Director: Paul Greengrass
Writer: Paul Greengrass
Stars: Andrew Garfield, Jamie Bell, Stephen Dillane
Synopsis: Based on the true story of the uprising that inspired the legend of Robin Hood, Andrew Garfield stars as the leader of a rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II in a fight for justice.
First, the new Andrew Garfield film The Uprising is the type of film that doesn’t pull any punches, and does not have time to have its characters grieve. The movie’s characters are fueled by pure, unadulterated rage and adrenaline, channeling our current reality, where the rich get richer, by gutting the poor through exploitation, pillaging, and squeezing them dry so they can not offend political allies and keep their war chests above the threshold.
There is a viciousness about The Uprising that is cathartic, because it is universal, as many understand macro and mezzo institutions and officials exploit the unfortunate to enrich themselves or keep themselves solvent. That is the film’s secret weapon, tapping into a population that knows what it feels like to be squeezed, because it is a tale as old as time. That fury gives the film its power, even when the execution in the final moments loses its way.
The story follows a simple farmer known as the Ploughman (Academy Award nominee Andrew Garfield) around 1381, in the wake of the Black Death, which killed nearly half of England’s population—just over two million of its citizens. Of course, when you lose half the population, there is far less tax revenue to go around. So, with the teenage king considered too young to rule, the governing council decides to increase taxes on the poor.
Of course, why tax the Church or the merchant class when the council could lose political power? So, down the rabbit hole we go, taxing those who barely have enough to survive (sound familiar?). The Ploughman is a time bomb ready to explode, still mourning the deaths of his wife and two children. In a disturbing scene, tax collectors begin to “examine” young women to determine their taxable age, something the Ploughman will not let stand, sparking a revolt.
The Ploughman’s actions unite the peasants, including Wat Tyler (Cosmo Jarvis of Shōgun fame), who once served the king’s father in the military, as well as a local priest, John Ball (Jamie Bell), an outsider within the Church. The theme of institutional mistreatment runs throughout the film, particularly through Alyce (Leave No Trace’s Thomasin McKenzie), a young woman and former nun who left her calling after suffering abuse at the hands of a bishop.
The Uprising is from writer/director Paul Greengrass, who has made a name for himself with Captain Phillips and the majority of the Jason Bourne franchise. Known for his talent for controlled chaos, Greengrass has delivered breathtaking scenes, like the passengers storming the cockpit in United 93 or the march turning violent in Bloody Sunday. Yet some of his films have a penchant for replacing depth with urgency.
This can feel like a sugar rush, that is energizing in the moment, but will leave you in the moment feeling empty afterward. The initial riot sequence, that extends from the collector to the arrival of local officials, is peak Greengrass. Taut, with gripping white knuckle rising tension, the scene sets the tone. However, the final battle scene is a bit convoluted, with major characters being drawn away that feels unnatural.
Then there is the final sequence, which is truncated, clumsy, and lacking resonance, including a scene involving someone having a nightmare that feels amateurish at best. The entire film builds to that moment, not just as a payoff and earned retribution, but as the much-talked-about Robin Hood connection whose arrow ultimately misses the mark completely. Frustrating, considering there’s enough excitement and suspense to see the story through to the end.
Still, Greengrass’s modern, kinetic style feels lived-in. Along with Garfield’s blistering turn, serviceable supporting performances, and propulsive action, The Uprising is a bruising piece of historical rage that works far better in the midst of rebellion than when it dives headfirst into sentimental humanism that rings false by the film’s end, soaring with anger, but falters when trying to reach grace.
