The knights accompanying Ulric have unique personalities which are identified early with more action than dialog. In movies where you have a band of soldiers - or spelunkers, skateboarders, zombie hunters, whatever - going on a quest, it is sometimes hard to keep the supporting characters straight. With the exception of the necromancer’s dialog, writing, acting and directing are first class. The necromancer sounds like a recent graduate of Harvard with a double major in Sociology and Psychology. Everyone seems to fit into the period without being trite or affected, except the necromancer. The dialog is excellent, with one exception.
Camera angles support the dramatic moments - as in the depiction of Ulric’s fate - without calling attention to themselves. Nearly every scene seems shot under an overcast sky and the film has been given a brownish, almost sepia, tint. The cinematography is beautiful and enhances the atmosphere of the film. The identity of the necromancer is a mystery Ulric and Osmond need to unravel, so I won’t mention it here. In a quiet moment Osmond confides to Ulric, “God has punished me.” Ulric, with soldierly directness and the wisdom of age, counters, “God has better things to think of.” Ulric is both leader of the quest and Osmond’s mentor. Can he love both God and Averill? His efforts to save Averill, first from the plague and then from the necromancer complicate his relationship with his fellow soldiers of God. He also has an internal conflict he has a childhood sweetheart, Averill (played by Kimberley Nixon). Torn from his normal life at the monastery, he is placed on the quest to find the necromancer. (But don’t let that philosophical stuff keep you away).
In spite of its Screamfest honors and “scary movie” marketing, it is, to its credit, painfully realistic and philosophical. It captures the faith, dirt and blood of medieval life like no D&D film ever has. It resembles that, but this is no D&D movie. The structure I’ve just described may remind Dungeons and Dragons fans of a typical game scenario. Ulric also seeks a spiritual guide for the group from a monastery and is provided the services of a young monk, Osmond (Redmayne). He sends Ulric (Bean), a masterful knight, who leads a band of fighters, some pious and others less so. Rumors of a village immune to the black death, perhaps led by a necromancer, inspire a bishop to investigate. In a nice bit of visual irony, as the narrator, Wolfstan (Lynch), bemoans the fact that no one knows what causes the disease, we watch rats scamper over dead bodies. This ScreamFest 2010 winner stars Sean Bean ( The Lord of the Rings), Eddie Redmayne (Tony winner 2010 for Red), David Warner ( Titanic), John Lynch ( The Bridge of San Luis Rey) and Carice van Houten ( Black Book).Įurope in 1348 lies victim to the Black Death. The first line of Black Death, which opens in New York and Los Angeles March 11, “The fumes of the dead hung in the air like poison…,” sets the tone for an action flick that tries to delve much deeper into the soul than most sword and sorcery fare.
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