Title: Ironclad 2 (15)
Year: 2014
Running Time: 103 minutes
Director: Jonathan English
Cast: Tom Austen (Guy the Squire), Roxanne McKee (Blanche), David Caves (Berenger) Notes: Also known as Ironclad Battle For Blood.
Rating: 5
Thoughts: In the aftermath of the siege of Rochester Castle (Ironclad), a band of swordsmen, including Guy (a survivor from Rochester), must defend themselves against Celts who seek revenge for the death of their leader's son.
Odd, in Ironclad I could have sworn the mercenaries were Danish, not Celts!
When a film does a lot better than its genre would expect a sequel will often appear. But there is little left from the original - the strong cast is a tad depleted for one.
Now this becomes a sort of static quest, with a range of characters on the good side. The story is now a little predictable and cliched, including the bad hero turns good part, and the good hero turns bad turns good part!
They throw in a few sex scenes, that add nothing to the story, and that's the sort of tone of the whole thing. The fighting is good again and that's about it.
The script is light and it's a surprise to find it's the same director. It just shows how more beneficial a deep cast can be.
After such a strong first film, this is a little disappointing - it is okay on its own but comparisons are inevitable.
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