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There’s one interesting idea in this fiasco, which is set in England during the late-14th-century reign of Richard II. Taking to his heels after getting caught in flagrante with a wench from his flock, a young priest (Paul Bettany) hooks up with some traveling players whose next gig is at a town that’s about to execute a woman accused of murder. The leader of the troupe (Willem Dafoe) — here’s the one interesting idea — decides to turn the murder case into a play, breaking with stage tradition. "Who dares play things that happen in this world?" one actor objects. "We have no authority from God in this," another points out. "I believe this is the way plays will be made in times to come," the visionary replies. That’s as far as I care to go in recounting the film’s plot, though the solemn, inept mediæval mystery goes an unconscionable length farther. Trying to compensate for a low budget, director Paul McGuigan indulges in arty effects (slow and fast motion, circular camera moves, shots of Dafoe limbering up on a limbo set) that don’t come off. As a result, what might have been an interesting film, and what at worst should have been just a boring one, becomes something to shield the eyes from. (112 minutes)
BY CHRIS FUJIWARA
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