Others say...

"Who killed the knight?"
Medieval paintings and a chess game seem like unlikely murder components, but they set off the whole plot of art puzzle/murder mystery "Uncovered." The adaptation of Arturo Perez/Reverte's novel is picturesque and has some good acting, but suffers from a total lack of suspense when it comes to whodunnit.

Art student Julia (Kate Beckinsale) is delighted when an X-ray of a old painting shows a Latin inscription: "Who killed the knight?" The trio in the painting includes a medieval duke, his young wife, and a French knight who was pretty obviously having an affair with the wife. With the help of her cheating ex-boyfriend and mysterious chess prodigy Domenec (Paudge Behan), Julia unravels the question of who killed the knight -- and why the picture was altered after it was finished.

But that isn't the end -- Julia's ex-boyfriend turns up dead in the shower, and the kindly old owner of the painting dies within days. And with each death, a corresponding ivory chess piece is left on Julia's doorstep. As brutal heirs and conniving art dealers scrabble for the painting, Julia tries to unravel who is behind the killings -- before black queen takes white queen...

"Uncovered" is more interesting as a clever art puzzle than a murder mystery, set in Barcelona's sunny colourful streets and ancient castles. It is genuinely fascinating to see the hidden meanings of the chess game and its hidden meanings, as well as the politics of Burgundy versus France. This part is intriguing, intelligent, and genuinely has an element of classical mystery.

Unfortunately, it sags when it turns into a murder mystery (with a bit of nudity thrown in), loosely tied into the medieval murder with the use of chess pieces. The murderer's identity is glaringly obvious even before he's killed anyone, and the campy, shrieky finale suffers because you already know who he is. Even the callous heirs to weren't enough to throw off the scent.

This was only Kate Beckinsale's second major role, so perhaps she can be forgiven her mediocre performance. She's middling most of the time, and occasionally lapses into hysterical crying. John Wood is a scene-stealer as the devoted gay guardian Cesar, backed by Sinéad Cusack as a catty aging party-girl and Michael Gough as an ailing aristocrat. No, I don't know by British actors are playing a slew of Spaniards, but they do a good job.

"Uncovered" is an intriguing art mystery, but it trips over itself in the second half when it becomes a mysteryless mystery. If it weren't for that, it would be simply brilliant.

"Special Features not included"
This picture is based in the famous spanish novel "La Tabla de Flandes" from Arturo Perez Reverte (Alatriste), but the picture is boring, with slow and bad acted characters. This particular DVD doesn't include subtitles,not even spanish nor english. In this case the box announce this special features, watch out with this problem.

"ONLY FOR CHESS GAME LOVERS!"
THIS MOVIE WAS VERY BORING!IF YOU LIKE TO PLAY CHESS-YOU'LL LIKE THIS MOVIE.THIS IS A MYSTERY BASED ON BEING SOLVED BY FINDING CHESS PEICES,AND THEIR CLUES.

"Paudge Behan Fans Attention"
Uncovered is one of Paudge Behan's earlier movies and as in all of his films he is wonderfull add a very young Kate Beckinsale and you have a great film. This is one you have to watch to appreciate and I think once you have seen it you will want to watch it again. So grab a glass of wine sit back and enjoy you are in for a surprising treat.

"Tepid murder mystery"
In "Uncovered", Kate Beckinsale plays a woman living in Barcelona Spain restoring a very valuable 500 year old painting of two men playing chess and a woman watching them. She discovers an inscription on a layer of paint underneath the top layer that translates to "who killed the knight". The painting's owner tells her the story of an ancestor being murdered and he may be the knight in question. She discovers the mystery centers on the game of chess being played in the painting and enlists the help of a young chess genius to deconstruct the game and predict upcoming moves. As she investigates the mystery however, people around her begin to die.

"Uncovered" is a trite mystery. It's enjoyable to watch to an extent, but it has a very annoying soundtrack and the acting isn't particularly good, even Beckinsale in an obviously early role for her (and her haircut is awful). There is no real suspense to anything that happens. The chess game in the picture being at the center of the mystery was interesting as was comparing the moves to what happened 500 years ago and what was happening now, but the movie as a whole never grabs you completely. The tone is a little too light and airy for a murder mystery.