Directed b: Roland Joffé
Starring: Charlie Cox, Wes Bentley, Dougray Scott, Unax Ugalde, Olga Kurylenko
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Run Time: 122 minutes
Film: 2 out of 5 stars
Extras: 2 out of 5 stars
Just to clear the air, this film has nothing to do with dragons at all. It actually has to do with the Spanish Civil War and a Catholic priest who recent was canonized a saint. The story is very religious packed and is a based on true events of Josemaría Escrivá. The acting is decent but the war scenes are really the only saving factor in the whole film. The Blu-ray video and sound during the war scenes look and sound amazing especially when you have bullets flying by in surround sound. Though, if you are looking for a movie about the Spanish Civil War save yourself the preachy efforts of this film and check out Guillermo del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth”.
The film follows journalist Robert Torres (Dougray Scott) who is writing a book about Josemaría Escrivá and his possible canonization. Robert seeks the help his father, Manulo (Wes Bentley). Don’t even get me started on how laughable Bentley looks in his “old” makeup. The movie is told in flashback through Manulo’s memories of the Spanish Civil War and his involvement with Josemaría. As details get reveals about his fathers past, he learns that there was much more dark secrets than he expected.
The special features on the film are weak also like the film. The first feature is called “Facing Your Dragons: Inspiring Testimony from Wes Bentley”. It is just Wes Bentley talking about working on the film. Lastly there is 30 minutes of deleted scenes which is really cool, if firstly, you enjoyed the film and secondly, if the scenes were actually worth watching…which they are not. I also want to add that they are not even in HD and are presented in 480i.