Archive · 18 Sep 2026
The Uprising Review: Garfield Anchors Uneven Medieval Rebellion Drama
The Uprising is a movie about a rebellion in England in 1381.
Many ordinary people are poor after a terrible plague.
The king’s advisers raise taxes to get money for wars.
A grieving farmer called Ploughman joins other people who march toward London.
They want fairer treatment and less control from powerful leaders.
The young King Richard II is frightened and influenced by the adults around him.
The movie shows that the rebels do not all want exactly the same thing.
Some reviewers liked the acting and realistic battle scenes.
Others thought the movie was too bleak, hard to follow and lacking in strong dialogue.
Paul Greengrass’s film portrays England’s 1381 revolt amid plague, poverty and rising taxes.
Andrew Garfield plays Ploughman, a grieving farmer who joins the march on London.
Reviewers praise Woody Norman’s conflicted portrayal of the young King Richard II.
The film’s bleak visuals and handheld battle scenes create a harsh, immersive medieval world.
Critics disagree over the thin dialogue, broad characterization and effectiveness of the supporting roles.
- Who
- Andrew Garfield plays Ploughman, alongside rebels led by Wat Tyler and John Ball, while Woody Norman plays King Richard II.
- What
- A film review of Paul Greengrass’s dramatization of the 1381 English peasant uprising.
- When
- The story is set in 1381; the film is discussed by the reviews as a current release.
- Where
- Medieval England, including the countryside and London.
- Why
- The rebellion grows from poverty, the aftermath of the Black Death, rising taxes and resentment toward the king’s advisers.
More Favorable Reading
More Critical Reading
Andrew Garfield’s performance
More Favorable Reading
Garfield effectively plays Ploughman as a weary, restrained everyman with a stubborn sense of justice.
More Critical Reading
The character is considered too broadly written, while Garfield’s performance is described as dour, repetitive and unable to carry the film.
Supporting characters
More Favorable Reading
Thomasin McKenzie, Cosmo Jarvis, Jamie Bell and Woody Norman provide strong performances, with Norman’s Richard especially compelling.
More Critical Reading
The film’s women and some supporting characters are seen as underwritten; Alyce is described as superfluous in one review.
Style and historical drama
More Favorable Reading
The bleak landscapes, tactile production design and claustrophobic handheld battle scenes make the revolt feel immediate and realistic.
More Critical Reading
The grey visuals, shaky camerawork and unclear dialogue can make the film difficult to see or follow, while some computer-generated London scenes look generic.
Political complexity
More Favorable Reading
The film benefits from showing disagreements among the rebels rather than presenting a simple good-versus-evil story.
More Critical Reading
The script is criticized for relying on broad modern political references and for not explaining the conditions behind the revolt clearly enough.
- Director
- Paul Greengrass
- Central character
- Ploughman, a farmer played by Andrew Garfield
- Historical setting
- England in 1381
- Trigger for revolt
- A new tax imposed on people already struggling after the plague
- Rebel leaders
- Wat Tyler and John Ball
- King
- Richard II, portrayed as a young ruler influenced by his advisers
- Critical disagreement
- One review finds the film uneven but effective in places; another rates it 2.5 stars and says Garfield cannot save it
