tonypeacock-1

Sorry my title is an awful description of a fun in a black comedy way, horror (in terms of flesh and blood, and the odd beheading).

Basically the story is of an English Shakesperian stage actor who fails to get good critical write ups by the stage critic fraternity culminating in him not winning a prestigious critics circle award despite appearing in countless William Shakespeare productions.

The actor,Edward Lionheart is played brilliantly by Vincent Price who alongside his daughter Edwina (Diana Rigg) commits several murders amongst the critic fraternity. The film isn't all murder and horror it has some clever black comedy moments and links cleverly to the illustrious works of William Shakespeare.

London is shown at its 1970s best through various location shots and as was often the case in these movies, the cast is wow! I can quite honestly say this is probably the most fun I've had watching a 1970s British horror film and there were quite a lot made.

I'm not versed fully in the works of Shakespeare sadly but this film has probably done more for me in that respect than countless years of education in English Literature!

As a horror and indeed 1970s British film aficionado (not a professional critic!) I can quite honestly say that Theatre of Blood (1973) is one of the best films in the genre. However there are several Vincent Price films I have to explore I suppose.

A fairly simple tale of an English aristocrat John Morgan (Richard Harris) who is captured and enslaved by a Sioux tribe in North America, where Morgan wishes to reside. However Morgan becomes respected by the Sioux and earns his freedom.

The actor Richard Harris certainly starred in some entertaining if not A-list films in the 1970s and 80s. I've watched many of them and find them a good, entertaining watch. A Man Called Horse stands rightly amongst them.

You see as well, this film can't have been to bad it spawned two sequels. Then again Pitch Perfect (2012) did! It also provided some education into the Sioux and their rituals and way of life from a European.

I would certainly recommend this entry from the back catalogue of Harris, which is plentiful and varied.

I was so looking forward to seeing this film what with the success of the first film in 2000 which earned rave reviews across the board and was epic in production.

That's the problem I got watching this film. Whilst you are always going to get comparisons between a sequel and its debut film, more often than not the sequel isn't quite up to the first. Typical sequel syndrome I call it!

Yes, it is grand in production values and every penny/cent/Euro does look as though it was on the screen it just lacked that brilliance of the first film. For me, the screenplay was to similar to the first film what with a Gladiator slave facing demons of his dead wife. Then we come to the arena itself. I presume it is the Colosseum although there were lots of Roman amphitheatres weren't there? What was with a CGI scene of a naval battle in the Colosseum complete with killer sharks in the water?

Killer sharks seems a bit far fetched? CGI sanitization for me. Why include them. Just because you have the technology to do so? It's not a computer game (yet).

As for the cast they are excellent. The main character Hanno is brilliantly played by Paul Mescal along with Denzel Washington as Macrinus who reminded me of the Oliver Reed role in Gladiator?

Don't get me wrong its not a dud by any means just a disappointment after hearing so many rave reviews from certain quarters.