Today's Mini-Review: Anonymous

Rating: ****/*****, or 7/10

Roland Emmerich, who usually spends his time directing epic disaster movies the likes of The Day After Tomorrow and 2012, apparently felt like a change of subject matter and directed this fine costume drama, which addresses the question as to the true identity of William Shakespeare. Emmerich shows himself to be a proponent of the Oxfordian theory that says the Bard's works were in fact written by the Earl of Oxford, Edward De Vere (Rhys Ifans), instead of by the commoner known as Will Shakespeare. That character (of which we admittedly do know less that we would like), Emmerich states, was just a frontman used to spread the Earl's plays and poems to an ever growing audience that loved them, partially because of the social commentary and incendiary situations they contained, something De Vere would not dare take credit for during the background of the Essex rebellion against the English Throne. Of course the Earl does have a hidden agenda of his own with his plays, namely the discrediting of his political rivals and winning the favour of the aging Queen Elizabeth (Vanessa Redgrave). Unfortunately for him, his tactic soon spirals out of his control as the loudmouth Shakespeare, played by a delightfully boisterous Rafe Spall, gets drunk on “his” success and threatens to undermine De Vere's efforts. Filled with political intrigue, a number of saucy plots and ploys and the rich history and fabulously grimy period look of the Elizabethan era, Anonymous admittedly is not on the level of actual Shakespeare plays, but a fairly smart and solid historical drama nonetheless, revealing that Emmerich can pull off other things besides destroying cities just as well. Needless to say, people who question the true identity of the author of this movie will be in for a bit of a surprise: it's really Emmerich.

Starring: Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, Rafe Spall

Directed by Roland Emmerich

USA/UK: Columbia Pictures, 2011