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BOUDICA
An admirable but flawed stab at honouring a national legend
Cert: 15 Director: Jesse V Johnson Cast: Olga Kurylenko, Clive Standen, Lucy Martin Released: Out now
The story of Boudica, the Iceni royal who led a failed rebellion against the Romans circa 61 CE, is an enticing one for filmmakers. She was a female leader on the battlefield and it ended in defeat and tragedy. Her wheeling around on a horse and chariot, burning down Roman forts and towns, provides much cinematic spectacle, too.
Roman scholars set down accounts of the uprising decades later, but it was in the Victorian era where her legend was revived, as a nationalist symbol, and as a romanticised figure – the warrior queen – inspiring poetry and painting. Jesse V Johnson’s biopic follows such artistic traditions and updates the story of Boudica with a Braveheart (1995) makeover for modern audiences.
What (2023) doesn’t have is a -sized budget, nor a Ridley Scott type visionary grandeur. Its financial limitations are found in the constant favouring of medium and close-upmovie that her legend deserves.
