Pilgrimage (II) (2017) User Reviews

Much better than expected based on its trailer.

[horizon2008 · 7/10 · 3 July 2017]

PILGRIMAGE (2017)

This is the new film from the Irish director of the excellent 2009 flick called SAVAGE about an assault on a news reporter in Dublin (and it's aftermath) and I gotta say, if Werner Herzog had made this film rather than one about an Amazonian trek he wudda been quite happy.

The film is set in the early 1200s in Ireland where superstition and the struggle for Christian domination of the country are rife and there, an envoy from Rome is sent to collect a supposedly sacred relic from some rural monks and bring it back to the holy city.

The movie is grim, and conveys the horrible conditions people existed/lived in back then perfectly (the bloody weather looks the same as Ireland has now though haha). It's highly atmospheric, with bleak Irish landscapes, and the acting is top notch with the film basically being a dangerous road trip carrying the relic to a ship that's waiting for them in Waterford (to sail across to France and onward to Rome).

The fact that the film is recorded in Irish, French, and English adds a brilliant realism to proceedings which echoes the situation at the time with Ireland being infringed upon from all sides, and along the way things get very messy and bloody (one death is particularly gruesome).

I'm sure there wasn't a huge Hollywood budget for PILGRIMAGE but they've kept things really concentrated and its certainly exceeds what you might expect to be straight to video cheese.

This is the third film I've seen by Brendan Muldowney and I think the guy has some talent. I will be looking out for his next film and if you haven't already caught SAVAGE Id check that out too.

Gritty period piece with lots of symbolism

[milostyl · 7/10 · 14 September 2017]

As far as period pieces set in the middle ages go, this one isn't very glamorous. It's a decently well made film with some strong individual performances that basically carry a mostly disjointed and only slightly nuanced story. My rating for this movie is a fairly weak 7/10. That rating is floated higher than I would have normally given it for three specific reasons.

First, the performances: Holland as the young, pious monk who has never known anything but life in the monastery yet quickly matures when faced with adversity. Bernthal as the obedient and entirely subservient mute with an obviously profound yet mysterious history who becomes the star of the show on more than one occasion without saying a word. Stanley Weber as the Cistercian, the guy the Church sends out to do their dirty work basically and effectively starts the "Pilgrimage" in the first place. Of course, there's also Richard Armitage as the surly French knight commanding his Baron father's equally surly men while throwing surly looks around all the time. This would have been a horribly dull and hard to watch movie if these guys didn't pull off these fairly typical medieval character archetypes well and it feels to me like they did.

Second, the action and set sequences were well done. I tend to be the kind of person who is immediately thrown off by a bad transition or a sequence of shots that just don't really work well together. I didn't see very much of that in this film. Granted, it's not difficult managing scene transition when most every scene is shot outdoors in Ireland but when the action happens, it's brutal and effective.

Third, symbolism. If you are someone who does not like it when a movie expects you to draw your own significance from the story it's trying to tell, this is not a movie you might like. Religion is a central theme in this movie and it is built on a foundation of symbolism that can be taken any number of different ways. If you like diving into the deeper meaning of things, you will actually love this movie. Especially how it ends.

raw and well told

[steveleebee1973 · 7/10 · 9 July 2017]

This is very good. far more realistic than Hollywood might produce. it's interesting, much dogma was born of superstition, identifications that without science, were attributed to whatever godly (natural) forces our people believed in at the time. However, belief is a force unto itself and it does serve to manipulate circumstance. that is in here too. well told

Who is a devil? Who is an angel?

[Aviva21 · 11 November 2017]

Out of the creeping faerie mist of a dark age comes an intensely suspenseful tale about why we choose our allegiances. This is the heart of the story - our reasons make no sense.

The drama revolves around a lump of rock. That any other lump could replace it at any time and no-one would notice is openly stated in the dialogue. It's the stark question woven through the plot - is faith taken on faith alone really worth fighting for?

It's a tense film, beautifully written and exquisitely acted. Each viewer decides what the film's about - it doesn't explain itself, it falls silent. Everyone will see something different. Some might conclude we're all compelled towards war whether we like it or not. Some might decide we're all in league with the Devil whether we know it or not. Some might believe we're all still lost in the creeping faerie mist clutching for something to save us.

