The Reckoning
Synopsis
Nicholas, a young priest, is discovered in the act of adultery by an enraged husband who dies in the ensuing struggle. Appalled by his fall from grace, he turns his back on the Church and goes on the run.
Destitute and forced to hide his privileged origins, Nicholas joins a troupe of travelling actors who have just lost one of their number. He is falling for Sarah, the beautiful sister of the troupe's leader, but the shame of his past leads him to conceal his passion. He begs to stay and learn the mysteries of the actor's craft.
The small town where they plan to perform The Fall of Adam and Eve is under a dark cloud of fear. A boy has been murdered, and the town's sheriff has been swift to lay the blame on a deaf and dumb girl, Martha, who can do nothing to defend herself, but whose striking looks captivate Martin. Realising that the crime is not the first, the actors set on a course of action, which will expose a serial killer.
Details
- Year
- 2002
- Type of film
- Features
- Running time
- 107 mins
- Format
- 35mm Kodak
- Director
-
Paul McGuigan
- Producer
- Stephen Evans, Angus Finney
- Editor
- Andrew Hulme
- Screenwriter
- Mark Mills based on 'Morality Play' by Barry Unsworth
- Director of Photography
- Peter Sova
- Sound
- Antonio Bloch
- Composer
- Magnus Fiennes
- Principal cast
- Willem Dafoe, Paul Bettany, Brian Cox, Gina McKee, Vincent Cassel, Elvira Minguez, Ewan Bremner, Matthew MacFadyen
Genre
Categories
Production Status
Production Company
Renaissance Films
Contact: Angus Finney, Stephen Evans34-35 Berwick Street
London
W1V 3RF
UK
T 00 44 (0)20 7287 5190
info@renaissance-films.com
Sales Company
Renaissance Films
Contact: Angus Finney, Stephen Evans34-35 Berwick Street
London
W1V 3RF
UK
T 00 44 (0)20 7287 5190
info@renaissance-films.com
Page updates
This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.
See also
You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.
Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool
Director: Paul McGuigan
Year: 2017
The story of the playful, but passionate relationship between Peter Turner, a young British actor, and the eccentric Academy Award-winning actress Gloria Grahame (who rose to fame in the 1940s) in her later years.<br /> What starts as a vibrant affair between a legendary femme fatale and her young lover, quickly grows into a deeper relationship, with Turner being the one person she allows herself to turn to for comfort and strength. But, their passion and lust for life is ultimately tested to the limits by events beyond their control.<br /> Based on the memoir by British actor Peter Turner.<br /> Official Selection Rotterdam International Film Festival 2018
Little Angels
Director: Paul McGuigan
Year: 2003
Michelle is young, bright and attractive, leaving prison with a spring in her step and determined to steer clear of the heroin that led her here. Shaun is getting out after a year, his mother Angela there to greet him and take him home to start anew.<br /> <br /> In improvised scenes drawn from their past and present experience, Michelle is tempted by a junkie friend and succumbs to an overdose, while Shaun tries hard with his friend Carl to stay straight. It's only a matter of time before Angela's suspicions are confirmed as they return to drugs and thieving. Michelle continues her fighting descent back into addiction, revealing the defining moments of her life: the death of her mother and her father's effective abandonment of her. Angela discusses with Carl's mother the impact of heroin on their lives and her relationships with other men, recalling the despair that led to her attempted suicide. But it's her love which keeps Shaun going, the love Michelle has lost.<br /> <br /> In this powerful, often emotional film, Hollywood-bound film director Paul McGuigan achieves a vibrant modern approach to the kind of creative documentary originated by Robert Flaherty and developed by Humphrey Jennings.
Gangster No. 1
Director: Paul McGuigan
Year: 2000
Set in 1960's Soho, a blood-chilling battle of wills is played out between London's leading gangster and the young apprentice who wants to usurp him. A study of cunning, deceit, violence, betrayal and obsession.