William Tell review: quite impressive on a technical front, the narrative of this historical epic just never manages to come together.
PLOT: The narrative unfolds in the 14th Century amidst the days of the Holy Roman Empire where Europe’s nations fiercely vie for supremacy and the ambitious Austrians, desiring more land, encroach upon Switzerland, a serene and pastoral nation.
REVIEW: It’s always interesting to hear about a different figure from the past that was otherwise unknown to most (or at least me). It feels like we often hear variations of the same stories. Historical epics are hard to do on a budget, but that doesn’t stop people from trying. William Tell is very impressive on a technical front, giving us a look at this Swiss figure. The production design is absolutely wonderful and it really feels like we’re in the 14th Century. But where it fails is in its story, which fails to muster much intrigue and moves at an undesirable pace.
William Tell is the story of the Swiss being invaded by Austrians, seeking out more land, and ultimately causing death and chaos. Despite their usually peaceful nature, the Swiss won’t stand by, and there are very machinations of revenge at play. The film takes the Napoleon route, avoiding specific accents for the most part and just going for an old-timey aesthetic. The dialogue rides the line of Shakespeare, but is a bit more accessible. It was nice though, as I’ve realized how much I hate modern dialogue in old-timey stories.
While Claes Bang‘s William Tell gets the title all to himself, this is really more of an ensemble. I’ve always liked Bang, and he does a good job, but Tell is a pretty one dimensional character. I wish we were able to see more of Tell’s time during the Crusades, as that section was fascinating and over all too quickly. I wouldn’t say Ben Kingsley is sleepwalking through his role but he’s really not putting much into it. His role as King Albert doesn’t feel as impactful as it should and his disinterest translates to a preoccupied King. It felt like he was on set for two days, maybe. And I love Emily Beecham I was a bit disappointed that she didn’t have more to do. Connor Swindells is the big standout here, playing a great villain that you can’t wait to see get his comeuppance.
Narratively, the film just doesn’t really come together. The opening scene is this tense moment where it’s clear someone is on trial and there’s a ton of emotion. We aren’t given much context in the moment, but when the scene comes back around, it feels so half-baked. If anything, it just felt like they needed an event to be able to have the opening scene. But the stakes are too low for it to matter. There’s also an intriguing storyline about the King’s niece being betrothed to a man she hates. But it doesn’t really go anywhere. Which feels accurate for many plot threads here. I really enjoyed the score from Steven Price at least. The orchestral backing with its pounding drums and flourishing strings is really quite something.
The action is scant, but when it happens, it’s pretty well done. The low budget just means they can’t afford to have it happen often or for extended periods. The final battle at the end is the one bit of extended action we get, but there are so many bad decisions made during this that it’s hard to enjoy. Characters are being killed when they could easily avoid it, or people are being left for dead versus giving us a punctuated ending to them. Rafe Spall in particular gets the worse of it, with a truly head scratching moment.
William Tell is a really well-made film that just doesn’t come together narratively. The pacing and some of the story beats feel like such massive missteps for what is otherwise so competent that it results in a bit of whiplash. Some emotional beats just don’t work at all, and it’s frustrating given how well done the technical side is. Oddly, the film is set up for a sequel, which I would love to see, as it looks to be a story of revenge. But it feels like a strange choice to tease a much more intriguing story than the one we were given.
WILLIAM TELL IS PLAYING IN THEATERS ON APRIL 4TH, 2025.
