Paul Greengrass’s The Uprising uses the 1381 Peasants’ Revolt as the setting for a fictional ploughman’s story, but its Robin Hood-like imagery gives the film the feel of an origin myth, according to Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw. The film stars Andrew Garfield as the unnamed “Ploughman” alongside historical figures Wat Tyler and John Ball.
Bradshaw’s review, published October 7, characterizes the film’s closing imagery as Robin Hood-like. That is a critical interpretation rather than a literal account of the film’s premise: Focus Features presents it as an original story about a fictional ploughman amid the real uprising, and says the revolt helped inspire the Robin Hood legend.
A fictional figure in a real revolt
The film brings its invented central character into contact with Tyler and Ball, both figures associated with the historical revolt. Keeping that distinction clear matters: the Ploughman is fictional, while the rebellion and its named leaders belong to the historical setting.
The London Museum dates the revolt’s major London events to June 11 through June 15, 1381. It identifies Tyler as a leading rebel and Ball as a prominent preacher, and says resistance to a new poll tax preceded the uprising.
The historical framework gives the film a real conflict to draw on, while its invented protagonist lets it tell a personalized story. Bradshaw’s Robin Hood comparison concerns how the movie’s character and ending shape that story, not evidence that Robin Hood was a participant in the revolt.
The Robin Hood framing
The comparison also reflects the film’s promotional framing. Focus Features describes the uprising as an event that helped inspire the Robin Hood legend. The Guardian had previously reported on a dispute over marketing that appeared to introduce Robin Hood into the campaign.
The Associated Press review independently describes the film as a blend of historical fact and fiction and notes its Robin Hood twist. That supports the view that the legend is an important element of the film’s presentation, while remaining a separate critical assessment rather than proof of a literal Robin Hood origin story.
Bradshaw’s review therefore points to a tension between the film’s grounding in a documented revolt and its use of legend-shaped imagery. The supplied evidence establishes the critic’s characterization and the distributor’s framing, but does not provide enough detail to assess the film’s full plot, performances or historical accuracy scene by scene.
Release timing
The Guardian review says the film is due in UK and Irish cinemas from October 9, 2026. Focus Features lists it as a 2026 drama. The review appeared the day before that stated release date, so the dates are consistent.