More fantasy than historical fiction, and undecided in its tone,  “Uprising”  is based on the peasant revolt that occurred  during the reign of Richard the Second. The effects of which led to the War of Roses. A story that is well familiar and taught in the United Kingdom but hardly known in the United States. Andrew Garfield plays a man named Plowman, which is not only his name but what I do, he says in the film. Plowman is about as general as  a name you can get and about as typical of a reluctant hero as you can. Taxes must be raised and the poorest class will carry the burden. Plowman has lost his kids and his wife to the plagues and has little to keep him on earth. He needs motivation, a goal to keep going and finds it leading the cause. He teams up with notable names of the real occurrence after he can’t take it anymore and lashes out at those carrying out those orders. It triggers others to do the same. The film is bathing in the classic trope of rebellion against tyranny and class struggle. Themes that could be investigated further and deeply explored but the perimeters of those themes are merely used for the making of superhero folk heroes. The historical event is only a vessel for the classic  hero’s journey. 

 “Uprising” is directed by Paul Greengrass. In signature style of his the camera is never still and erroneously and occasionally violently shaking. It never relaxes. It’s action orientated instead of drama. It’s action paced and goes heavy in the third act. The contrast of characters is at its maximum. Greengrass has inserted some great supporting characters Katherine Waterson playing Richard the Second’s mother and an almost unrecognizable Thomasin McKenzie as Alyce with her short hair. Andrew Garfield is quite remarkable in this. He clearly shows he is a qualified, amazing  actor, and also qualified to be a headliner. A duel threat. “Uprising” isn’t a bad script, it’s just very familiar-so very familiar. It thinks it is building to something spectacular at the end but the payoff is so superhero-esque Marvel and DC studios would think it is a nod to them. They might even wonder if one of their superhero’s backstory inspired Plowman. I don’t want to use the Robin Hood films analogy but it is difficult when there’s amassed many different tones and themes just on that character that one could syphon from upon making this. 

There is a vapor of another  theme in this. A theme that revenge be more effective as a  haunting of the mind, a psyop if you will, then just plain old assasination of the King but it is executed so cartoonish it is laughable.  “Uprising” had all the ingredients for a deep catharsis epic, but it instead used them for the same old, same old.. Completely disinterested in the real event and went for fantastical hero mythology. “Uprising” never rose from its status quo in the story. The film doesn’t know if it wants to be a drama or action and the blending just doesn’t mesh. At times rich and other so bland. There’s a scene where Garfield smears his face with the mud of his family graves that should be regarded as his heroic transformation, his change from victim to rebel leader but it shot so unseriously that it comes off as satire of the kind of story the film is trying to convey. “Uprising” is sadly a satire upon itself.  7/10