In Germany, the bloody historical battle slab “Medieval” has never been released despite a top-class cast. Until now! You can now stream the medieval thriller with a Netflix subscription. But better not expect a masterpiece…
Those who appreciate historical cinema less for learning historical facts and more for enjoying gruff violence should not miss “Medieval”, which is based on true events. The trailer for the medieval actioner already makes it clear that director Petr Jákl is not at a loss to let a head or two roll around. The film is now available as a Netflix subscription – and thus also receives its German premiere. The ripper has not been available in cinemas, on Blu-ray and DVD or on any other streaming service until now.
THIS IS WHAT “MEDIEVAL” IS ABOUT
Le film Medieval est dès maintenant disponible en streaming sur @NetflixFR
“L’honnête chef d’une bande de mercenaires accomplit sa destinée en livrant bataille aux armées de l’ordre Teutonique et du Saint-Empire. “Netflix pic.twitter.com/K1J3kp8bfS
– ALXOIX | News & critiques Séries/Films (@alxoix) November 8, 2022
End of the 14th century: the Kingdom of Bohemia threatens to disintegrate into its component parts under the weak rule of Wenceslas IV (Karel Roden). Heinrich III von Rosenberg (Til Schweiger) senses the rising unrest in the country and arbitrarily seizes more and more property of the lower nobility for himself. But not everyone is prepared to submit to the power-hungry tyrant without a fight. The mercenary Jan Žižka (Ben Foster) begins to rebel against the upstart and is prepared to risk his own life to do so.
When Heinrich III von Rosenberg then has Žižka’s family cruelly killed, the rebel swears revenge – and it is to be as bloody and extremely painful as possible. He gets help in his campaign of retribution from an unexpected source: Catherine (Sophie Lowe), the violent ruler’s fiancée, has fallen in love with the inflammatory warrior and sends Žižka secret information about a plot that is currently being forged against the king…
THE MOST EXPENSIVE FILM IN CZECH CINEMA HISTORY
With a budget of 500 million crowns (which is the equivalent of about 20.5 million euros), “Medieval” is the most expensive film in Czech cinema history. In the Czech Republic itself, the medieval battle platter also advanced straight to hit status and only the Marvel blockbusters “Thor: Love And Thunder” and “Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness” as well as the local comedy “Vysehrad: Fylm” were more successful. In the United States, however, things look quite different…
Although “Medieval” doesn’t hide behind the fact that it gets down to the nitty gritty and also features stars like Ben Foster, Michael Caine (!) and Til Schweiger in the cast, the historical clunker became one of the biggest flops in US history. The film only managed to bring in a pitiful 810,000 US dollars (!!) in over 1,300 cinemas in the USA. An unparalleled commercial failure. You can now find out whether “Medieval” deserved this failure by subscribing to Netflix.
