"In the Name of the King"

Seen on: January 11, 2008

The players: Director: Uwe Boll, Writers: Dan Stroncak, Jason Rappaport, Cast: Jason Statham, Leelee Sobieski, John Rhys Davies, Matthew Lillard, Kristanna Loken, Ray Liotta

Facts of interest: Based on the video game "Dungeon Siege."

The plot: After his son is murdered and his wife is kidnapped by an army of warriors called Krugs, a man named Farmer (Jason Statham) sets out to take revenge and kill the ruthless Krug leader Gallian (Ray Liotta).

Our quick thoughts: If you walk into this film with the lowest possible expectations, chances are you’ll be surprised by what you see. “In the Name of the King” is miles away from being a solid movie I would normally recommend, but at least it’s not as horrible and embarrassing as Uwe Boll’s previous disasters. Indeed, as far as video adaptations go, this is a fairly decent one. Most of the film looks just like a cheap “Lord of the Rings” rip-off, but the big battle sequences are well coordinated and entertaining enough to keep the audience at least partially interested until the end.

If it weren’t for the action, “In the Name of the King” would immediately fail. The plot is monotonous and lacks complexity, the characters are silly and lack development, and the majority of dialogue is as cheesy as dialogue in an epic adventure can get. Again, it’s the suspenseful battles that save the day, and luckily for us, there are many of them. I’m still scratching my head over how Uwe Boll and his casting crew convinced all these high-profile actors to join the project. Jason Statham and Ron Perlman make a good team and are generally enjoyable to watch, but it’s Ray Liotta and especially Leelee Sobieski who deliver absurd performances.

Freaky quote: "I will have my vengeance" - Jason Statham

The final word: Uwe Boll is known as a director who generally messes things up and crashes at the box office, but with “In the Name of the King” he shows his potential to entertain his audience. Don’t ask me how long it will last though. For now, I’m just relieved I didn’t waste my time as much as I thought I would.