A film of poor caricatures, silly dialogue, and some very poor performances. I have only scored it a 6 as it is an honest attempt to tell the tragic story of Peterloo and bring it the attention of a general population who continue to live under the yoke of tyranny disguised as democracy. If I were to single out one rotten performance it would be Maxine Peake who is completely out of character and range. A close second is Roy Kinnear as Orator Hunt. Perhaps they are let down by a very corny script. I was very disappointed when I first watched this and have just watched it again and have formed an even poorer opinion. In many ways there is an episode of Sharpe that tells a fictionalised version that is more succinct and far more poignant. The events at St Petersfield were a stain on Britain yet the lessons have not been learned to this day, and I guess that is what Mike Leigh wanted people to see. I just wish he could have done it in a film with a better script and better actors.
Review of Peterloo
