An awful script and terrible direction saved only by some decent local and imported actors. Lambert is fine but not given much to work with. Most of the time he seems to have the same slightly puzzled look on his face. Blessed, Faulkner and Law do the character work that they do best and the director should be glad to have had them in. Local Hungarian actors, including Szonja Oroszlany do solid work as well proving that the country has real talent available. Would have been good to see newcomer Ben O'Brien more in the role as Lamert's deputy. Unfortunately, the script sinks the boat and viewers don't have any time to develop a relationship with the characters much less care about any of them. Quick-pace editing means that the whole story moves much too fast.

I'm not sure where people are coming from when critiquing this movie. One review sounds like a group of frat boys rented it to make fun of and were disappointed that it wasn't funny? It's a costume/period piece about the Spanish inquisition! What are people expecting? Action? Comedy? This movie moves very slowly in parts, but it is simply telling its story. You've got to be patient to watch a movie about the Spanish inquisition in the first place, so be forewarned. Other than that, Lambert gives a good performance, the costumes are excellent. I love the little twists and turns.

Is it suspenseful? No. Is it supposed to be? I never got the idea that it was. I guess the bottom line is: What are your expectations of a movie before you watch it? If you go into it with none, then you are a lot better off. This movie doesn't fit a lot of people's expectations, but that doesn't make it a bad movie. In fact, what I liked about it was that it doesn't fit into the normal American movie genres of: action, comedy, buddy movie etc. I was actually pleasantly surprised by the stark beauty of many shots and could accept its low-budget shortcomings because the story and acting were good enough for me to enjoy.

A Hungary film that offers a comeback vehicle of sorts for myopic film star Christopher Lambert. He's not bad in the tale of an investigator looking at a series of brutal murders, but the back story involving the persecution of the Jews in medieval Europe is actually quite interesting and compelling. A little cheesy at times - hello, Brian Blessed - but it's fast-paced and it did hold my attention.