Connect with us
A Field in England review

Film

Ben Wheatley’s A Field In England– Flawed but Fascinatingly

The increasingly prolific Ben Wheatley returned to screens a little under a year since his gallows-humor effigy Sightseers. Like a talent possessed, he seemed like a filmmaker anxious to capitalize on his growing cult recognition and harness larger and more challenging material, a successful strategy that has given him a growing fanbase on both sides of the pond. Experimental in form and delivery, his film A Field In England had a unique opening in the UK, leading with a modest run in specialist cinemas while being available via download, on-demand, and even airing on Film4, all on the same day. As the treasure of these spoils was assessed, the film was confidently tromping through festivals across Europe and now North America, featuring under the Vanguard strand of the Toronto International Film Festival. 

A Field In England debouches its way into Wheatley’s pantheon as another flawed yet nebulously fascinating curiosity; like its revolutionary delivery model, it’s a potent harbinger of more successful things to come.

Shot in a moody monochrome black and white, the film may have the vague feel of an amateur dramatics society’s initial camera fumblings during its opening melee. Wheatley settles more confidently into his historical inauguration when the men verbally feint. Shivering alchemist’s assistant Whitehead (Reece Shearsmith) encounters two UK Civil War deserters, Jacob (Peter Ferdinando) and his friend (Richard Glover), who have fled to the titular grassy copse, and, in the finest British tradition of seething alcoholism, decide to co-operate to navigate the dangerous environment and find the nearest ale-house for a well-deserved pint. Their mutual antipathy turns mercenary when they encounter the sinister Irishman O′Neil (Michael Smiley), who exerts his charismatic authority over the group—it wouldn′t be a quintessentially English film if there wasn′t some acknowledgment of the ancient class system—and adopting the position of leader. He instructs the proles to search the field for an ancient, glittering treasure that will make them rich beyond their wildest dreams.

Among the mud-streaked actors, are faces familiar to cult comedy fans, such as Shearsmith of The League of Gentlemen and Smiley of Spaced and Wheatley’s own Kill List. Thus, the film’s cult cache seems assured. A Field in England continues a fine tradition of British oddball horror, trailing in the cornfield distressed wake of The Wicker Man, Blood On Satan′s Claw, or Witchfinder General, with a Middle England and Middle-Ages sense of humor that may be initially lost on international audiences. But, once the misty phantasmagoria sets in and the greedy men begin to scheme with avaricious intentions, the pan-global thirst for wealth should transcend cultural borders. You have to admire Wheatley’s instinctive deployment of the meager resources at his disposal: a bloody and heaving Civil War battle heard off-screen, distant groans and the grinding of halberds upon helms on the soundtrack, a corpse litters the ground here and there. This is just enough to build the chaotic environment before Wheatley builds to a faintly mesmerizing conclusion that will prompt future viewings and speculations, although he doesn’t lean too hard on his clear cinematic influences, Jodorowsky and Roeg.

A Field in England does feel like something of a placeholder rather than the breakthrough severity of Kill List, which roughly seized genre fans and critics by the back of the neck and urged them to drink deep of the abyss. But as another whip crack forward on a swiftly rising career, this film has deepened the adoration of his existing fans and gained a few indiscriminate new acolytes on its stumbling way.

– John McEntee

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published under our old brand, Sound On Sight.

Now Streaming

Written By

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Facebook

Trending

Carter Reum Net Worth: From Entrepreneur to Philanthropist

Celebrity

Montel Williams Sets The Record Straight Amid Kamala Harris Sex Tape Allegations

News

Russell Simmons’s Alleged Rape Victim Accuses Him Of Fleeing To Bali

Celebrity

Chappell Roan Confronts Photographer at Olivia Rodrigo’s Concert Film Premiere: ‘I Deserve an Apology’

Celebrity

Lamar Jackson Net Worth: How He Became NFLs Richest QB

Celebrity

Grammy Nominations 2025: Beyonce Leads With 11 Nods as Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX Are Among Top Nominees

News

What’s Coming to Netflix in November 2024

Film

Lil Wayne Dragged Into Family Conflict Over His Daughter Reginae & Her Mother’s Brother

Celebrity

Azealia Banks Expresses Pity Over Kim Kardashian’s Intimate Photoshoot With A Tesla Robot

Celebrity

Why Pharrell Got Fired from McDonald’s 3 Times

Celebrity

Lamar Odom Takes Heat For Buying A Sex Doll That Resembles Ex-Wife Khloe Kardashian Lamar Odom Takes Heat For Buying A Sex Doll That Resembles Ex-Wife Khloe Kardashian

Lamar Odom Takes Heat For Buying A Sex Doll That Resembles Ex-Wife Khloe Kardashian

Celebrity

Newlyweds Justin Long and Kate Bosworth to Co-Star in Survival Thriller ‘Coyote’

Film

‘Paddington in Peru’ Review: A Diverting Threequel Sets a National Treasure on a Treasure Hunt

Film

Zack Snyder to Direct LAPD Action Thriller at Netflix

Film

King Combs Posts Heartbreaking Tribute To His Mother Kim Porter On Her Death's Anniversary King Combs Posts Heartbreaking Tribute To His Mother Kim Porter On Her Death's Anniversary

King Combs Posts Heartbreaking Tribute To His Mother Kim Porter On Her Death’s Anniversary

Celebrity

Amy Schumer Net Worth: From Comedy to Hollywood Success

Celebrity

Connect