Wolf Hall (2015)
3/10
Where is the charisma?
26 October 2020
Thomas Cromwell rose from obscurity to become the second most powerful man in England. At a time when rank and position mean everything, especially at Court, Cromwell's rise was a remarkable feat. How did he do it? Well, it is not easy to understand from Cromwell's portrayal by Mark Rylance.

I watched Wolf Hall when it first aired in 2015. At the time, I thought revered stage actor Mark Rylance was poorly cast as Cromwell. Watching the mini-series again five years later, my opinion has not changed.

Although he went on to win many plaudits for his performance as Thomas Cromwell, I found his one-note portrayal of such a pivotal character in English history completely lacking in range and as a result, I found Wolf Hall a rather unsatisfactory experience. However, Claire Foy did an outstanding job as the ill fated Anne Boleyn as did Jessica Raine as her vengeful Sister-in-Law Lady Rochford.
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