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27 out of 39 people found the following review useful: I found it to be a richly entertaining mystery., 21 April 2006 Author: jadeheart6 from Florida, United States
Before I watched this movie I assumed it was going to be a bad "B" type movie that would be heavy on the cheese and light on substance. Imagine my surprise when halfway through the movie I was riveted to the plot line and actually enjoying the suspense. I can't say much about the movie without giving away to much so I'll say somethings not concerning the plot. Christopher Lambert portrays a 16th Century sheriff living in a town deep in the heart of Spain. His acting really shines here but I was amazed at the supporting cast's talents as well. Everyone seemed to really play off each other and it flowed together pretty smoothly. The ending leaves you satisfied and is thought provoking as well. There is some topless nudity but it is tastefully done. Parents should be warned though there is some blood and violent imagines in this film although it is used to advance the storyline. This story is worthy of theatrical release although I think it went straight to video. So rent/buy it on DVD and put the kids to bed and enjoy an amazing story similar to a "Rob Roy" or "The Name of the Rose" style of movie.
11 out of 12 people found the following review useful: Medieval suspense with a religious historical topic., 18 December 2006 Author: leevleev from United States
I was expecting a typical Christopher Lambert movie when I rented this, a pretty badly produced swashbuckling movie with some funny stuff. I was surprised to find that this movie was a little bit more....It is not a 'fun' movie but it is not meant to be. Technically the movie is pretty low quality and the script and editing is choppy but if you can get past those aspects it is worth watching. The international cast makes for a confusing variety of accents, but by the end of the movie you can see why various accents make some sense. This film is meant to inform the viewer of the history of the religious persecutions. It made an impression on me. If you have a social conscience at all, you can see a relevance to today's world events.
9 out of 11 people found the following review useful: Not a Bad B Movie, 6 August 2006 Author: tikva1098 from Philadelphia, US
I agree with the previous commenter about the script and the fast pace of the editing. It does the movie disservice. What would have made it better would have been to let the characters shine through a little more. I do think that for a low budget film it had an interesting, well thought out story. I was surprised by this, and despite the poorly choreographed fight scenes (why were all fighters, even henchmen, better than Lambert), I was still interested because of the historical engagement of the plot. I also agree with the previous commenter that the Hungarian actors were good. I think it is clearly a B movie, but not a bad one.
7 out of 9 people found the following review useful: Left in the dark, for a good reason., 10 April 2007 Author: lost-in-limbo from the Mad Hatter's tea party.
A 16th century Spanish town is plagued by some mysterious murders involving important town figures and when the sheriff Rudy de Mendoza starts his investigation on the mutilated bodies, he learns that no one else seems to want to help him out, as there's a cover up, which leaves him all in the dark. As the deaths grow, Rudy goes on to learns more. The web of deceit grows larger and secrets are being revealed. In his path is a mercenary group, which Rudy is trying to figure out who's the man behind it all and his intrusion could cost the lives of those his loves.Christopher Lambert as an actor hasn't done anything that has really grabbed my attention, other then the sci-fi flick "Fortress". His most well-known involvement in "The Highlander" series, did nothing for me. Anyhow I decided to take a chance on this medieval B-film and was pleasantly surprised with the overall effort, even though some frustrating strokes cropped up.Enchantingly sharp-etched period back-sets, props and costumes have a rich awe to them, despite the cheap origins. The premise holds up remarkably well with a broodingly elaborate mystery within a well thought up concept of effective twists and sustained involvement of the story's progression. This is because there's so much more going on behind the scenes in this conspiracy laced-script, which keeps things really tight and nebulous. The brisk location photography is genuinely polished and covered the beautifully picturesque Hungry backdrop with vivid scope. A blazingly elastic musical score paints the period and moody precisely. A solidly low-key Christopher Lambert plays in a husky and rundown portrayal of his character Rudy de Mendoza. He sounded like he needed a cough drop. Blanca Marsillach charms in her glassy part and James Faulkner weasels in. The acting while not great, is workably stable and watchable.Now what brought it down was that in patches the limp direction couldn't come to terms with the promising material, and was weakly conjured up and lacked real gusto in its delivery. Some unorthodox set-pieces flourished with atmospheric flashes of intrigue and foreboding terror, but more often it came across as frosty, repetitive and stiff. Some nasty and mutilated violence livens up the show, but the bustling action feels torpid, even though the pacing is always busy. The idea behind it is a stimulating pot-boiler, but for most part the execution is rather muddled and dry.While the material and production design is up to par, it's basically undone by feeble direction. Anyhow, it's not-too-bad and keeps you highly involved.
7 out of 9 people found the following review useful: Interesting tense thriller, 6 May 2006 Author: axon50 from England
After all the terrible movies Lambert has been in over the last 5 years or so, I had stopped watching his films. However, after a recommendation I sought out "Day of Wrath" and I was very glad I did.This may only be a B grade movie but the story was great and was well supported by good acting and a mood inducing score.I was kept involved right to the end and I liked the mystery with a historical base. A good action thriller with an undercurrent of conspiracy.It was better than many big budget films I have seen lately and I hope it is an indication that Christopher Lambert is back to making good movies.
2 out of 2 people found the following review useful: Slow moving, but well made., 12 September 2007 Author: funkydvd from United States
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
I'm not sure where people are coming from when critiquing this movie. One review sounds like a group of frat boys rented it to make fun of and were disappointed that it wasn't funny? It's a costume/period piece about the Spanish inquisition! What are people expecting? Action? Comedy? This movie moves very slowly in parts, but it is simply telling its story. You've got to be patient to watch a movie about the Spanish inquisition in the first place, so be forewarned. Other than that, Lambert gives a good performance, the costumes are excellent. I love the little twists and turns.Is it suspenseful? No. Is it supposed to be? I never got the idea that it was. I guess the bottom line is: What are your expectations of a movie before you watch it? If you go into it with none, then you are a lot better off. This movie doesn't fit a lot of people's expectations, but that doesn't make it a bad movie. In fact, what I liked about it was that it doesn't fit into the normal American movie genres of: action, comedy, buddy movie etc. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the stark beauty of many shots and could accept its low-budget shortcomings because the story and acting were good enough for me to enjoy.
10 out of 18 people found the following review useful: Pretty Terrible, 23 June 2006 Author: whynot_joek from Hungary
An awful script and terrible direction saved only by some decent local and imported actors. Lambert is fine but not given much to work with. Most of the time he seems to have the same slightly puzzled look on his face. Blessed, Faulkner and Law do the character work that they do best and the director should be glad to have had them in. Local Hungarian actors, including Szonja Oroszlany do solid work as well proving that the country has real talent available. Would have been good to see newcomer Ben O'Brien more in the role as Lamert's deputy. Unfortunately, the script sinks the boat and viewers don't have any time to develop a relationship with the characters much less care about any of them. Quick-pace editing means that the whole story moves much too fast.
2 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Finally, a decent Christopher Lambert movie!, 30 June 2006 Author: gazebo from New York City
This movie takes place in Spain during the horrible Spanish Inquisition. Nobles are being murdered horribly and letters are carved into the corpses' chests. The sheriff, a good and decent man (played by Lambert) tries to find out who killed these nobles. The sheriff is met by resistance from the inquisitor and even his own boss (played by Brian Blessed) when he tries to uncover this murder mystery. Eventually, the sheriff realizes that these murders are connected to his family history and he must act quickly to save his life and the lives of his family.I love the look of this film. It is a costume drama and a murder mystery and it takes place during a particularly horrible time in Spain's history.The acting is very good. Congratulations to all the actors in this film, they've really outdid themselves. Christopher Lambert actually does a really decent job in this film and for the first time, I'm watching this guy actually act and not go on auto-pilot. The plot of this film is extremely intriguing and I greatly respect a film that still makes me think after the movie is long over.This is a beautiful looking film and a good mystery, though I must warn some viewers that some of the murders are extremely graphic but it is not gratuitous violence as it is central to the story.Absolutely worth viewing, maybe even worth viewing more than once.
1 out of 3 people found the following review useful: A Good Movie!, 14 August 2006 Author: BumBumy from Romania
First of all , Christopher Lambert had some good movies , like Mortal Kombat , Absolon , Beowulf , Fortress 1 ( Better then Fortress 2 ). About Day of Wrath , well the first part of the movie is like a mind game , you don't know what is really happen , but then .. you realize what is all about and the movie start getting a interesting way and keeps you awake. I loved the last 25 minutes of the movie , when he found the list and saw his name with other Jews and when he speaks with his uncle he found the true about the crimes and the only way to survive is to have 2 identities. Is like "You gotta to what you gotta do".
2 out of 5 people found the following review useful: good movie, 2 July 2006 Author: bettsestatesale from United States
who is the actor that was cast as the 'Hungarian mercenary'???? who? who? thanks. I loved the costumes, the actor ( Lambert) needs a haircut and a few more facial expressions. I just want to know who the actor was that stole the movie from him....the Hungarian mercenary. The photography was well worth watching, very well done and historical scenes were also well done.The scenes also folded well into each other .A smooth continuity, and understandable lines. The children were well chosen and presented their characters well. Who is that actor??? You know the one I mean , the Hungarian mercenary?The various animals that were used in the movie were well chosen and well saddled, bridled, and shod for the time period.Things like that really stick out in a period piece , like a new western saddle on a 16th century horse. Lambert is still the highlander in all of his roles, I know he could expand them if he wanted to, or even tried. The documentation was exact and you could almost smell the smoke in the fire scenes. And there were many.
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