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| To Kill A King [Blu-ray] | ![To Kill A King [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5102z1kIBCL._SL500_.jpg)
| Director: Mike Barker
Actors: Patricia Kerrigan, Dougray Scott, James Bolam, Steven Webb, Melissa Knatchbull
Studio: ANCHOR BAY
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.98
Buy New: $11.39
You Save: $18.59 (62%)
New (32) Collectible (1) from $11.39
Avg. Customer Rating:  45 reviews
Sales Rank: 18556
Format: Color, Widescreen
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Media: Blu-ray
Running Time: 102 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 5.3 x 0.5
MPN: 30288
UPC: 013138302885
EAN: 0013138302885
ASIN: B0010SAGGY
Theatrical Release Date: 2003
Release Date: February 26, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW - FACTORY SEALED - ORIGINAL PRODUCT
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
In Mike Barker's version of British history, Thomas Fairfax (Mission Impossible II's Dougray Scott) represents reason, while Oliver Cromwell (Tim Roth, taking on a role previously assumed by Richard Harris) embodies reform. As the lieutenant-general, who makes up in conviction what he lacks in charisma, declares, "Tom is our emblem. We are brutes without him." He could easily be referring to himself, since Cromwell would turn out to be one of England's more brutal reformers. Barker picks up their story in 1645 during the height of civil war. At the time, King Charles I (Rupert Everett, in fine fettle despite a few unfortunate ensembles) holds a tenuous grasp on the throne. Parliamentarians Fairfax and Cromwell enjoy cordial relations; though the latter's increasing fanaticism bodes poorly for the future. Further, the lord general's wife, Lady Fairfax (Rushmore's Olivia Williams), sympathizes with the king, putting her husband in an awkward position. In the end, Cromwell will decide the fate of the Crown, but many lives might have been spared if Parliament had heeded Fairfax's calls for leniency. Plagued by budgetary problems, Barker was forced to halt production on the film twice (the project was saved largely by actor/producer Scott, who paid crew members out of his own pocket). Consequently, the director opted to emphasize political intrigue over battlefield heroics. Though less satisfying than his underrated Oscar Wilde adaptation A Good Woman, To Kill a King (formerly Cromwell and Fairfax) features convincing performances and raises timely questions about the qualifications for leadership. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Product Description
Anchorbay To Kill A King (Blu-ray) 1645: After years of civil war, King Charles I is overthrown and two heroes have emerged - Lord General Thomas Fairfax andhis best friend and deputy General Oliver Cromwell. Their friendship is threatened when Fairfax andhis wife conspire to return the King to power, and Cromwell instead orders his execution, seizing control. His armies spread violence and fear throughout the country, and Fairfax realises Cromwell must be stopped, and their bond as two comrades-at-arms irreparably broken.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 40 more reviews...
 To Kill an Idea August 23, 2008
My copy of "To Kill a King" is flawed in that the language isn't distinct and I lost some of the drama of the film and this film is more about language than about sets and costumes. The film revolves around three major players, Oliver Cromwell, his friend, Sir Thomas Fairfax, and the King, Charles Stewart. The setting is immediately after the victory of the Parliamentary forces, led by Cromwell and General Fairfax, against the Royalist forces. The King is defeated but still the King. He refuses to compromise on important aspects of what he regards as his God-Given Authority--such as the authority to render arbitrary judgments. This, of course, sets him distinctly at odds with Cromwell. Parliament is bribed and cajoled to favor the King's position and Cromwell dissolves Parliament at the point of a gun.
By this time, Cromwell's old friend and buddy, Thomas, is getting uneasy. He has, after all, fought for the primacy of Parliament. Cromwell, realizing that his revolution is not complete until there is no King, holds a drumhead trial in which the King is convicted and condemned to die on the block. Now, Thomas is really uneasy and his squeamishness starts to affect his friendship with Cromwell.
The King is executed. Cromwell raises his hands, reddened with a King's own blood, and proclaims to the crowd, "See. His blood is red just like ours. You are your own masters now."
But England has been a monarchy for one thousand years and more. The people are uncomfortable with concepts like 'freedom' and 'republic'. They're even more uncomfortable with regicide. Cromwell, despite his elevation to 'Lord Protector' is the most hated man in England. Thomas, despite increasing dismay, sticks by the King but not for long. The friendship breaks like a rotten stick. Cromwell dies--some say by malaria--and the new English Republic dies along with him with the return of Charles II. Charles strings the bones of Cromwell up for public display. Thus with regicides.
I think this is a very good movie. I just wish I could have heard it better.
Ron Braithwaite author of novels--"Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God"--on the Spanish Conquest of Mexico
wanted more from this film August 23, 2008
good story, average acting. The story moves a little slow and I had trouble staying interested. overall a good movie, though it nedds a bit more action.
 The Deaths of Princes July 19, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
A lot of first-rate talent is wasted in this static historical drama. As far as costumes and settings go, the production values are properly first-rate (One cannot get more elegant than Hampton Court or the Tower of London.), but very little happens, and what does, I suspect (based upon dim memory of reading about the era), is of tendentious historicity. This would not matter, if the film had compelling characters that one cared about, or anything resembling pace, but it plods along, except when Cromwell is ranting at the top of his voice. The camera, which is sometimes hand-held, is annoying, as is the music, which seems designed to tug at the heartstrings. The only character who is the least bit sympathetic is Rupert Everett, who, as King Charles I, goes to the scaffold with dignity.
For those who are unfamiliar with the Civil War, or the Cavaliers and the Roundheads, the film is less than enlightening. For those who know their British history, I can imagine, the movie must be infuriating.
 To Kill a King Crowning Achievement June 16, 2008
To Kill a King is mesmerizing. It is an epic tale, brilliantly captured cinematographically and presented in a way that all sides of the issue, from Oliver Cromwell to Thomas Fairfax and King Charles, are understood without any of the major players being demonized. What really makes this such an engrossing movie, however, are the performances of Tim Roth (Cromwell), Charles 1 (Rupert Everett) and Fairfax (Dougray Scott). Told from Fairfax's narrative, the movie shows the strengths and weaknesses of each person without condemnation. Scott is especially effective as the man torn in three by his best friend, his wife, and his king but who yields in the end to no one but his own moral code.
A Tedious Account Set in the English Civil War May 15, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
To Kill A King is a tedious account of an argument between Oliver Cormwell and Lord Fairfax, two leaders of the Roundhead faction in the English Civil War, as to whether or not to execute King Charles I.
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