IMDb listing
CNS/USCCB review
LA Times (K. Walsh) review
RogerEbert.com (S. Abrams) review
AVClub.com (L. Monson) review
Medieval (orig. Jan Žižka) [2022] [IMDb][CSFD]*(directed by Petr Jákl [IMDb][CSFD]*, screenplay by Petr Jákl [IMDb][CSFD]* and Petr Jákl, Sr [IMDb][CSFD]*, adapted from the original screenplay by Marek Dobeš [IMDb][CSFD]* and Michal Petruš [IMDb][CSFD]* is a Czech directed but English language and largely Hollywood financed film that seeks to tell the story of "the early/formative years" of Jan Žižka [en-wikip][cs-wikip]* (played in the film by Ben Foster [IMDb][CSFD]*)
Jan Žižka [en-wikip][cs-wikip]* was a remarkable (scrappy and supremely innovative), perhaps "Braveheartish," Czech military commander of the Hussites [en-wikip][cs-wikip]* a proto-Protestant sect that came to dominate Bohemia [en-wikip] in the early 1400s, one hundred years before Martin Luther [en-wikip] from neighboring Germany.
Being of Czech descent and knowing a good part of his story, I would agree that Žižka [en-wikip][cs-wikip]* would be worthy of a Hollywoodesque film.
The problem with this film is two-fold:
First, it is obvious that as scrappy as director/writer/producer Petr Jákl [IMDb][CSFD]* was in assembling the Hollywood funding and even the Hollywood actors (Ben Foster and Michael Caine) to do this film, he really did not have anywhere near the funds to really tell Žižka's [en-wikip][cs-wikip]* story.
The second problem is a consequence of the first: All Petr Jákl [IMDb][CSFD]* could do was to introduce the character of Žižka [en-wikip][cs-wikip]*(played in the film by Ben Foster [IMDb][CSFD]*) as well as some of the other historical figures of the time:
Wenceslas (Václav) IV [en.wikip] [cs.wikip]* (played in the film by Karel Roden [IMDb][CSFD]*) the notoriously weak, morally problematic (drinking but largely melancholy, womanizing) King of Bohemia of the time,
Sigismund [en.wikip] (played in the film by Matthew Goode [IMDb][CSFD]*) who was Wenceslas (Václav) IV's [en.wikip] [cs.wikip]* younger half-brother and King of Hungary at the time and one who _really coveted_ the Crown of the Holy Roman Emperor [en.wikip] that was Wenceslas (Václav) IV's [en.wikip] [cs.wikip]* for the receiving, if only he could get to Rome, which he never did, and finally
Henry III of Rosenberg [en.wikip][cs.wikip]*(played in the film by Til Schweiger [IMDb][CSFD]*), who was a powerful, scheming second-tier ("Cromwellish") nobleman, who though he was not a king, had as much power as the weak, often drinking Wenceslas (Václav) IV [en.wikip] [cs.wikip]*.
Yes, the cast of these characters, as well as of their advisors and captains of their military guards (one of them played by Michael Caine), makes for excellent fodder for an actual _historical_ "Game of Thrones" like story of intrigue.
And it was out this crucible of intrigue that the historical Jan Žižka [en-wikip][cs-wikip]* emerged.
Yet why the Czechs remember Žižka [en-wikip][cs-wikip]* to this day as a "Braveheartish" military leader was NOT for ANYTHING portrayed in this film.
Rather he is remembered for his leadership of a necessarily largely peasant army of Hussite [en-wikip][cs-wikip]* warriors, which rose up after the burning at the stake of the proto-Protestant Reformer Jan Hus [en-wikip] [cs-wikip]* at the Council of Constance [en.wikip][cs.wikip]* by Sigismund [en.wikip] of this film (by then the Holy Roman Emperor who he always wanted to become) some 10-20 years later.
That army led by Žižka [en-wikip][cs-wikip]* REPEATEDLY beat back and humiliated the "Crusading armies" of Sigismund [en.wikip] attacking Bohemia from all sides.
The closing credits of this film note that Žižka [en-wikip][cs-wikip]* is remembered to this day as having "never lost a battle" during that remarkable time.
It is entirely conceivable that writer, director and producer Peter Jákl [IMDb][CSFD]* has hoped that the current film will whet enough of an appetite to secure the funding required (perhaps 10-20x as he was able to secure for this one) to tell _that_ succeeding glorious chapter of Žižka's [en-wikip][cs-wikip]* story well. (Honestly, it would require a film with LOTR sized battle scenes to do the story justice...).
I do wish him well.
Unfortunately _the current film_ did not yet tell _that _ much grander story... just the story of a man who came later to do "great (and at times dastardly) things." (besides repeatedly defeating and humiliating Emperor Sigismund's [en.wikip] armies, Žižka's [en-wikip][cs-wikip]* peasant army burned down churches and monasteries all over Bohemia including the Monastery "na Slupi" [cs.wikip]* (belonging to my religious order, the Servites) just below the Vyšehrad Castle [en.wikip] [cs.wikip]* at the southern outskirts of Prague
Those chapters of Žižka's [en-wikip][cs-wikip]* story do, in fact, await another film.
So 2 1/2 Stars for now.
ADDENDUM:
Or if you'd like get a whimsical understanding of who Žižka [en-wikip][cs-wikip] and the Hussites [en-wikip][cs-wikip]* were, try this _adorable_ "Hussites vs Crusaders" game [Android Ver] [Apple Ver].
* Use the translate option on your browser to read these (Czech) web-pages.
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