directed by Gary Shore
Before the Turks could besiege Hungary and Austria and go toe to toe with the Holy Roman Empire they had to go thru Romania, or more precisely Wallachia.
Like any small state caught between two larger states , Wallachia made the best of a bad situation. Vlad Dracul III, who became known later as Dracula or Vlad the Impaler, for his preferred method of dealing with enemies, was as a young boy along with his brother Radu, sent to Istanbul as a hostage for his father's (ruler of Wallachia's) good behavior. Neither Vlad nor his brother were well treated. They were part of the system of devshirme or blood tax, in which conquered Christian states were forced to provide thousands of young boys to the Ottomans.
These boys would be taught Turkish, forcibly converted to Islam and trained as soldiers or state officials. Some would also be raped, something that happened to Dracula and his brother, either as punishment or just because some Turk felt like it. Christian boys were also subject to beatings, starvation and imprisonment.
While such treatment left Radu with a fear of Turks and constant desire to please them, it caused the exact opposite reaction in the older Vlad. Well that's the history which the movie obliquely references.
Vlad (Luke Evans) is the ruler of Wallachia. He enjoys the love of his wife Mirena (Sarah Gadon) and son (Art Parkinson-Rickon from Game of Thrones). Vlad used to be a soldier for the Ottomans, fighting against the enemies of the Empire but he's all done with that.
Vlad grew up with the new Sultan (Dominic Cooper). They were like brothers. And somewhat generously the Sultan has decreed that Wallachia can pay its tribute in silver, not boys.
Good times never last. While reviewing his borders Vlad finds evidence of Turkish incursions. He tracks the scouts to a foul looking cave where something has apparently killed them. This thing (Charles Dance, Tywin Lannister from Game of Thrones) kills Vlad's soldiers but lets Vlad go.
At the Easter feast Turkish soldiers and diplomats rudely enter without invitation. Vlad has their money and abruptly orders them to leave. But now the Turks want more than money. The Sultan has re-instituted the blood tax. Wallachia must provide 1000 boys in addition to the money. And if Vlad refuses, well he knows the consequences. Desperate, Vlad meets with the Sultan, offering his services again, but the Sultan likes the idea of humiliating Vlad.
Vlad won't give them any trouble now will he?
The Sultan would hate, just hate to destroy Wallachia as an object lesson. But he'll do it if Vlad gives him any more lip. Don't Vlad's responsibilities to the people of Wallachia mean more than the sacrifice of his son and the respect and love of his wife. Rulers must make hard decisions for the good of all.
The way the Sultan sees it Vlad's only choice is to go home, say goodbye to his son and explain to wifey that he's not man enough to provide and protect. But Vlad thinks a man has no choice but to provide and protect. And that means making a deal with that thing in the mountain cave, no matter the cost.
At its best Dracula Untold was similar to a classic Hammer movie. However it couldn't decide whether it wanted to be an action film, a fantasy movie, a horror movie, a superhero story, a cheesy romance story, or a coming of age fable. So it threw everything against the wall to see what stuck. Not much did. The cinematography and costuming were good. Charles Dance was criminally underused.
This film was rated PG-13. It should have sought an R rating, not for sex (Gadon's cleavage is prominent) but for violence. The filmmakers should have given the viewer a better idea of Turkish atrocities and Dracula's inventiveness and eagerness to match and exceed Turkish violence.
The real life Dracula was someone who when meeting with Turkish emissaries who refused for religious reasons to remove their turbans in his presence, nodded sagely and then had his soldiers nail the turbans to the emissaries' heads in order that they might be more devoted in their faith.
Perhaps Dracula could be considered a mad dog but he was living in a rough neighborhood. He was also doing his best to defend his lands and Christendom against overwhelming Turkish might. Evans is a good actor but apparently neither he nor the writers were interested in that interpretation. And more's the pity.
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