Iron Little Pill

I preface this by saying that I enjoy period pieces and I particularly enjoy films set in the Middle Ages.  What I have a hard time with are period pieces set in the Middle Ages with rock music in the trailer...and starring Megan Fox.  Thankfully Megan Fox had the good sense to drop out of the film.  Surely that decision benefitted her and the movie.  Kate Mara replaced her.  It's one thing to be remiss of Megan's absence in Transformers 3, it's another thing to see her don 13th century garb.  Sorry, but it's true.
Ironclad is about a small group of barons and Knights of the Templar banding together to defend themselves and Rochester Castle against wayward King John (Paul Giamatti).  Evidently history needed revision, because in this version the Knights of the Templar and the barons force King John to sign the Magna Carta for noble reasons and are subsequently forced to go on the lam.

For those who need a 5^th grade history refresher (I know I did), the Magna Carta was an English charter issued in the year 1215.  The first charter restricted the King's power and gave men certain liberties.  King John was indeed forced into signing it by feudal barons, but the barons' intentions were not necessarily pure as the driven snow.  The Magna Carter has gone through many revisions over the centuries and most of it's clauses have been revised or repealed, however, it is typically considered the predecessor to constitutional law.

Moving on, once the barons force King John into submission, "fictional" King John's solution is to kill 'em all and let God sort it out.  The director, Johnny English, is no stranger to blood and guts.  He previously directed the atrocious film Minotaur for, you guessed it, the SyFy channel.  What ensues is a wild raucous chop shop.  Perhaps Johnny needs a new shtick.

Jason Flemyng

James Purefoy comes back to his costume roots (formerly Marc Antony on Rome) and plays the lead knight.  As I indicated above, Paul Giamatti plays King John.  I am a big Giamatti-fan, but I'm not sure why he's in this film.  I do not doubt his acting ability.  John Adams is a perfect example, but Giamatti is woefully miscast as King John.  Giamatti previously worked with one of the film's producers Rick Benattar.  Benattar produced another film Giamatti was in, Shoot 'Em Up.

Shoot 'Em Up was semi-enjoyable because the film was not to be taken seriously.  Ironclad is a different animal.  Not-so-serious medieval period films are difficult to make.  They have to reside somewhere between The Princess Bride and Robin Hood (not Men in Tights).   Not surprisingly Ironclad has had serious budgetary woes.  Jason Flemyng, Charles Dance, Derek Jacobi, and the indomitable Brian Cox round out the cast.  Releases July 26, 2011.