well, does what so many recent historical actioners seem so eager to do: entertain at all costs, by overly calculated character drama or by overly choreographed sword, even if the true cost is legitimate entertainment. It isn't a bad film by any means; only an ordinary one.

All that said, Giamatti delivers an outstanding performance and all-too-effortlessly runs away with the show. His King John is fully realized, terrifically dangerous and utterly intriguing, and he bears his teeth with the spoiled savagery of an incensed and embittered power-monger. His performance is so nuanced, so captivating -- not to mention so against type -- that each time he disappears off camera, everything else seems dull and diluted by comparison. To be fair, the rest of the cast doesn't flounder, but English doesn't arm them with much. Purefoy, turning inward with a fine Russell Crowe impression, steps into the gristly boots of yet another sullen hero-of-few-words, Cox and Flemyng turn lead into genre gold whenever they can, Barnard fumbles an age-old arc that hinges on the death of a main character, Kate Mara struggles to hold her own from scene to scene (her character is infuriatingly unnecessary), Charles Dance and Derek Jacobi are somewhat squandered in bit parts, and Kulich, Crook, Jones and Foreman's men-of-action have been plucked out of a videogame, weapon specialties and all. (Ax-wielding brute! Wily archer! Hulking falchion fighter! Knife-tossing thief!) It's a respectable ensemble, sure, and the battles border on incredible, especially considering the film's budget and production limitations. Still, without Giamatti, Ironclad would be little more than a brazenly bloody, semi-forgettable historical action-drama in the vein of The Eagle and Centurion.

Ironclad Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Ironclad, the first Blu-ray release from Arc Entertainment, brandishes a striking 1080p/AVC-encoded transfer that rarely misses the mark. Cinematographer David Eggby deals in mud and blood, and his stormy, stonework palette sets a suitably grim tone. The film isn't colorless by any means, though -- splashes of red are particularly pronounced -- and the overcast skies, smoky shadows and earthy hues of Rochester Castle are as beautiful as they are bleak. Skintones remain lifelike throughout as well, and both saturation and contrast are satisfying. Detail is also quite impressive, even if a measure of filmic softness occasionally breaches the presentation's defenses. Fine textures are reasonably well-resolved, closeups are fairly refined, delineation is dead on and edge definition is sharp and clean. (Faint ringing appears from time to time, but it never amounts to a full-blown distraction.) Note the hairs in Giamatti's mustache, the flecks of blood that spatter any given wall, the blocks of the castle walls, the knit of Marshall's tunic, the stitching in the women's dresses, and the nicks and scratches along the edges of their worn blades. In fact, the only injustices Ironclad suffers are associated with its encode. While it disappears as quickly as it appears, banding is a frequent offender (one that mainly haunts the skies during establishing shots), black levels aren't a tad dusty (perhaps intentionally so), and some relatively minor artifacting, crush and noise sully a handful of darker scenes. None of it ruins the presentation, sure. But it doesn't help. Still, Ironclad holds up nicely under high-def scrutiny and Arc's first Blu-ray release is, at the very least, a success.

Ironclad Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Arc Entertainment's disarming DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track boasts power, finesse and proficiency, often in equal measure. Dialogue is intelligible and well-prioritized, voices are clear and grounded, and only a few lines are lost during battle scenes (none of which are crucial). LFE output doesn't knock either, it kicks down the door, putting its full weight behind every hearty blow, battering ram, galloping horse, siege tower, trebuchet attack, battle ax thook, roaring fireball and explosion (yes, explosion) the film has to offer. Likewise, rear speaker activity is aggressive and involving. Arrows whiz across the soundfield, armies swarm their enemies, swords clash in the distance, fires rage all around, footfalls shuffle from channel to channel, and echoes fill the halls of Rochester Castle; each effect is convincing, each showcases the track's prowess. Moreover, directionality is precise, pans are startlingly smooth, and dynamics reveal the finer qualities of the film's sound design. My lone complaint is that Lorne Balfe's score, strong as it comes through, is sometimes buried in the film's more chaotic battles. Even so, it isn't a prevailing issue and, even when it occurs, it doesn't detract from the experience much at all.

Ironclad Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Blu-ray release of Ironclad includes just two extras: a theatrical trailer and a commentary with writer/director Jonathan English. English is as engaging as he is forthcoming, making his candid, altogether extensive overview of the film, its influences and its production an excellent one. He not only touches on the development of the script and many of the challenges he and his team faced in securing financing and distribution, he spends a great deal of time on the themes, imagery, violence, weapons and characters at the heart of the tale. He also discusses set design, location scouting, costuming, the use of CG and matte paintings, casting, historical accuracy and other key aspects of the production, without ever allowing one subject to overwhelm another.

Ironclad Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Ironclad plays fast and loose with history -- too fast and loose -- and comes away all the more ordinary for it. Ironically, it's the villainous King John (or Paul Giamatti rather) that proves to be its saving grace. Fortunately, Arc Entertainment's first Blu-ray release impresses. With a striking video transfer, an involving DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround track and a solid audio commentary, it's that much easier to overlook the film's flaws.