With THE UPRISING Paul Greengrass continues to prove that he knows how to get to the heart of a story. His straight to the point writing combined with Andrew Garfield’s uncanny ability to exude humanity in any role is what elevates this above a film we have seen 100 times. There is nothing unique about a historic uprising, but this one is more than just a pep rally for justice. And that is what really surprised me.
Synopsis: Andrew Garfield stars as the legendary leader of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II. As war burns across England, he forms an army of the people to face the King’s might in a fight for justice and survival. | 2h 7m | Rated R for violence/bloody images
The Uprising focuses on the Peasants’ Revolt of 1381, which was the first great popular rebellion in English history. Like most rebellions it started with the brutal taxation of the working class. 1381 was on the heals of The black Death which wiped out more than half the population. The people have very little to live for as the work the land for nothing.
The plan is to march to London under the leadership of a passionate farmer (Andrew Garfield), a zealous heretic priest (Jamie Bell), and a military veteran Wat Tyler (Cosmo Jarvis). Thy hope to meet with young King Richard II (Woody Norman) and plead their case. The people feel like the King is being controlled by his much older advisors and once he hears their petition he will take action on their behalf. Spoiler alert, ummm he is a king.
This film lives up to the title and gets right to the uprising which is appreciated. There is a lot of information, and characters arrive quickly. You will want to pay attention as to who is who. Just note that the unwashed people in tattered clothes are good, the wealthy well dressed are bad.
King Richard II is an interesting character. He is only 14 and is plagued by visions and voices that haunt him. He has all these old dudes telling him what to do and a mother who wants him to trust his own decisions. Richard has a sense of doom and a dark cloud over him. He too is trying to get out from under an oppressive spirit. At the same time he hasn’t the experience to make the best decisions.
This is a large scale production and captures what you would expect a 1300’s rebellion to look like. London is small but still the center of their world. The King is viewed almost like a messiah to the people. Their only hope for earthly salvation. They are uneducated and naive. But they also long to be free. It was a great reminder that none of us will be free until all peoples are free. Almost 700 years later we are still fighting the same fights.
Hats off to the costume and make up folks. They had to dress a lot of peasants and the authenticity pulls you into the fold. There not a lot of big fight scenes but several small dust-ups. These are intense and well choreographed. The two large battles are brutal and where most of the R rating comes from. We are not talking LOTR scale, but in sync with the films progression.
The acting is solid. I am not sure anyone outshines anyone else. Obviously Garfield is the lead draw and as mentioned really draws a humble passion from his character that would cause people to follow and Kings to listen. He is not politically or religiously motivated; he just wants to be free.
We have seen this type of movie more times than we can count, but this one stands out mainly for the moment in history it covers and the way it is written. Fans of early English history know the story and those who don’t will want to look it up after to get more info.
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