William Tell

So... I came for arrows and rebellion.

I stayed for moody stares and dramatic cloak-swishing. And I left wondering: was this a freedom fighter or a medieval therapist with anger issues?

Claes Bang plays William Tell like he's auditioning to be the next Batman - dark, brooding, and emotionally constipated. The man shoots maybe one arrow, but delivers about 947 intense silences. Respect.

Ben Kingsley shows up and casually steals every scene with the smug energy of someone who knows this isn't going to win any awards - and doesn't care. Icon.

Highlights: Gorgeous Swiss mountains.

Enough slow-motion stares to power a shampoo commercial.

Historical drama that thinks it's Shakespeare but sometimes feels more like a LARP gone rogue.

Lowlights: Pacing so slow, I checked my pulse. Twice.

A hero with all the charisma of a wet log.

Dialogue so dramatic, it circles back to being hilarious.

Bottom line: It's not a bad movie. It's just very committed to being serious... even when it really shouldn't be. Like wearing full armor to a garden party.

Watch it with wine. Or snacks. Or while folding laundry. You won't miss much if you blink - or nap.

I watched the world premiere of William Tell at the Toronto International Film Festival (2024).

The presenter of the festival had said before the movie, "they don't make movies like this anymore". I assumed that was a positive thing.

Unfortunately, it really wasn't. The biggest issue of the movie was the language used.

This is a 14th-century period piece that involved the Swiss and Austrians. But for whatever reason the dialogue was written in something that sounded like a high-schooler's approximation of Victorian English.

According to the director, he wrote the dialogue to have language unique to the film. Maybe to assist in some sense of believability within this world. Instead the film was often hard to follow. Character motivations were lost in the flowery, disjointed language.

That being said - the cast did their absolute best with the film. Golshifteh Farahani, Connor Swindells, Rafe Spall, and Ellie Bamber were standouts.

Don't go to see the film for Ben Kingsley - he was barely in it and his performance felt completely phoned in.

If you're okay with 2-hours of mindlessness as you watch beautiful scenery and cool fight scenes - I think there is enough to enjoy.

The movie set up a sequel. I do hope it can be made, and some changes to how dialogue and character interactions are done will be made.

I knew nothing about this film going in but sometimes taking a gamble and going in blind can pay off when you find yourself watching a hidden gem. "William Tell" however is just an average watch.

I found the film quite hard to follow because (like in alot of historical dramas) most of the strapping, bearded, heavily armoured warriors look the same, and there's way too many off them to keep up with. This might just be me. But it did have quite a slow pace overall.

There is some decent bloody action (especially toward the end) and alot of breathtaking scenery in the movie. But there are some questionable decisions too. Especially when it comes to some of the cast. With a promising ending for one of the characters not happening. While the ending overall isn't even an ending really.

The story is different and they introduced Arab elements into the Catholic and white Switzerland of the Middle Ages, Switzerland did not give women the right to vote until the 1970s, so women fighting in the Middle Ages in Switzerland, come on. Joan of Arc is exceptional.

21st century Switzerland, which has immigrants from the Muslim world from Asia and Africa, was very different in the Middle Ages and Arab warriors certainly did not fight together alongside Crusaders in Switzerland Here they mixed Robin Hood, William Tell, and Peter Pan and created a new story The clothing and hairstyles do not match the period I liked the Crossbow series better.

An adaptation of Friedrich Schiller's 1804 play of "Wilhelm Tell" and story of the Swiss struggle for independence. Where an act of oppression, followed by unnecessary wrongdoing sparks a response that sets off a chain of events that lead to rebellion. Wilhelm Tell, master of the crossbow, involved in a conflict he would have rather not be a part of..

Visually, the film delivers beautiful landscape shots and a believable period piece, with a nicely-colored and dynamic cinematography and an excellent production! Not to mention a rather large cast of actors that present the material with strong performances.

I've read questioning of the "dialogue", but as a foreigner, I found it was easy to follow at all times and no line particularly annoying or useless.

But.. despite this strong execution, the script lacks surprises, intrigue and excitement. Making the predictable plot an expected retelling of this known story.

Don't get me wrong, it is quite solid and engaging enough.. but for 2-hour film that feels a tad long, I expected something more. It's not what I wanted it to be, but I would recommend it still to those interested and those not familiar with the famous character.