Synopsis
An epic portrayal of the events surrounding the infamous 1819 Peterloo Massacre, where a peaceful pro-democracy rally at St Peter’s Field in Manchester turned into one of the bloodiest and most notorious episodes in British history. The massacre saw British government forces charge into a crowd of over 60,000 that had gathered to demand political reforms and protest against rising levels of poverty.
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Cast
- Rory KinnearHenry Hunt
- Maxine PeakeNellie
- Pearce QuigleyJoshua
- David MoorstJoseph
- Rachel FinneganMary
- Tom MeredithRobert
- Simona BitmateEsther
- Robert WilfortLord Liverpool, the Prime Minister
- Karl JohnsonLord Sidmouth, the Home Secretary
- Sam TroughtonMr Hobhouse
Recommendations
- 100
The Guardian
Mike Leigh brings an overwhelming simplicity and severity to this historical epic, which begins with rhetoric and ends in violence. There is force, grit and, above all, a sense of purpose; a sense that the story he has to tell is important and real, and that it needs to be heard right now. - 80
The Telegraph
There is a danger of filing Peterloo away as an “important film” – but it is also a complex, rousing and rewarding one for anyone prepared to meet it on its own unapologetically ambitious terms. - 80
Screen Daily
This magnificently-realised film moves from feeling like a long, dry history lesson to becoming an angrily-direct and emotional tribute to the reformers of the past. - 80
CineVue
As a historical account it is unvarnished without feeling dry or academic, and as a coded satire of the contemporary British political climate it is urgent and deeply impassioned. - 75
The Film Stage
Leigh translates the defining moment–and those in the immediate lead-up–to the screen with tremendous weight and great clarity, making the sense of tragedy all the more potent. - 70
Variety
When Peterloo’s unaligned fingers form a fist, for a punching, unyielding, robustly choreographed finale of rage against the right-wing machine, the film makes good on its most taxing demands. - 60
The Hollywood Reporter
The intent is noble and the attention to detail admirable, but the overall effect is obstinately unmoving. - 60
Time Out
The authenticity is immersive, even if the historical exposition occasionally feels like prep for an exam no one’s warned you about.
