PETERLOO (2019)

An epic portrayal of the events surrounding the infamous 1819 Peterloo Massacre, where a peaceful pro-democracy rally at St Peter’s Field in Manchester turned into one of the bloodiest and most notorious episodes in British history. The massacre saw British government forces charge into a crowd of over 60,000 that had gathered to demand political reforms and protest against rising levels of poverty.
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I had no idea of this historical event until seeing this movie. So, from that perspective, it’s an important movie. It’s well acted but it’s way too long and most of it consists of interminable speeches. It’s not until the last half hour or so we get to the point of the story and even then, it’s all over quickly and a bit of an anticlimax. Overall, it’s very dull. Needs a good edit to get rid of the ploddingly repetitive monologues and more focus on the actual event itself. Nowhere near as good as other Mike Leigh movies (for example, Vera Drake). All talk and no action.