Not-so enchanting
Yet another Nicholas Cage movie, but this time an unsuccessful fantasy action-thriller, peppered with a lot of special effects (too many for the century in which it is set), Season of the Witch is a lacklustre creation from director Dominic Sena (Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), Swordfish (2001)).
Behmen (Cage) is a Teutonic Knight who, tired of all the killings of the innocent in the name of the Church, has deserted, together with his friend, Felson (Ron Perlman). Arrested, they both must obey the Cardinal and to transport the Black Witch (Claire Foy) to a remote abbey, to see justice done. This, however, is not an ordinary witch, but one that is supposed to have brought the Black Plague (hence, Black Witch) to the land.
Thus, she must be transported to the abbey in question, where a ‘special’ book of incantations awaits…
And that’s the trouble – everything is supposed to be ‘special’ in this movie, but its effects are too much for a reproduction of a realistic 14th century setting, and the dialogue (and gestures) are simply far too American.
I must admit that Cage can be a great actor, but this movie is totally anachronistic and so it turns into a sort of parody, one that comes across almost a little bitter at times, and it makes you wonder as to what on Earth will happen to the reproduction of history in the digital age.
However, the witch’s role is brilliantly played by Foy, which salvages some of the movie’s atmosphere, but I must still say that I was impatiently awaiting the finale, for all the wrong reasons.
95 mins.