Ironclad: Underrated Movie of the Year

Recently while in Iraq my buddy downloaded a movie I hadn't heard of called 'Ironclad'. I looked it up on IMDB and it looked promising so once it was done downloading we all huddled around the laptop, which was hooked up to a nice subwoofer, and watched it.

Boy was I blown away. Completely. This movie was awesome from start to finish. In terms of blood, guts, and medieval brutality this movie makes Braveheart and 300 look like child's play. I am not squeamish when it comes to gore and neither are my friends here (we are all medics) and we all like "man movies" as much as the next guy. This movie had us literally yelling and cringing and jumping to our feet during the battle scenes.

The battles are intense and real, no choreography is even noticeable. I have never seen a historical war movie where it actually looks like the actors are trying to kill each other. In Ironclad, you are almost convinced what you are watching is real.

Another highlight of this under advertised movie that I simply cannot overlook is the brilliance of Paul Giamatti. This guy is fast becoming one of my all time favorite actors because he never disappoints. Giamatti plays the ruthless King John of England with such a sinister aura of realism, it is almost eerie. His acting in Ironclad ranks as one of the top ten best acting performances I have ever seen...from anybody in any movie. Brian Cox's performance should also not be overlooked.

A third and final praise I would like to express is the fact this film did not contain any politically correct feminist garbage. By that I mean we are not subjected to seeing any sort of unrealistic female warrior heroine cutting her way through a sea of male opponents. As was the case in factual history, men do the fighting in this movie. At one point the Templar knight says to the lady of the castle..."I fight, so you don't have to." That is chivalry, and quite unheard of in 2011 Hollywood if you ask me.

It is a shame this film was undercut by the studio. It's release was pitifully buried. I consider it a miracle I even found out about this movie.

If you have an interest in historical war movies, medieval brutality, or any film with guts, gore, and good old fashioned chivalry I highly recommend Ironclad.