Firebrand (15)

In the mid-16th century, King Henry VIII languishes on the throne, flanked by sixth wife, and counting, Katherine Parr. Protestant preacher Anne Askew sermonises revolt in defiance of a religious establishment led by bishop Stephen Gardiner. "I'm God's deputy. I won't be patron to heretics!" snarls the King in response. Katherine secretly attends one of Anne's gatherings. When wicked whispers circulate of the queen's defiance, advisers pour poison in Henry's ear.

LondonNet Film Review

Firebrand (15) Film Review from LondonNet

A turbulent chapter in British history is divorced and ultimately beheaded from fact as celebrated Brazilian director Karim Ainouz makes his English-language debut with a handsomely crafted period drama based on Elizabeth Fremantle’s novel The Queen’s Gambit. Adapted for the screen by sisters Henrietta and Jessica Ashworth with additional writing by Rosanne Flynn, Firebrand smoulders for two hours but never truly catches light despite a thunderous turn from Jude Law as an ailing and bloated King Henry VIII. It’s an eye-catching performance of glowering, unapologetic misogyny and male privilege, stripped bare of vanity as his overweight monarch heaves nosily atop current spouse Katherine Parr (Alicia Vikander) to further the royal bloodline…

Law’s wild, dangerous mood swings contrast with Vikander’s cool, measured embodiment of a regent, who hopes to leverage the king’s fickle affections as she anxiously births a male heir. “I believe that I was chosen by God to get the king to change his will,” naively proclaims the queen. Courtly intrigue and betrayal, orchestrated by a privileged few desperate to cling on to the little power they wield, sets in motion a murderous plot that resolves awkwardly in the film’s closing moments. Prosaic voiceover narration teases Parr as a trailblazer of female empowerment, who defied the will of the establishment, but Ainouz’s anaemic picture does not bear this out with fervour.

In the mid-16th century, King Henry VIII (Law) languishes on the throne with bandaged legs to conceal his festering ulcers, flanked by sixth wife, and counting, Katherine Parr (Vikander). She warmly attends to Princess Elizabeth (Junia Rees) and Prince Edward (Patrick Buckley), surviving children of her predecessors Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour, as the winds of change blow through “a rotten, blood-soaked kingdom”. Protestant preacher Anne Askew (Erin Doherty) sermonises revolt in defiance of a religious establishment led by bishop Stephen Gardiner (Simon Russell Beale).

“I’m God’s deputy. I won’t be patron to heretics!” snarls the King in response. Katherine secretly attends one of Anne’s gatherings with her loyal ladies of the bedchamber, Cat (Ruby Bentall), Dot (Maia Jemmett) and Ellen (Bryony Hannah). When wicked whispers circulate that the queen was seen in the company of heretics, advisers pour poison in Henry’s ear and Jane Seymour’s brothers Edward (Eddie Marsan) and Thomas (Sam Riley) consider their options.

Firebrand boasts impressive production design and costumes but Ainouz’s film is a slog and the final act feels particularly laboured. The bellicose bombast of Law and the muted manoeuvring of Vikander are fittingly awkward bedfellows. As depicted here, Katherine is her own worst enemy and relies on the benevolence or recklessness of others rather than her own cunning to worm her way into an unlikely winning position. The queen’s gambit is a lucky roll of the dice.

– Sarah Lee