‘The Uprising’ Follows a 14th Century Populist Revolution. It Couldn’t Feel More Relevant

Rebellions begin with long, slow accumulations of kindling, followed by a spark. In the case of England’s Peasants’ Revolt in 1381, the firewood was a combination of a pandemic known as the Black Death, which decimated half of Europe’s population but was especially fatal for citizens living in poverty; a regent, King Richard II, whose inexperience and over-reliance on bad-actor advisors resulted in regime-wide corruption; and heavy taxation rates (that benefited the aristocracy, naturally) needed to pay for an unpopular war with a foreign country.

The spark was an incident in the rural town of Brentwood, just outside of Essex, when a royal official attempting to collect taxes by force was violently attacked. The populist rage would spread to a number of different counties throughout Britain, and result in a massive march on London. Spoiler alert for those who don’t have medieval history books on hand: It doesn’t end well.

All politics are personal, and The Uprising, filmmaker Paul Greengrass ‘s jittery, visceral re-imagining of what would eventually become known as “the Great Uprising,” zooms in on the perspective of one man in particular. He’s a farmer, still mourning the loss of his family from the plague, and who goes by the name of his profession: Ploughman. As played by Andrew Garfield , who has always excelled in giving great grief-face, he’s a haunted soul barely scraping by on his less-than-meager earnings. Ploughman is present at the scene where more lucre is being demanded of the poor and state-sanctioned goons are reveling in vulgar displays of power. It is he who cries, “Enough! ENOUGH!” It is he who is struck by a guard, and he who strikes back, inspiring the melee that follows.

And it is the Ploughman who not only sends the beaten official back to the King’s palace but joins others who are ye olde mad-as-hell and shan’t take it any more! Men such as the radical activist and holy man John Ball (Jamie Bell) and Wat Tyler ( Shogun ‘s Cosmo Jarvis), the official figurehead of the rebellion. And fellow radicalized citizens such as the young women named Alyce (Thomasin McKenzie), who’ve also taken up the cause and march from Canterbury to London, where they hope to confront their cowering boy king ( C’mon C’mon ‘s Woody Norman) face to face. Editor’s picks The 250 Greatest Albums of the 21st Century So Far The 100 Best TV Episodes of All Time The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century

Meanwhile, back at His Majesty’s HQ, Richard II’s mother, a.k.a. the Countess (Katherine Waterston), and several of the Lords Appellant who actually run the country, are fretting over how to deal with this inconvenient populist movement. Eventually, Treasure Hales (Tom Hollander, extra snivelly) and Archbishop Sudbury ( Game of Thrones ‘ Stephen Dillane) enlist the help of the city’s mayor to help quash this rebellion once it lands on their doorstep. It’s worth noting that the great Johnny Lee Miller plays this politico like a mustachioed hard man, radiating a 150-proof thuggish menace that adds immeasurably to the chaos and tragedy that follow.