There Be Dragons

    There Be Dragons
    2011

    Synopsis

    Arising out of the horror of the Spanish Civil War, a candidate for canonization is investigated by a journalist who discovers his own estranged father had a deep, dark and devastating connection to the saint's life.While researching the life of Josemaria Escriva, the controversial founder of Opus Dei, the young journalist Robert uncovers hidden stories of his estranged father Manolo, and is taken on a journey through the dark, terrible secrets of his family’s past.

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    Cast

    • Charlie CoxJosemaría
    • Dougray ScottRobert
    • Wes BentleyManolo
    • Rodrigo SantoroOriol
    • Jordi MollàDon Jose
    • Derek JacobiHonorio
    • Ana TorrentDona
    • Geraldine ChaplinAbileyza
    • Charles DanceSolono
    • Lily ColeAline

    Recommendations

    • 70

      Variety

      Dragons may not be perfect, but it plays to the helmer's strengths, demonstrating an increasingly rare sense of scope and pageantry best served by the bigscreen.
    • 58

      Entertainment Weekly

      Florid, convoluted historical drama.
    • 55

      Movieline

      Because his character is never clear, Manolo's choices lack emotional interest and narrative urgency.
    • 40

      The Hollywood Reporter

      British writer-director Roland Joffé dips a toe into explosive material - the Spanish Civil War, betrayal, sainthood, Opus Dei - but all these big themes and characters slip from his grasp.
    • 40

      Time Out

      Controversially, Escrivá started the Opus Dei, and There Be Dragons is best appreciated by those seeking more realism than the albino self-whipper of "The Da Vinci Code."
    • 40

      Village Voice

      Its appeal for the rest of us is buoyed by cinematographer Gabriel Beristain's attentiveness to the ravishing Argentinian locations, but the geriatric pacing, flat-footed Old Hollywood pastiche, and Joffé's inexplicable penchant for tear-jerking Catholic mysticism make Dragons more punishing than a hundred Hail Marys.
    • 38

      Boston Globe

      In fairness, putting holiness onscreen is an enormous challenge. It can be done, as several directors have shown, most notably Dreyer and Bresson. Bad enough that Joffe is the poor man's Lean. He's also the nonbelieving man's Dreyer and Bresson.
    • 30

      Austin Chronicle

      There's an interesting story here, but Joffe never firmly wraps his arms around it.