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Cast: Michelle Fairley, Tom Austen, Tom Rhys-Harris, Roxanne McKee, Rosie Day
It is 1216, just one year after the battle at Rochester Castle, and a new enemy threatens English life that s far more terrifying than King John - bands of Celtic raiders, stealing livestock and killing anyone who gets in their way. After the death of their father at the hands of these raiders, siblings Hubert, Blanche and Kate and their cousin Guy are determined to defeat them, once and for all.
Gathered together by young Hubert, a small band of hired swords gather inside his families castle intent on holding off evil Celtic Tribesmen hell-bent on revenge for the death of their leaders' son: a young mercenary named Guy whose soul is wracked with guilt over the atrocities he has committed during the days and years after the great battle of Rochester Castle and his burgeoning feelings for Kate, his cousin, ; battle-hardened mercenaries such as Berenger (David Caves), who fight not for God and country for money and bloodlust.
"Ironclad: Battle for Blood" is a sequel to the 2011 film "Ironclad." Twenty minutes in to the film I was wondering why this one was even made and why it got a limited release in theaters because it lacks a lot of what the first film had.
The first film had an impressive cast that included Paul Giamatti, Brian Cox and James Purefoy this film does not have that kind of star power and the acting is average at best. The first film also had better production values as well which goes a long way in a film like this one. The settings are not bad but some of the effects are a bit over the top which I think hurt the film.
This film is definitely a step backwards but for those of you who enjoy this type of adventure film there is some good action scenes and brutality with a good amount of blood which I suppose is the most important thing here. The story is simple enough but could it would of benefited from a bit more work and the acting could of been better. The battle scenes are low scale compared to big budget films but they are effective enough here but to me this was a needless sequel. I am sure there is an audience for it so if you liked the first film or this sort of adventure film in general give it a shot.
Available on DVD and Blu-ray with Special Features that include:
Making Of
Trailer
You can order the DVD HERE and the Blu-ray HERE.
"Ironclad: Battle for Blood" fell short for me but it is an average action/adventure film that should please most fans who are only looking for a bit of entertainment.
Released by Xlrator Media
** 1/2 Out Of *****