Some reviewers didn't rate it highly as an action thriller but it's not a superficial movie and maybe doesn't fit into that genre. There's far more being shown in the subtext and the themes than being told in the action. As for the excessive violence, I felt it merely conveyed the grim reality of melee combat. After all, hidden in the word 'Pilgrimage' is the word 'grim'.

It's a mark of a brilliant film when after seeing it once you must see it again. On the second viewing, it bit me deeper on the neck and made me more its thrall.

For me, the main highlight was Jon Bernthal's acting. It was haunting. He played a voiceless man who served the monks as the lowliest of their group and I fell in love with his tragic integrity. He reminded me of another tormented anti-hero of contemporary myth - Angel from 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer': the vampire cursed with a soul, plagued by a weight of remorse for a hellish past. Both crave absolution and will do anything to receive it.

I loved 'Pilgrimage'. It was a strangely beguiling hybrid of superstitious medievalism clashing with an ancient landscape alive with pre-existing belief. And the ending was satisfyingly unsatisfying - like all good fairy tales are.

Thoroughly enjoyable

[jomalley-28987 · 7/10 · 31 December 2020]

Well cast and acted. Visually pleasing and plenty of well performed action. If this is your genre you'll enjoy it

Beautifully shot, with a great little cast

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 7 December 2017]

PILGRIMAGE is a beautifully shot, outdoors adventure in the same mould as VALHALLA RISING. These films take place in rugged outdoor locations with minimal cast members and plotting; they typically involve a journey narrative, which here takes place in the form of a group of monks transporting a chest of precious treasure through Ireland. There's little dialogue but the film does boast some splendidly gritty action scenes which are every bit as good as those seen in big budget productions like APOCALYPTO. The cast is also well chosen: Tom Holland shows he has the acting chops ready for the Marvel big time, while Richard Armitage is an effectively imposing bad guy. Best of the lot is THE WALKING DEAD's Jon Bernthal playing a brooding mute; I loved Bernthal as Shane in that series and he continues to impress here.

Had potential

[ginjaninja-43907 · 5/10 · 8 August 2022]

A lot of issues with this film, but mostly it's pacing and inaccuracies. The one thing that bothered me the most was the Irish mink calling out for Jesus and using the Islamic name Isa, or Esa for Jesus. For 1400 years even Arab christian have not used those names for Jesus so what would a European monk be using that name for? Just absurd! It's somewhat enjoyable and Hayden's performance was acceptable but I had a very difficult time finishing it.

Mixed Bag

[dcrik-16668 · 6/10 · 17 November 2018]

Viewing "Pilgrimage" provided a mixed bag of the dynamics that can create a film of interest or boredom. The visuals certainly fit the historical backdrop. Those were years of theological shadows. Faith versus the need of relics, a compassionate religious worldview versus a justification for using violence in defense of faith, and personal faith versus the institutional power of the church are captured in the dark, gray, and cloudy mood created through lighting. They were years in which the yearning for truth and meaning was restrained by superstition. The story moves slowly through 13th century Europe. Again, I loved the visuals but was disappointed as interesting religious themes struggled to break through the plodding storyline. The characters were not developed enough for me to emotionally invest myself in them. I felt Pilgrimage missed a great opportunity to create a meaningful film that dared explore the important themes of personal faith, the institutional church and especially the confusion that always exists when attempting to narrowly define good versus evil.

Could Have. . .Should Have. . .Did not

[tomazulob · 5/10 · 26 July 2020]

Brother Diarmuid (Tom Holland) and a mute (Jon Bernthal) are traveling with a band of monks through Ireland in 1209 after being ordered by the Holy See to bring a holy relic. Naturally, since it is the dark ages, there are innumerable obstacles to overcome in order to be successful, not the least is getting past French invading forces led by Raymond de Merville (Richard Armitage). This had a great premise with beautiful yet dreary Middle-Aged depression scenery, but the beautiful premise turned into a video-game storyline. Very disappointing, but some might enjoy the little things they did in here to keep the story moving, but it could have been really, really good. Sigh.

Nice movie deserves better

[Otuoacheampong97 · 7/10 · 3 August 2017]

A great story to start with.Acting and directing together was the wind under the wings of this movie.But less can be written on characterization.In fact,some of the actors did not to me resemble actual monks and Christians.But in all I can say that it was a nice movie and deserves better.

