Film Review: Paul Greengrass’ Style is a Poor Fit for ‘The Uprising’ (Which Didn’t Need to Be a Backdoor Robin Hood Origin Story)

Not every filmmaker is a match for every film. There’s no denying that Paul Greengrass is a supremely talented director. Just look to United 93 for an example of masterful filmmaking, even given difficult subject matter. Unfortunately, The Uprising proves to be a poor fit for Greengrass’ style, and that’s before we even get into how this flick turns into a backdoor Robin Hood origin story. This is one of the more disappointing works of 2026.

The Uprising has a timely subject to depict and a storyteller well versed in visceral material, so on the surface, it should be a match. However, Greengrass’ modern style and having you always aware of the camera just doesn’t work, constantly throwing you out of the movie. Throw in a thin plot that ends up going in a massively unsatisfying direction and you have a complete letdown.

In 1381, the plague has swept across Europe and killed half of England’s population, including the family of a farmer known only as Ploughman (Andrew Garfield). When young King Richard II (Woody Norman) and the oligarchs in his court decide to raise funds by imposing a steep new tax on the poorest of his subjects, discontent erupts into anger. The Peasants’ Revolt of 1381 has begun.

Within days, Ploughman, along with John Ball (Jamie Bell), Wat Tyler (Cosmo Jarvis), and Alyce (Thomasin McKenzie), is a part of a rebellion as thousands of fellow commoners march on London to petition for justice. Initially, their determination appears to have paid off, but those in power hsve no such intentions of letting the poor have a piece of the pie. That betrayal eventually leads to the emergence of a vigilante that would come to be known as…Robin Hood.

Andrew Garfield is the best part of this production, even if his character is defined mostly by anger and grief. Garfield brings an intensity and physicality to the role that, if the overall production were stronger, would be compelling. Sadly, his character is thinly written, yet the most developed, which also leads to frustration. The likes of Jamie Bell and Thomasin McKenzie are completely wasted, to the point you probably won’t even know their characters’ names. Supporting players, in addition to Cosmo Jarvis, include Stephen Dillane, Tom Hollander, Jonny Lee Miller, Katherine Waterston, Sky Yang, and more.

Paul Greengrass writes and directs here, taking a blunt approach that tries to force his style on to a film that doesn’t need or benefit from it. Scenes that would work well in other productions, such as when officials are tracking the movement of the mob, but here just don’t land. The Uprising should enrage you about how the rich treat the poor, but Greengrass never finds an effective way to invest you. Then, there’s the baffling choice to turn the climax into Robin Hood. I don’t understand why Greengrass did it, it doesn’t work, and it makes a mediocre movie feel even worse.

The Uprising let me down and ultimately frustrated me, with the Robin Hood of it all just being the tip of the iceberg. There’s a very good flick to be made about the Peasants’ Revolt, but Greengrass and company, despite solid work from Garfield, falls well short. This film is a huge disappointment, given the talent involved and what it could have been. Alas.

SCORE: ★★