Swiss legend has it that William Tell became a medieval folk hero when he was forced by occupying Austrian warriors to play a sick game: he was forced to shoot an arrow at an apple above his son’s head to save his family from execution. It was a daunting task, but the warrior’s aim was honest, inspiring a rebellion among the Swiss and, centuries later, everything from Gioachino Rossini’s famous Overture to the hilarious comedy “The Far Side.” With “William Tell,” the producers hope the legend will also spawn an action movie franchise.
The film, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, is based on a futuristic storytelling, introducing a huge cast of characters over its lengthy 133-minute running time, before culminating in a searing cliffhanger for the final installment of the sequel. However, with Claes Bang in the lead role and a dynamic supporting cast, it’s easier to believe that there are more adventures to come for Tell.
Director and writer Nick Hamm took inspiration from Friedrich Schiller’s 1804 play about Tell, and he immediately grabs the audience’s attention by reminding them that this character is a symbol: he’s the man who shot an apple off his son’s head! The hilarious opening sees Bang’s hero preparing to shoot his child (Tobias Jowett), surrounded by a ferocious army and bewildered townspeople. Now, I bet you’re wondering how they all ended up here.
From this silly first impression, the film cuts to three days earlier, presenting itself as a brassy epic while poking fun at period-appropriately hideous haircuts, phrases like “scimble scamble,” and Stephen Price’s over-the-top orchestral score. There are rousing war speeches and elaborate, multi-stage battle sequences, but the best pleasures come from savoring how solemnly serious the film is. The ornate sets and grand medieval landscapes, mounted on a massive $45 million budget, are shot in widescreen by director of photography Jamie D. Ramsay, though the visuals don’t quite cast the transitional spell that the best adventure films do.
But what drives the film is the strength of character, especially the glee with which the film showcases its villains—with the exception of Ben Kingsley, who briefly appears as an Austrian tyrant with a patch over his eyes, lending a modicum of credibility to the old guard. Connor Swindells dominates the film as Gessler, the king’s power-drunk first officer, who is less interested in serving the crown than in bullying the Swiss. When Gessler isn’t fighting the determined Tell, he’s often accompanied by his overbearing underlings and a rebellious princess (Emily Beecham), giving him plenty of outlets for his evil.
William Tell’s film is able to get off the ground with an uncharted palace conspiracy, but it stumbles badly in its attempts to explore its protagonist’s psyche and history through PTSD-induced flashbacks and an unconvincing moral code. While Bangs imbues its main character with dignity (and courage), this hypocritical production is the latest to dither and hesitate over the horrors of war while turning them into a blatant action spectacle.