Reasonably well-made but boring

[djtranny · 4/10 · 5 July 2017]

First of all, I must say that I primarily enjoy movies for entertainment and elements such as story, script and even acting come second. This movie, although reasonably well-made, falls very short in the entertainment department and I found myself checking the clock many times and wondering when something exciting would happen. After reading another review on here that claimed the gore was gratuitous, well, I wonder if they were watching the same movie because there was very little gore. When I think gore, I think people getting limbs hacked off and blood spurting everywhere. Not much of that going on here so don't watch this movie expecting to see much of that at all. This movie might be worth a watch if you have nothing else to do on a Sunday and can handle watching a movie with very little action.

Strong and compelling medieval adventure-drama

[Red-Barracuda · 8/10 · 25 June 2017]

In the early 13th century a group of monks are tasked to transport an ancient holy relic from their remote monastery in Ireland to Rome. They have organised assistance along the way in the form of some French soldiers but events do not pan out in a straightforward way.

This Irish adventure-drama is one which manages to capture its period feel while retaining a contemporary edge. The problem with these types of movies is often the characters spout dialogue which is overly dramatic and false feeling, like a bunch of modern actors pretending to be from medieval times. In this case, it didn't feel like this so much, with performances being universally convincing and understated enough to feel considerably more authentic than is usual. The choice of using different languages of the day assisted in this, with Gaelic, French and English (the latter of which being used as a substitute for Latin, which the film-makers decided could not be spoken naturally nowadays so an artistic compromise was to substitute that for English). The gloomy Irish landscape was very evocative and atmospheric and captured very well cinematically, and like other adventure-dramas like the Amazon films of Werner Herzog, the landscape is to all intents and purposes another character too, given its visual potency. There is an excellent low-key atmospheric score underpinning the imagery and events which serves the tension and drama very well also. The story itself is very minimalistic and straightforward with a quest narrative that actively allows for a variety of different events to unfold, which includes a couple of dynamic action scenes – a brutal and intense ambush in a forest and a finale on a beach. The story is clever enough to allow for a religious interpretation while offering up rationale explanations for all events too. In this way, it has a modern feel to it while playing off the mysteries inherent in the religious side of things. Overall, I found this to be a very compelling bit of work, with a great atmospheric setting and interesting characters. And because it is an Irish production, it does have a more authentically Celtic feel to it, which served the material well.

Would be nice to have English subtitles

[badaluca69 · 7/10 · 4 May 2018]

As all it shows is "speaking in a foreign language." Might be French, either way it's kind of annoying when the conversation goes on for five minutes and all you understand is "foreign language"

Mostly boring with some decent gory sword fighting

[Horror_Flick_Fanatic · 5/10 · 5 July 2017]

Irish landscape as the backdrop makes for pretty cinematography. Some decent gory sword fighting. But the story is basically about a group of monks literally transporting a rock stored in a golden chest because the faithful believe it contains divine powers. So the Pope in Rome is interested in looking at it. They are transporting this chest on a horse carriage as though it was the Ark of the Covenant. Halfway through their journey, the monks receive protection from French knights. The rest is predictable. If the monks are under the protection of French Knights, then obviously there are others interested in the rock. Add some betrayal along the way and more sword fighting and that's basically the film. Over a rock smh. Unfortunately, the sword fighting scenes are few, so the film is a snore-fest. Basically, the film is about the blind loyalty these monks have to the church and their faith despite a country full of pagans doubters. meh. definitely not in the same realm of storytelling as the Game of Thrones.

an essay

[Kirpianuscus · 20 July 2017]

about duty and faith and fundamental decisions.dark, cruel, bitter, poetic. for the embroidery of Gaelic, French and English, for landscapes, for a surprising Tom Holland, for memories about films of Herzog using Kinski in not very different films, for the illusion of exploration of XIII century basic traits, for the simplicity of story and the science to not be victim of comfortable clichés. and, maybe, too, for the feeling after its end. a good essay. this is the reasonable definition for "Pilgrimage" who could be appreciated for the fight scenes, for the religious side, for the decent sketch of a period, without ignore the not high historical accuracy, for the use of delicate themes, from the past to the holy relics, in an interesting manner.

