Mary, Queen of Scots

           With a script by Beau Willimon, this period drama plays like a medieval "House of Cards", with all the palace intrigue and backstabbing one might expect. It is based on the biography of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scotland and cousin to Queen Elizabeth of England. 

            Saoirse Ronan stars as Mary and she is absolutely wonderful. Luminous, strong willed, and determined to rule both Scotland and England. Also starring as Elizabeth is Margot Robbie who gives a fine performance under some hideous makeup. Unfortunately, her performance is overshadowed by Ms. Ronan in the title role. The film also co-stars Guy Pearce, David Tennant, Martin Compston, and Jack Lowden.

            Based on the trailers and marketing for the film, one would expect fireworks between the two women but the biggest disappointment is they only have one actual scene together, which comes towards the end of the film. Without the expected interplay, the film tries hard to create tension and suspense but even with all the double crossing and backstabbing, it gets mired down in the Scottish mud.

           The cinematography and locations are breathtaking and the costumes are wonderful. Everything is very authentic and it's a worthy historical drama but it just misses an opportunity to be great by not having more interplay between the leads. And while it's probably more historically accurate this way, a little poetic license would have gone a long way.