The Uprising

Last night my nephew and I went to see The Uprising in a packed theater.  We were both really excited for this movie and we both liked it.  After the Black Death decimates the population, England is in need of revenue and the council who rules for the weak and ineffective 14-year-old King Richard II (Woody Norman), including Sir Robert Hales (Tom Hollander) and the Archbishop of Canterbury (Stephen Dillane), decides to increase taxes for the peasants. A Ploughman (Andrew Garfield), who is barely surviving after the death of his wife and family, objects to the new tax and kills the soldier who tries to arrest him for resisting.  Soon his entire village stands with him and this inspires revolts across the country.  He reluctantly joins with John Ball (Jamie Bell), an outspoken priest, and Wat Tyler (Cosmo Jarvis), a soldier who fought with the late king, to lead a march on London to petition the king about their grievances.  However, the king's council advises him not to meet with them and the peasants sack London in response.  The king, who suffers from nightmares about mobs and demons, eventually meets with the peasants and the Ploughman persuades him to grant charters of self-determination and he also gives his tacit approval for them to bring the council to justice themselves.  When the peasants meet the king to receive the charters, they are betrayed by him and his new advisor William Walworth (Jonny Lee Miller) but this leads to unexpected consequences when a small band survives the ambush.  I found the true story of the Peasants' Revolt to be both compelling and incredibly moving, especially in light of the fact that history seems to be repeating itself with corrupt leaders who are out of touch with the suffering of the people, and I actually really liked the ending (although it has been very divisive). Garfield does a great job as a simple man who unexpectedly sparks a revolution that he doesn't know how to control and I was especially impressed by his quiet anguish.  All of the supporting performances are also very strong but I was really struck by Katherine Waterston as Joan of Kent, particularly her silent response to her son's treachery.  I do have criticisms about the pacing because the conflict is set in motion with breakneck speed without much exposition and I didn't always know what was happening because the editing is often disjointed.  Also, Paul Greengrass is known for his immersive hand-held camera work and, while it is effective in the battle sequences, it is very distracting in the quieter moments (some scenes even look out of focus).  I loved the story even if I didn't always love the execution so I would recommend it.