- Trailer for New SCAVENGERS REIGN Animated Series
- Trailer for New SCAVENGERS REIGN Animated Series
- Trailer for New SCAVENGERS REIGN Animated Series
- Book Club: SWAN SONG Is a Post-Apocalyptic Classic on Par with The Stand
- Book Club: SWAN SONG Is a Post-Apocalyptic Classic on Par with The Stand
- THE SHARDS: New Bret Easton Ellis Novel Publishes in January
- THE SHARDS: New Bret Easton Ellis Novel Publishes in January
- EDGE OF TOMORROW 4K Detailed and Available Now
- Welcome to THE FRINGE - The Exciting New Cinematic Universe Coming from the Makers of PROSPECT
- Welcome to THE FRINGE - The Exciting New Cinematic Universe Coming from the Makers of PROSPECT
- Re: Occupation, Australian Sci Fi movie
- Slice of Life, Blade Runner inspired short
- Is Snowpeircer a sequel to Willy Wonka?
- Re: Yesterday
- Re: Yesterday
- Yesterday
- Re: White Night (or where do I get my 30 + from now?)
- Re: White Night (or where do I get my 30 + from now?)
- Re: White Night (or where do I get my 30 + from now?)
- Re: White Night (or where do I get my 30 + from now?)
- Trailer for New SCAVENGERS REIGN Animated Series
- MANBORG Novelization Out Now!
- Book Club: SWAN SONG Is a Post-Apocalyptic Classic on Par with The Stand
- First VESPER Trailer Finally Drops!
- Feast Directors Return with Zombie Comedy UNHUMAN [Trailer]
- First Poster for Anticipated Apocalyptic Thriller VESPER
- Teaser Trailer for Netflix's RESIDENT EVIL Series
- Here's What's On Blu-ray and 4K This Week! [May 10, 2022]
- THE BOOK OF THE NEW SUN Series Blends Post-Apocalypse with Epic Fantasy
- Turbo Kid Directors Apating THE ZOMBIES THAT ATE THE WORLD Comic Series
- Proto-Cyberpunk & Post-Apocalypse Meet in MONDOCANE [Trailer]
- VIFF 2021: THE IN-LAWS, MIRACLE, SALOUM, SECRETS FROM PUTUMAYO [Capsule Reviews]
- TIFF 2021: SILENT NIGHT Review
- VIFF 2021: Documentary Preview [Capsule Reviews]
- TIFF 2021: THE PINK CLOUD, THE HOLE IN THE FENCE [Capsule Reviews]
- TIFF 2021: JAGGED Review
- TIFF 2021: SUNDOWN Review
- VIFF 2021: Animation Preview [Capsule Reviews]
- SAINT-NARCISSE is Bruce LaBruce at His Most Accomplished [Review]
- TIFF 2021: DASHCAM Review
- TIFF 2021: THE DAUGHTER Review
- THE BOOK OF THE NEW SUN Series Blends Post-Apocalypse with Epic Fantasy
- Watch the Full Obi-Wan Kenobi Trailer
- Famous First Films: Sam Raimi's IT'S MURDER! (1977)
- Four Disc Limited Edition of THE WICKER MAN Is Everything
- Robert Eggers' Edgar Allen Poe Adaptation Finally Gets Released!
- The Northman is Already Up for Pre-Order
- Watch Now: Heavy Metal Meets He-Man in STARCHASER THE LEGEND OF ORIN
- AVATAR 2 Trailer Reactions Are In!
- Trailer for SciFi Indie CRYO Looks Great!
- Sausages: The Making Of Dog Soldiers Book Available Now!
- Turbo Kid Directors Apating THE ZOMBIES THAT ATE THE WORLD Comic Series
- This Week on 4K Blu-ray and DVD (April 25, 2022)
- Surreal Scifi Film AFTER BLUE Channel Jodorowsky
- Listen to John Carpenter's New FIRESTARTER Theme!
- Zack Snyder's REBEL MOON Giving Us Major Seven Samurai Vibes
- New Red Band Trailer Gives First Look at HEAVY METAL SteelBook Edition 4K Blu-ray
- Trailer for Sci-Fi Prison Thriller CORRECTIVE MEASURES
- This Week on Blu-ray and DVD! [April 19, 2022]
- Disturbing Teaser for David Cronenberg's CRIMES OF THE FUTURE
- CHILDREN OF SIN Spooks up Amazon April 22
Jack In
Latest Comments
Latest Forum Posts
PA News
Latest Reviews
Older News
Crew
Marina Antunes
Editor in Chief
Vancouver, British Columbia
Christopher Webster
Managing Editor
Edmonton, Alberta
DN aka quietearth
Founder / Asst. Managing Editor
Denver, Colorado
Simon Read
UK Correspondent
Edinburgh, Scotland
Rick McGrath
Toronto Correspondent
Toronto, Ontario
Manuel de Layet
France Correspondent
Paris, France
rochefort
Austin Correspondent
Austin, Texas
Daniel Olmos
Corrispondente in Italia
Italy
Griffith Maloney aka Griffith Maloney
New York Correspondent
New York, NY
Stephanie O
Floating Correspondent
Quiet Earth Bunker
Jason Widgington
Montreal Correspondent
Montreal, Quebec
Carlos Prime
Austin Correspondent
Austin, TX








