Jan Zizka, a beloved 15th-century Czech folk hero, looms large in the nation’s collective consciousness, a skilled, ingenious, one-eyed warrior who led peasants and rebels into battles that he never lost. In Prague, they’ve erected one of the largest bronze equestrian statues in the world in his honor, and now, the most expensive Czech film ever made, “Medieval,” depicts his early years, with the intense actor Ben Foster taking on the role of Zizka.
“Medieval” is written and directed by Czech filmmaker, actor and stuntman Petr Jakl, who also represented the country in judo in the 2000 Olympics. The story is in part by his father, Petr Jakl Sr., who is also an Olympian judoka, and it’s clear that father and son have both a tremendous reverence for the man, his mission and for his brutal, bloody reputation. If there’s anything to recommend about “Medieval,” it’s the daring, no-holds-barred stunt work, the battles a crunchingly gory affair, with some spectacular underwater sequences.
This is the third directorial effort for Jakl, whose second film “Ghoul,” was the highest grossing horror film in Czech history. He brings that touch of the macabre to this tale of medieval warfare, following the path paved by “Game of Thrones” and “The Last Duel,” which plunged audiences into hyperrealistic and uber-violent battle scenes. Foster, who tends to disappear into his roles, approaches the bloodshed, and Jan’s emotional journey, with his typical ferocity.
