Sword of Vengeance (film)

While the action sequences and Weber's performance were reasonably well received by critics, most felt the film's dialogue and overall story were subpar, with the caveat that aficionados of the genre would appreciate it far more.

In Northern England, about 1089,[4] some twenty years after the genocidal "Harrowing" (the Harrying of the North ordered by William the Conqueror to quell a series of rebellions), a former slave and Norman princeling has taken the name Shadow Walker (Stanley Weber) upon returning to his father's former lands.

Shadow Walker makes common cause with and rallies a large band of exiled rebel Anglo-Saxon farmers led by Anna (Annabelle Wallis).

When Julian Unthank joined the project to develop the script, he and Weedon "stripped back the dialogue to a minimum, something that was used a fair amount in the Spaghetti Westerns.

His character although conflicted tries to atone for his sins but it comes too late, however, his absolution from Anna in the final scene allows him to find peace and solace from his chosen path of revenge.

Wardrobe was designed to be "muted," working with blues, greys and black; "the only real colour coming through is the inherent hues from the fur that the heroes wore.

"[6] The film's already low colour palette was accentuated by principal photography taking place in winter, as Jennie Kermode notes; everything appears dark, the sky a "miserable grey," and the land "hard and unyielding.

"[6] However, the most difficult part was actually the first two days:Ridiculously we decided to shoot the opening sequence which involved rain fx, horses, stunts, and prosthetics.

Weedon wanted the audience to have a "musical roller-coaster ride": "Sound is integral to my commercial work and something that always creates the unexpected in the visuals.

Allan Hunter's review following the world premiere at Sitges set the tone for critics into 2015:The only things that appear to be lacking is an original story and some decent dialogue... Stanley Weber's Shadow Walker is very much in the Eastwood tradition down to the squint in his eye and the poncho-like garment draped over his strapping shoulders.

"[5] Josh Oakley complains that the dialogue is "overwrought and bland, with the actors apparently instructed to take long pauses between each line" and "much of the cast" seem to have accents like Tommy Wiseau's.

"[18] James Luxford of the Radio Times said there is a "brutal simplicity to the action that will appeal to some," but otherwise, Sword of Vengeance "seems stretched even for a relatively short film.

"[20] Mike McCahill, writing for The Guardian, found the film "perversely watchable" and "modest post-pub fun"; while it is a "low-budget" Game of Thrones "cash-in", it at least improves upon its producers' previous effort, the "risible" Hammer of the Gods.