After his last - and so far best - film "Triangle" was only released on DVD in our country, the new film by Christopher Smith ("Severance"), the British-German co-production "Black Death", makes it back into our cinemas. This would prove again: it's not always quality that decides whether a film gets into the cinemas, or straight into the video stores.
Because the mix of historical ham and horror film is far less convincing than "Triangle". The story, shot primarily in Brandenburg and the Harz Mountains, centers on Knight Uric (Sean Bean), who in 1348 is commissioned by the bishop to take his men to a village that seems to be the only place spared from the plague raging everywhere. Since this cannot be right, the satanic goings-on there are to be put a quick end. The monk novice Osmund (Eddie Redmayne), who doubts his faith, should lead the warriors to the village. But what awaits them there surpasses their darkest fears...
With plenty of German film funding, Christopher Smith has visibly gone to great lengths to create as authentic a scenario as possible, which he has then spiced up with hefty horror elements. In itself, not a bad idea, as the gloomy, plague-ridden Middle Ages lends itself well to bloody, terrifying scenarios. But despite a decent set and a good cast, which includes newcomer Eddie Redmayne ("The Yellow Sail") and Sean Bean ("Lord of the Rings") as well as convincing Dutch actress Carice van Houten ("Operation Valkyrie"), the genre mix doesn't quite want to work.
This may be because Smith just hasn't found the right dosage. For example, the film is too brutal and fantasy-heavy for those viewers who appreciate authentic historical epics, and for horror fans, it's just too drawn out by the time it gets to the visual battle plate. While the elements certainly work on their own, the overall picture is neither fish, nor fowl. It probably would have been better if Smith had run either track more consistently.
What should really be credited to Smith is that he consistently tries to try a different facet of the horror subject in each of his films. After the rather disappointing slasher "Creep" came the hilarious horror comedy "Severance", followed by the immensely clever mystery horror "Triangle" and now finally medieval horror. It's a shame that this doesn't always work, though, as Smith is clearly a filmmaker who loves the genre and can direct great-looking cinema even with limited resources. But here his ambitions were just too high.
Good visuals, decent acting and an interesting basic idea keep "Black Death" from being a total flop. But the gripping historical horror that this film could have been, Christopher Smith didn't succeed this time. One may nevertheless be curious about his next excursion into bloody realms
Ein Artikel von Frankfurt-Tipp
