Archive · 18 Sep 2026
The Uprising Examines Revolution’s Divisions and Dangerous Momentum
The film is about a rebellion that happened in England in 1381.
It follows a farmer who is angry and grieving.
He joins other people who are unhappy about taxes and unfair treatment.
At first, the rebels seem united against the people in power.
Soon, they disagree about what should happen next.
The rebellion also turns violent toward immigrants, which makes it harder to see it as completely heroic.
Andrew Garfield leads the cast, and the review especially praises his performance.
The reviewer gives the film three out of five stars and says it is powerful but sometimes too intense.
Paul Greengrass’s historical drama follows a grieving farmer during the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt.
Andrew Garfield portrays a wounded farmer whose private anger develops into public resistance.
The film explores divisions among rebels and the difficulty of replacing an unjust order.
Violence toward immigrants complicates the film’s portrayal of the uprising as a righteous cause.
The review praises the performances and atmosphere but criticizes the relentless style and simplified establishment.
- Who
- Director Paul Greengrass; Andrew Garfield’s unnamed farmer; and the rebels, rulers and other characters portrayed by the ensemble cast.
- What
- A historical drama about the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt and the divisions that emerge within a revolution.
- When
- The story is set during the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt.
- Where
- The film is in theatres; its story takes place in the medieval setting of the revolt.
- Why
- The revolt is driven by taxation, inequality and official indifference, while the film examines what happens when righteous anger becomes difficult to control.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Historical and political complexity
Strengths
The film avoids presenting rebellion as simple or entirely heroic, showing competing ambitions, ideological fractures and violence toward immigrants.
Weaknesses
The ruling establishment is portrayed in broad, sometimes caricatural terms, while the rebels receive more psychological attention.
Filmmaking style
Strengths
Greengrass’s kinetic camera, visceral battles, muddy landscapes and modern-sounding score give the story urgency and scale.
Weaknesses
The intensity can become exhausting, the camera is sometimes unwilling to pause, and the film can confuse intensity with momentum.
Central message
Strengths
The film adds substance by asking what happens after a righteous cause develops a life of its own.
Weaknesses
Its simplified treatment of power and relentlessly high visual energy limit its effectiveness.
- Film
- The Uprising
- Director
- Paul Greengrass
- Lead actor
- Andrew Garfield
- Historical setting
- The 1381 Peasants’ Revolt
- Rating
- 3/5
- Release status
- In theatres
- Composer
- Volker Bertelmann