In Petr Jakl’s Medieval, the brutal action scenes hit hard, while everything else misses. And to be frank, it’s also a tad convoluted, you know, for us non 14^th Century European history buffs. Luckily, there are some easily accessible themes to grasp onto, like heroism and love. It’s all very gloomy though, washed away in dreary greys. I will give props to Ben Foster for going all in with his portrayal of Zizka. What feels like a big miscast, ends up being perfectly fine. The same can be said about the film’s other notable star, Michael Cain. In fact, everyone is just fine here. The movie as whole fits that description: mediocre - not to mention sluggish. At over 2-hours, it actually feels closer to 3. Thankfully we have the big battle scenes to hold our attention. No doubt the film’s saving grace, the action is as brutal and gruesome as it gets. There’s also some interesting camera work done during these scenes, even showing the bloody attacks under water. So yes, when it comes to the most expensive Czech film ever made, sadly Medieval is all bang and little else.