Wonderfully acted, poorly directed film

Rating: 7/10 (23 January 2005)

I have to say this was a wonderful film and does a pretty faithful depiction of the original text. (the few times it strays are plot motivated, and work well) Brad Pitt turns in a top notch performance, as does Eric Bana. Sean Beam and Brian Cox consistently provide terrific performances as well. Peter O' Toole also gives an incredible performance and one of the best portrayals of a king I have ever seen. The major disappointment I have is the terrible job the director of photography did in this movie. Not just are many of his shots unmotivated, but some are just downright awkward and even hurt the feel of the film. I have certainly heard of the Dir. of Photography having a hand in the success of a film, but this is the first time I have seen one hurt a picture. I also question the directing in general; anybody can make a great epic from such a great text, and David Benioff wrote a terrific screenplay. It seems that Wolfgang Peterson might've had his work cut out for him, especially with such a strong cast. The auteuring here relies upon the story and the actors who portray it, and that maybe works for the better.