It stars Mark Rylance, Johnny Depp, Robert Pattinson, Gana Bayarsaikhan, and Greta Scacchi.

All that changes with the arrival of Colonel Joll, who is acting as part of a mysterious plan set in motion by the centre of the empire.

Colonel Joll then forces the tortured nephew to escort him and a detachment of soldiers to his tribe, where numerous women and elderly men are taken into custody as "prisoners of war".

Colonel Joll departs the next day, prompting the Magistrate to immediately release the prisoners and send them home.

The Magistrate returns to find Officer Mandel, Colonel Joll's underling, has been assigned to command the fort.

The Magistrate is publicly shamed and has his home and possessions confiscated, while Colonel Joll departs with a large force to wipe out the mountain nomads.

Colonel Joll's military campaign has resulted in the unification of the dispersed nomadic tribes into a single "barbarian" army.

The Magistrate walks through the town where boys play-pretend to stand guard next to scarecrows dressed as soldiers at the gates of the fort.

It was announced in October 2016 that filmmaker Ciro Guerra was working on an adaptation of the novel Waiting for the Barbarians, which would see him make his English language debut.

The website's critics consensus reads: "Admirable in theory but disappointing in execution, Waiting for the Barbarians struggles to turn strong performances and worthy themes into affecting drama.