Pilgrimage

Tom Holland swaps his Spider-Man spandex for religious garb in this muddy and bloody medieval thriller that will appeal to lovers of TV series like Game of Thrones and The Last Kingdom. Holland plays an innocent young novice, who leaves the sanctity of an Irish monastery with fellow monks to escort a holy relic to Rome where the Pope hopes its presence will end the carnage of the Crusades. But their trek across the wet and windy Irish countryside soon turns into a matter of survival when fearsome locals and Richard Armitage's nasty Norman knight (who has a wince-inducing way to extract his victims' entrails) attempt to halt their progress. At least, they have the protection of a mysterious mute (Fury's Jon Bernthal), whose muscular savagery is the only protection against literal slings and arrows. Director Brendan Muldowney doesn't overdo the hack-and-slash action and has spectacular Irish scenery to offset any lulls for philosophising, in an adventure that punches well above its low-budget weight.