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| To Kill a King | 
| Director: N/a
Actors: John-paul Macleod, Corin Redgrave, Jessica Hazel, Tim Roth, Melissa Knatchbull
Studio: ANCHOR BAY
Category: DVD
List Price: $26.98
Buy New: $1.58
You Save: $25.40 (94%)
New (51) from $1.58
Avg. Customer Rating:  48 reviews
Sales Rank: 29332
Format: Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc, Widescreen
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Running Time: 102 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
MPN: ANBD72173D
UPC: 013137217395
EAN: 0013137217395
ASIN: B0010SAGGE
Theatrical Release Date: 2003
Release Date: February 26, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW - FACTORY SEALED - SHIPPED FIRST CLASS WITH DELIVERY CONFIRMATION
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 46-48 of 48 | | « PREV 1 ... | | |
 Had the casting of Cromwell been better? February 27, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The costumes are great, the acting is first class and the plot
is well done. I only see the failure to cast Cromwell as
the giant he obviously was. He was nearly a century ahead of his time
and his eventual failure led to bloody King George against who we fought the American Revolutionary war. One man can make a great difference,
but it takes more than one to make it stick.
It seems from my history that there was degenerate
corruption on both sides. Here Fairfax takes that symbol,
but royalty has ever degenerated. In the face of cultural decay,
as the Romans, Republics have often gone to kings.
Education, backbone and courage are not found in most men of the mob.
At least Cromwell made the effort to be better than the past.
The Stuarts were mostly weak and bad rulers...
But a Stalin isn't an answer either.
A Parable on Theocracy February 25, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
To Kill a King might be seen as a warning to the west. 300 years before the shah of iran was toppled and replaced with a republic founded on strict religious intolerance, England went through a simnilar chaos. General Thomas Fairfax,{ well played by the Welsh actor Dougray Scott} having defeated the royal troops of Charles 1[Rupert Evertt} with his loyal Oliver Cromwell{the brilliant Tim Roth}, now set out to establish a republic in England. Court intrigue, barons large landowners, the king and Fairfaxs' wife{Olivia Williams, in a virtual non-role} all try to derail the plans of Cromwell. The Round hats are not shown in their intolerance,though it is hinted at. The real battle is beween Fairfax and Cromwell for the consciencee,if not soul, of England. The production values are quite high, typical of an english made costume drama.The beard test[ do the beards look real or do they look like Monty Phython or SNL}is passed , as are the wigs and costumes. There is little action as such[the opening scene is after a battle, with naked corpses being piled up] and most of the action, such as it is, tales place indoors. Only Fairfax is fleshed out, where we believe him to be real.In all, a good,not great movie, a period piece, well worth it for the great Tim Roth and very very Good Dougray Scott.
 Surprisingly good historical drama January 15, 2008
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
To Kill a King (aka Cromwell and Fairfax) came as quite a surprise - the film's troubled production is a local legend in the UK, the reviews were lukewarm and the film was further scuppered by a dreadful ad campaign and trailer. Then there was the fact that director Mike Barker's feature debut, the insultingly stupid The James Gang, was one of the very worst films I've ever had the misfortune to see. And that's ignoring Rupert Everett's efforts at promoting the movie in the States by describing it as boring rubbish and his performance being the only worthwhile thing in it.
The omens weren't good, to put it mildly, but it actually turned out to be a surprisingly entertaining and ambitious retelling of the troubled relationship between Lord Fairfax and his deputy Oliver Cromwell in the aftermath of the English Civil War. I can't vouch for its historical accuracy (widely criticized in the UK), but as drama it works very well, despite the fact that Roth's Cromwell isn't at the top of his game while Scott lacks the voice for the rabble-rousing speeches (although he's much better here than his usual lacklustre screen performances).
It's well-directed and hides the budget problems that saw the picture shut down for a few weeks while they scrambled for money to finish the picture quite admirably. It has a sense of scale both in story and treatment and, though it loses momentum slightly after the king's death, it deserved to find the audience it was denied in cinemas. Certainly a notch above the usual staid British historical picture, it's well worth a look.
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