IMDb RATING
6.2/10
3.4K
YOUR RATING
A recounting of the relationship between General Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell, as they try to cope with the consequences of deposing King Charles I.A recounting of the relationship between General Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell, as they try to cope with the consequences of deposing King Charles I.A recounting of the relationship between General Fairfax and Oliver Cromwell, as they try to cope with the consequences of deposing King Charles I.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 3 nominations total
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe execution of King Charles I was filmed on the exact same day the actual execution took place some 300 years earlier.
- GoofsIn the opening sequence, Fairfax shoots the sword out of the hand of Cromwell's assassin with a flintlock pistol at about 30 yards range. Such pistols had no rifling at that period and were incapable of nowhere near such accuracy, even in the hands of an expert. To shoot at that range Fairfax would have been more likely to have hit the assassin. Also the bullet struck sparks from the sword hilt when it hit. This is impossible as the bullet would have been a soft lead ball and incapable of creating a spark.
- Quotes
Denzil Holles: At last we all can sleep soundly, knowing that for once the King cannot impose a new tax on us in the morning.
Sir Thomas Fairfax: You make it sound as if you fought the war only to save your profits, Holles!
Featured review
A fine film
To Kill A King, is a fine underrated historical drama. The story of Oliver Cromwell's complex friendship with General Fairfax, set against the backdrop of the war against King Charles I, is an engaging and dramatic one. With vivid and memorable characterizations, excellent production design, the film evokes a time of change and reform, and also of chaos and brutality. While not quite the epic of Lawrence of Arabia or Alexander, the film still has much sweep while maintaining a cerebral chamber drama feel. The costumes are top notch, the locations and sets authentic, and with crisp cinematography and competent editing, an intelligent and passionate script comes to life and engages us in this story of English civil war in the age of discovery and reform. Tim Roth is absolutely terrific as Oliver Cromwell. Not only does he physically convey the man, he brings the sufficient gravitas and seething rage that brings the character to life on the screen. Equally well cast are Dougray Scott as Fairfax, and especially Rupert Everett, who steals the show as King Charles I. My only complaints about the film is that it is too short - I was left wanting to know more about the events that led to the King's defeat and Cromwell's rise to political power. We are thrown smack dab in the middle of the story, and as someone who is familiar with the background, I was able to pick up and go with it. But for someone ignorant about English history, the script may have been quite confusing at first. But I will say that it is usually a good sign if a film leaves you hungry for more of the story, not for lack of it, but for feeding the viewer's imagination of how grand the context was, and being so successfully immersed in it, like To Kill a King does, you simply want more knowledge of the drama. A little-seen, underrated but excellently performed and well crafted historical film
helpful•60
- MovieMan1975
- Apr 7, 2009
- How long is To Kill a King?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $14,300,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $567,471
- Runtime1 hour 42 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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