In 16th-century France, a horse trader by the name of Michael Kohlhaas (Mads Mikkelsen) raises a peasant army and goes to war to exact vengeance on an unjust lord, putting the country to fire and sword.
Critics Of "Age of Uprising: The Legend of Michael Kohlhaas"
New York Times
May 29, 2014
The severely beautiful film is painted in a dauntingly austere manner, as if lost in a war against itself, with confrontations underplayed and the rural landscapes making more of an impression than the detoured drama.
Medieval mumblecore. And social conflict as secondary to the scenery in this dramatic momentum-free travelogue, a treat solely for arty snobs and couch potato political dilettantes. Poverty porn as high art, and most memorable, a pregnant horse in labor.
Des Pallières also hears his historical era: the richly detailed sound design, of jostles and clanks and wind, compensates partially for the film's often deliberate pace.
Those seeking bloodletting and savagery will be disappointed... Let it be said that Age of Uprising will test the limits of moviegoers who are not prepared for the deliberate way this revenge tale is handled.
Silly critics expected "Braveheart" when it was more like Ingmar Bergman's "Virgin Spring". Ignore the shallow minds; this is a serious art film worthy of your attention if you have an IQ over 80.
This muted approach robs the film of sorely needed momentum, but offers a rare opportunity for contemplation, a trade-off that only occasionally satisfies.
Beautifully shot, well-acted, and respectful to a fault, Age of Uprising: The Legend of Michael Kohlhaas is often left inert by its weighty meditations.
The film is almost monotonously somber, though not in a bad way -- when it erupts into violence or settles briefly into moments of intimacy, the shift in tone can be surprising, even invigorating.
