It’s been described by one of its stars - the godlike Jason Flemyng - as a “medieval Seven Samurai”. It’s got Paul Giamatti, in pure Shoot ‘Em Up snarling-villain mode, facing off against the noble and true James Purefoy. And, despite its low-budget trappings, it promises to be that rarest of things: a gritty and compelling British action flick.
It is, of course, Ironclad, and we have the first official still from the Jonathan English-directed movie, showing Purefoy as the heroic Marshall, wielding a sword in suitably manly fashion.
And what a sword it is, too. Bloody hell, just look at the size of that thing! It's bigger than he is... And hopefully it's the capper to a Crocodile Dundee-style 'that's not a sword, this is a sword' dialogue exchange.
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For more on the movie, including Giamatti’s views on playing a “complete bastard”, pick up the new issue of Empire, with over 30 pages of on-set reports from the hottest new movies. It’s now on sale, don’t you know?