Movie Review: ‘BLACK DEATH’

I’ll be honest with you. I didn’t make it through the first fifteen minutes of this movie the first two times I watched it. I know that does not lead to a promising review but hear me out. I fell asleep the first time because I watched it too late and the second time an emergency came up so I didn’t get  past the first fifteen again. That’s no inclination on the film itself. The film is the new movie directed by Christopher Smith (Severance)  involving the Black Plague in medieval times. Check out what I thought of the movie below. 

Black Death is about a young monk that sets out to lead a bunch of men of the sword as they go to a town that somehow is immune to the plague. The monk soon finds out that these men are mercenaries of the cloth and are looking to hunt a necromancer that resides in this village. The monk also has a secret love affair with a servant of the monastery, and he uses the opportunity to leave with the men as a sign of God that he can be with her. The leader of the mercenaries is none other than Lord of The Rings own Sean Bean (also the dad in Silent Hill).  He runs with a rough bunch of mercenaries who use torture and death to get what they want. The monk soon finds out their ways when they come across a group of men ready to slaughter a woman who they think is a witch that poisoned their wells with the plague. Let’s just say she is shown no mercy. The monk waits until the men are asleep then heads out on a voyage to find his love. Not able to locate her at their meeting spot, he is rushed back to the camp as the men are attacked by vagabonds and one dies as a result. They soon come across the town and are greeted by one of the leaders. The men claim they are weary travelers looking for a meal and are allowed to stay.

The main thing that sticks out in the film is the cinematography. The angles and shots that were used are some of the best that I have seen since the Ginger Snaps prequel.  If everything is about location, Smith picked it perfect because from the onset of the film you are immediately taken back through time. Wardrobes and all were set just right to give you the feel of this period.

The men finally are introduced to the real leader of the town, a beautiful woman that seems to have them all under a spell. She immediately takes the monk on a walk with her and explains that they have his love but were not able to save her from the attack by the same men they were attacked by. She tells them there is hope and takes him to a clearing and shows him her necromancer skills. All the while, the rest of the men are being wined and dined by the village, but the only problem is the wine is poisoned. One by one the men fall as the leader soon realizes they have been drugged and this is all a set up. After seeing his dead lover raised, the monk flees only to find dead men of the cloth staked in the ground. That is the last image he sees before being captured by the villagers.

Now I know what you are thinking: What does this have to do with horror … it doesn’t sound scary? I would agree with you on the scary part.  There was nothing in this film to make you jump, but lets look at the other things: witches, necromancy, zombies and plenty of gore. I do mean plenty of gore.  They even have a scene with a guy being ripped apart by a horse, and yes they show it in full. Smith is familiar with gore so I wouldn’t expect anything else. What I didn’t expect was how watchable this film really is. I was amazed how involved I was with the characters and story which I thought were well played on both ends. The only problem I have with the movie is the interactions between the villagers and mercenaries were too brief. Most of those scenes almost seemed rushed like they were trying to get to the good stuff. I don’t blame them. The movie has a dark feel throughout and even though Bean has played similar roles in the past, it works in this one as well.  It has also been deemed a religious drama which I can agree with, but the stench of death is so much in this film that it reeks of horror. I really enjoyed how the film ended and wouldn’t mind seeing some type of sequel to this that follows the monk on his future journeys.  This movie will hit American shores soon in 2011, and I hope it gets enough press to get the viewers out to see it. Its one of those films that I wouldn’t say is just a good horror film but more just a good film to watch in general. Check it out when it hits theatres!