Ironclad’ has fun storming the castle

• ARC Entertainment
• GET THE POINT? (I LOVE THAT ONE.) Jason Flemyng (center) in ‘Ironclad’

I doubt many moviegoers were clamoring for a sequel to Russell Crowe’s Robin Hood film from last year. The pity of it is that the violent period piece Ironclad takes up where Robin Hood left off and genuinely delivers bloody historical heroism that audiences would dig. Directed by Jonathan English, the film suffers from some conspicuous flaws — “ironclad” doesn’t exactly describe it’s storytelling — but still deserves more attention than it’s likely to get.

Ridley Scott wound up his account of medieval English derring-do with King John signing the Magna Carta limiting royal powers and ensuring new political liberties. Ironclad begins in the aftermath as King John (Paul Giamatti) hired an army of Viking-like mercenaries to terrorize the rebellious landowners and undo the Magna Carta’s powers. The baron of Albany (Brian Cox) scrambles to thwart the king’s plan to sizing Rochester Castle, a modest but strategic fortress. “If the King takes Rochester, he’ll control all of Southern England,” a character exclaims, although detailed explanations tend to be sketchy.