Year: 2009
Directors: Christopher Smith
Writers: Dario Poloni
IMDB: link
Trailer: link
Amazon: Watch/Buy
Review by: Ben Austwick
Rating: 8 out of 10
Chris Smith is a director with a tight release schedule, the premier of Black Death coming less than a year after the premier of Triangle at last summer's Frightfest. This is the economic reality of being an up-and-coming director nowadays, tighter budgets and smaller profit margins meaning more work and less time to chase perfection.
This has tripped some film makers up. Nicholas Refn's recent Valhalla Rising, in many ways a similar film to Black Death, was let down somewhat by a rushed second half. Chris Smith seems to have a tighter grip on the production process, and although Black Death shows some of the imperfections of a punishing schedule, it is on the whole atmospheric and well constructed with an intelligent, thought provoking finale.
Black Death is set in fourteenth century Europe, in the midst of the first of the plagues that were to reduce its population by a third. It's a grim, apocalyptic world of deserted villages and rotting corpses, complimented by damp, oppressive forest and swamp locations. It's dirty and nasty but not quite as bad as it could be, with none of the starvation or blank-eyed refugees of reality, everyone divided neatly into the unthreatening infected and the healthy living.
Into this steps a well cast Sean Bean as an aggressive bishop's envoy, tasked with his band of Christian warriors to find an uninfected village rumoured to be ruled over by a pagan necromancer. He recruits a young monk as his guide, and they embark on a straightforward quest journey that takes up the first half of the film. Violent encounters, a bleak atmosphere and above all a group of well-played, man's men characters keep it all rolling, though some directorial clich's and an occasionally overpowering score sometimes undermines the simple, stripped-down aesthetic.
The second half of Black Death is set in the pagan village, where the Christian band find hospitality and then hostility as their intentions are uncovered by the inhabitants. Both Carice van Houten and Tim McInnery (who, coincidence has it, are best known for their parts in Black Book and Blackadder respectively) play their roles as the village elders brilliantly, McInnery slimy and two-faced, van Houten hard-edged yet ethereal. The moral ambiguity of the clash between Christianity and paganism becomes a bit lopsided as the need for a dramatic finale approaches, but this is accompanied by clever plotting and some increasingly ingenious and nasty deaths.
It isn't until the final scene, a postscript from a few years into the future, that the full political nuance of the film is revealed. The human failings behind religious fundamentalism are explored in an intriguing historical context that retrospectively frames the rest of the movie. It changes Black Death from an enjoyable and atmospheric swords and sorcery movie into something altogether more profound, and it is thoughts of this you leave with, any clich's and flaws forgotten.
Recommended Release: Black Death








agentorange (12 years ago) Reply
Great review man. Glad to hear the film is decent. Smith is a great talent.
When the film is finally released on DVD here, I plan on doing a Black Death / Solomon Kane marathon. Sort of like a British dark fantasy double bill.

Ben Austwick (12 years ago) Reply
I mention Refn as well in this - I think they're similar directors, very versatile and original (Refn perhaps more artistic, Smith more focused), but they need someone to take confidence in them and give them the time and budget they deserve.
It's going to be great watching them grow.

agentorange (12 years ago) Reply
Well, Refn is signed onto a pretty big thriller called DRIVE, which has some money behind it. Neil Marshall was originally supposed to make it. Not sure why he dropped out. Ryan Gosling's in it.

Anonymous (12 years ago) Reply
Great review!
Very well written. No spoilers. Intriguing. Makes me want to see it.

Marina (11 years ago) Reply
They definitely have the look of the film right and the performances are great (particularly from Redmayne who I've seen before but haven't liked in much - though he's great in PILLARS OF THE EARTH) but overall, I didn't care for this. Something about it just didn't work for me and I think it's the finale that did it - the voice over in particular.

Ben Austwick (11 years ago) Reply
Yeah I know what you're saying, voice overs aren't usually a good thing, worked for me in this case though. I think it's because it brings the film into the history of the time.

Steve D (11 years ago) Reply
I liked the film for its moral nuance until the end. I unfortunately guessed the twist regarding the love interest, and the final segment seemed tacked on and contrived. I'd rather have imagined the young Monk's future for myself. Thanks for the insightful review, though.