Joey Magidson
Tudor England is a fertile ground for cinema, though it’s a period that I don’t think films often make particularly compelling. When a movie set there lands, it really lands, but too often they wind up being a bit on the boring side. Firebrand unfortunately falls into that trap, though the two performances at its core are first rate. It’s a higher profile Tribeca Festival title, but it still winds up being, aside from the acting, a bit of a letdown.
Firebrand is at its best when our leads get to showcase their wares, but they’re surrounded by a fairly garden variety period piece. There are hints of something more interesting at play, but it’s sporadic. The acting is first rate, with the central two especially getting to shine. Everything else? That’s far more run of the mill.
This is the story of Katherine Parr (Alicia Vikander), the sixth wife of King Henry VIII (Jude Law). The prior wives did not end up faring well, so this marriage comes at great personal risk to her. However, she’s been navigating it well when we meet her. Henry has appointed her as his Regent, doing the nation’s ruling while he’s away fighting overseas, His allies have very little use for her and are plotting against her. Presuming that she’s on the side of what they see as radical Protestant beliefs in the kingdom, they look at her as a threat to their power. So, the wheels begin to turn.
When Henry returns to England, the courtiers begin to plant the seeds of Katherine’s infidelity into his head, as well as poison him to the radicals of the country. The main focus of his fury becomes Katherine’s childhood friend Anne Askew (Erin Doherty), convicting her of treason and burning her at the stake. That betrayal hurts Katherine deeply, but also sets her forth on a plan to not just survive, but turn the tables.
Jude Law and Alicia Vikander are the clear highlight. Both of them do very strong work, putting new spins on old characters. Law is doing King Henry as a grotesque figure in all manners, which clearly is a delight for him to play. Vikander has a modern sensibility to Katherine that will resonate for some in these current times. Together, they’re doing a political dance that I found compelling, even when the rest of the movie was not. In addition to Erin Doherty, supporting players here include Simon Russell Beale, Eddie Marsan, Sam Riley, and more.
Director Karim Aïnouz has the film looking like all of the Tudor style flicks we’ve seen before, but it’s the screenplay by Henrietta Ashworth, Jessica Ashworth, and Rosanne Flynn that comes up short. This adaptation has designs on feeling modern, but aside from some of Law and especially Vikander’s characterizations, it never really comes across. With a bloated running time, Aïnouz just isn’t able to keep our attention for about two hours.
Firebrand isn’t bad, but it’s not up to the performances being given by Jude Law and Alicia Vikander. That’s a shame, too, as they’re given some very unique characters to play, given the banality we usually get from the Tudors. That’s the only unique element here, which leads to disappointment. If you see it once it hits theaters this weekend after playing Tribeca, see it for Law and Vikander.
SCORE: ★★1/2
Comments
Loading…