The Reckoning

Set in 14th Century England, this powerful tale of redemption follows a fugitive priest (Paul Bettany) who falls in with a troupe of travelling actors (led by Willem Dafoe). As they arrive in a small town, the actors encounter a woman being sentenced to death for witchcraft and murder. Discarding the expected bible stories, the actors stage a performance based on the crime. Through the performance of the play, they discover that the townspeople know the woman did not, in fact, commit the murder. The stage becomes a place where vital human truth is told. The fugitive priest comes to terms with his own crime and makes a powerful sacrifice, thereby redeeming himself. The original title was "Morality Play." "A medieval detective story with a theatrical twist borrowing a theme of depravity from today's headlines." ~ Jules Brenner (FC), VARIAGATE.COM. "Dafoe makes Martin's role as head of the company as naturalistic as that of any contemporary SoHo creative director." ~ Lisa Schwarzbaum, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY