In the Name of the King - A Dungeon Siege Tale

The life of a simple family man named Farmer (Jason Statham) is changed forever when a horrifying army of animal-like warriors known as Krugs who are controlled by the evil Gallian (Ray Liotta) invade his village, murder his son and kidnap his wife. Farmer sets out on a momentous journey to get his wife back and along the way, encounters magic and adventure as the quest soon reveals his real destiny in the kingdom.

Jason Statham fights for family and country in this sword-and-sorcery adventure adapted from the popular Dungeon Siege video game by notorious B-movie jack-of-all-trades Uwe Boll. After Statham (a farmer named Farmer) loses his wife (Claire Forlani) and son to the monster troops of wicked sorcerer Ray Liotta (just one of the film's many eccentric casting choices), he trades in his plowshare for a sword to administer some medieval justice. Meanwhile, Liotta is hard at work at unseating aging king Burt Reynolds and replacing him with his foppish nephew (Matthew Lillard). Eventually, Statham is joined in his quest by veteran warrior Ron Perlman and the father-daughter wizard duo of John Rhys-Davies and Leelee Sobieski, but audiences may be lost by then; In the Name of the King is far too poorly paced and written to merit its 127-minute running time (and the American version is shortened by 30 minutes!), despite some energetic battle scenes choreographed by Tony Ching (House of Flying Daggers). Those amused by Boll's campy productions may find some humor in Kristanna Loken's vine-swinging jungle girl, or in the performance by Lillard, who seems determined to enjoy himself at all costs. --Paul Gaita