Ironclad

Purefoy Under Assault

Actors:  Paul Purefoy, Kate Mara, Brian Cox, Derek Jacobi, Paul Giamatti
Rating:  7 out of 10, very bloody retelling of the siege of the Castle Rochester in the 13th century by King John, still angry about having to sign the Magna Carta.  This movie has some extremely graphic views of the wounds sustained in edged warfare and is not for the faint of heart.  My wife exited the room after a guy lost his hands, in living color.  This is however a very good action movie with some really solid acting from the entire cast.  There are some very memorable character actors playing the gang of warriors that Cox, garrulous as always, as the leading rebel, gathers to defend the castle.  Giamatti, who for the first time, looks a little lost, as an English monarch, is helped by an army of Danes led by the guy from the 13th Warrior.  Purefoy was one of my favorite actors from the HBO series Rome and he's great here.  He plays a Knight Templar defending the castle against John and his virtue against Mara.  His knightly vows do not stand a chance against Mara's assault.  I've always wondered why Mara doesn't get more work because she is fantastic in everything she does.
MVP:  Purefoy as Marshall, the Knight Templar under constant assault