Like watching synchronized swimming

[eyefordetail · 6/10 · 30 July 2017]

Let's start by saying it is a good movie. The character development and the acting is solid and the look and feel of the movie is consistent and believable. The choreography and continuity is very professional, as are the other technical elements, such as soundtrack and cinematography. One actually feels sorry for the actors having to go through the obvious rigours of cold water and cold climate scenes. But this is why it is like watching synchronized swimming: You get the feeling at the end of the movie that it was rather pointless. Very well done but without a real purpose. It feels like a long pilot episode of a series where the writers first wants to get a response before writing the next script. The movie aptly ends with the dialogue: "So where to now"? And this is the summation - where to now? Perhaps the comment that the script writer wrote in the margin accidentally became part of the script. I loved Tom Holland and Jon Bernthal. Richard Armitage positioned himself as someone to really keep an eye on.

Surprisingly good

[jacquelinesandra-34671 · 6/10 · 13 February 2022]

Never thought I would actually enjoy a movie about monks trying to protect a rock and I have to admit that I watched it only for Tom Holland! The performances are great!!as for people complaining there's too many languages I can only laugh. Just learn to read subtitles!

Tougher to sit through than a week on Lough Derg

[noelbillington · 1/10 · 14 July 2017]

I must have watched a completely different film with an identical cast and title to the majority of reviewers, harder to sit through than a full Latin mass and sinks as quickly as a monk clutching a man bag containing a large rock. No amount of candles lit can save this turkey form a roasting

Meh

[northernstatic · 6/10 · 15 March 2020]

Kind of a cool concept but story was a lil blotchy and dull at times.

Very Disappointed

[legonerdy · 4/10 · 21 September 2020]

A major letdown. I went into this movie hoping for something in the family of Kingdom of Heaven or The King (review on the latter to come), but that's not what I got. Instead, it was slow but no burn, dark but only in lighting, gritty like bad toilet toilet paper, and ambiguous but with no warranted pay-off. I won't spoil the finer plot points, but I will remark that both of the main questions of the film - the only things you could remotely call plot -go completely unanswered. Nothing comes of the movie. No one wins, nothing happens, and no one finishes happy; especially the audience.

6 stars solely for Tom Holland's performance.

[yusufpiskin · 6/10 · 6 January 2021]

How were Jon Bernthal and Tom Holland in a movie together and nobody ever mentions it?

Period piece action film that feels like Kingdom of Heaven meets Centurian. Violent and intense, but also heavily engrained with themes of faith, religion and redemption. Solid film strengthened by the performances.

Well-made and nicely shot but rather dull and forgettable

[adamonIMDb · 5/10 · 14 October 2017]

While 'Pilgrimage' is much better than expected in many areas, especially for a low-budget medieval drama, it falls short in two of the most crucial aspects of any film - the development of the storyline and characters.

The story just isn't up to the standard needed for a film. It's too generic and completely forgettable. The action scenes are few and far between and, while they are well produced, they don't make up for the many lulls and dull patches the film goes through.

It's a similar story with the characters. They are bland and uninteresting, with next to no character development. If the characters aren't intended to be the focus of the film, then the plot should at least be good enough to make up for it. Unfortunately it isn't and the film just ends up being boring.

The best thing about 'Pilgrimage' is the cinematography and overall production value - it feels like a much more expensive production than it actually is.

Great atmosphere, fine movie

[mr-whyte · 8/10 · 4 July 2017]

Yes this film is bloody. For some the scenes might even be shocking, but I really enjoyed this film. Acting was good, the suspense build up was very good. And at no point did it seem the violence was unnecessary. If you enjoy historical type films and don't mind seeing a head bashed in close up, you will enjoy this.

Very compelling

[brunovanael · 7/10 · 8 February 2020]

Strong acting, a nice pace and a good script. I was expecting some bible story, wich I do like every now and then although I'm an atheist, but this was something different. It was more a tale of times long passed and it did have a religious turn without being bias. Food for thoughts dialogs for every conviction. I certainly do not regret the one and a half hour watching this

Wow

[hargamaethor · 3/10 · 17 March 2021]

But not the good kind of wow. Why would you spend that money to leave Tom in a boat with a stranger who asks, "where to now?"