By Tyler Banark

Paul Greengrass isn’t usually known for a single element in his movies. He’s had several hits over the years with the Bourne sequels, 2013’s Captain Phillips, and last year’s The Lost Bus (though the latter fell into an abyss where hardly anyone saw it on Apple TV+). Now he has The Uprising, a movie initially advertised as a Robin Hood film. Why the title change, or the different marketing approach? It’s unknown, but The Uprising works as a brutal, lifeless historical drama. It helps that Andrew Garfield leads the cast in his most reckless role to date, but The Uprising sees Greengrass going for good enough and nothing more.

I guess that’s something I’ve mostly seen from Greengrass: he gets the job done but doesn’t shoot for the moon. Take that statement with a grain of salt since I haven’t seen the Bourne movies in over a decade, and that might contradict it. With The Uprising, however, Greengrass and company decide on a Robin Hood twist too late in the game. Having seen the movie, the choice would’ve felt like a shoo-in decision to catch viewers off guard. I’d much rather prefer what they did here, but still could’ve lived without the wink-wink towards the Prince of Thieves. It also didn’t help that the third act not only had this feat, but also lots of unnecessary shaky cam and slow-mo. Luckily, Garfield fails to miss the mark and delivers a strong performance. Even though there are other movies where he’s really going for it, his turn here is still worth highly commending because it’s one where he gets ultra violent and being nuanced.

The movie’s tone and acting work in its favor, though, as Garfield isn’t the only cast member doing good things in front of the camera. Jamie Bell plays priest John Ball, who helps Garfield’s plowman lead the titular movement in the backdrop of the 1381 Peasants’ Rebellion. Bell continues to prove how underrated he is, but he can still show up and bring his A-game when needed. The rest of the supporting cast consists of Thomasin Mckenzie, Cosmo Jarvis, Tom Hollander, Katherine Waterston, and Woody Norman all giving what they got to their respective parts. In particular, Hollander brings his cold demeanor that he usually has when playing an ill-intentioned character while Norman wonderfully executes a character arc as King Richard II. I hadn’t seen Norman since 2021’s Cmon Cmon, and it felt good to see him on screen and acting again. 

If The Uprising accomplished anything specific, it’s that Greengrass knows how to be efficient. His thrillers are gripping enough, while his script and direction here go hand in hand, making a historical thriller that has grittiness unlike anything that has been seen in some time. The cast he has assembled does their job, and the crew also hones in on their craft. Now, while I do wish Greengrass can provide something that’ll swing for the fences and floor audiences, I can settle for something coastal like The Uprising.  

🌟 🌟 🌟 1/2 stars