Tristan Isolde film review

certificate_12A

TRISTAN + ISOLDE

There's a definite feeling of Hollywood coming to Ireland in Tristan + Isolde, a rousing tale of yore which Ridley Scott was slated to direct before he chose to do Kingdom of Heaven instead. This probably explains why Kingdom of Heaven stars the likes of Liam Neeson and Brendan Gleeson while Tristan + Isolde features a lot of people who look like them, although Kevin Reynolds (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves) does his best to make this old-fashioned tale as exciting as possible. Given that he is half a lead short of a charismatic central pairing, he doesn't do too bad a job.

Set in the Dark Ages, the film take one of history's most enduring stories and shows just why it rivals Romeo and Juliet as one of the great romantic epics. Tristan (James Franco) is a noble English knight, brought up on a diet of anti-Irish hatred. When the Irish negotiate a fractious peace with Tristan's uncle Lord Marke (Rufus Sewell), Tristan decides to call their bluff and sabotage their escape back to the old country.

Unfortunately Tristan is injured and believed to be dead, and is set afloat on a small barge by his compadres, only to beach across the Irish Channel and - in an incredible stroke of luck - to be found and tended for by the daughter of the same Irish king he distrusts so much. Isolde (Sophia Myles) has everything Tristan wants in a wife, except the correct heritage, but when she becomes a prize in a tournament between the feuding factions only to be won by Lord Marke, it looks like Tristan is set for a life of love-induced agony.

Despite its occasional lapses into Hollywood logic (just exactly how Tristan pulls off his initial ambush remains a thing of mystery), this is entertaining enough stuff, largely aided by a deliciously enjoyable performance by Rufus Sewell as the benevolent leader who fails to understand the consequences of his actions. Newcomer Sophia Myles is game enough as Isolde, but frankly what she sees in Tristan is never quite explained. James Franco may have won a Golden Globe for his performance as James Dean but here he is given little to do except weep and pine for his beloved.

This is easy on the eye and the brain and is obviously meant to have a kind of Dark Age Titanic feel to it. It never quite gets there, but isn't a complete disaster either: it's decent enough fare to accompany a box of chocolates on a Sunday afternoon.

Paul Hurley