"The Reckoning" is a strong mystery film, and it’s also a morality play of sorts. It takes place in the 14^th century and concerns a vagabond priest who tries to solve a murder case with the help of a ragtag acting troop.

Originally the film’s title was to be "Morality Play," then the title was changed to the less memorable "Sacrifice," and finally it became "The Reckoning." It was also supposed to be released in 2002 but it was postponed. All the changes indicate that the producers were unconfident about the film, but it actually ended up fairly suspenseful and intriguing.

Directed by Paul McGuigan, the film is impressive but the barrage of images and fancy camera tricks in the first half-hour is annoying, pretentious, and distracting. When the camera becomes steadier, the film begins to work better.

"The Reckoning" features a daring performance by Paul Bettany as Nicholas, the rebel priest. Bettany is featured in Lars Von Trier’s upcoming "Dogville." He also played the writer, Geoffrey Chaucer in the big budget, "A Knight’s Tale." Based on his work in "The Reckoning," he is already an accomplished actor, and he definitely has screen presence.

Willem Dafoe is a wiry veteran actor with a very distinctive face. Most viewers probably recognize him for his recent turn as the arch villain the Green Goblin in "Spiderman." But he has a long history of playing bizarre and eccentric characters in such films as "Wild at Heart," "Shadow of the Vampire," and "Affliction."

Dafoe’s acting peaks probably came in the late ‘80s playing the martyred commander in "Platoon" and a rather unstable Jesus in Martin Scorsese’s "The Last Temptation of Christ." He is impressive but more subdued than usual in "The Reckoning." He plays Martin, the modernistic head of the acting troop who becomes a father figure to the priest.

But the lesser known Vincent Cassel almost steals the show. He gives a terrific performance as Lord de Guise, an official who is an embodiment of pure evil. He would play a great Chicago alderman.

At the beginning of the film Nicolas is caught making love with a sexy but married female parishioner. He accidentally kills the man who interrupts them, and flees town in order to begin a new life. He encounters the acting troop, which hesitantly agrees to take him on, and there he makes good use of his excellent oratory skills.

Martin, the leader, wants to base a new play on the true story of a local woman accused of a brutal murder, though Martin and Nicholas discover that she may be innocent. Eventually Nicholas begins to believe that he is being guided by a higher power, and he faces a sticky ethical dilemma. Will he risk going to the gallows himself in order to save an innocent woman from being hung?

The story unravels splendidly and the conclusion is devastatingly powerful. "The Reckoning" is much like its protagonist; imperfect and inconsistent, but its virtues surely outnumber its faults.