Timeline is a 2003 film directed by Richard Donner, director of Lethal Weapon. It stars Paul Walker, Frances O'Connor, Billy Connolly, David Thewlis, Gerard Butler and Anna Friel. Brian Tyler composed the score used in the film.
It is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton, author of Jurassic Park.
Despite its budget of US$80,000,000, Timeline grossed only US$19,480,739 during its American box office run. The movie was panned by most critics.
Plot
In present-day France archaeologist/professor Edward Johnston (Billy Connolly) and his students are excavating a site near the ruins of Castlegard. The village had been burned in 1357 when a massive battle occurred at nearby La Roque Castle, during The Hundred Years War. Even though the English were strong, the French were able to defeat them. Lady Claire (Anna Friel), the sister of Arnaut de Cervole was hanged by the English at the castle in full view of the French. This enraged the French so much that they won the battle against the English.
Johnston and his students Kate Erickson (Frances O'Connor) and André Marek (Gerard Butler) live for the past. Johnston's son Chris (Paul Walker) does not share this passion but he visits his father from time to time mainly to be with Kate, on whom he has a crush. At one point while showing him a sarcophagus of a man and woman who have their hands folded into each other, Marek tries to explain to Chris that our future lies in the past. They notice that the man sculpted on the sarcophagus has no right ear: it was crafted that way.
While the professor is away reporting to his U.S. sponsors, ITC, Marek and Kate discover an old parchment along with a present-day bifocal lens. Examination shows the writing on the document pleading for help is from the professor, but it was written on April 4, 1357. Confused, Chris calls his father, but he's told his father is no longer there. ITC does, however, invite Chris and the students to its base in New Mexico.
There, they learn time travel is possible and Johnston is now trapped in 1357 near Castlegard -- exactly the spot of the excavations. Since the students are the closest thing to experts on the location and the time period, they are asked to go back in time and rescue Johnston. With the exception of team physicist, David Stern (Ethan Embry), they agree and are joined by security man Frank Gordon (Neal McDonough) and military personnel Jimmy Gomez and Bill Baretto. They are given several markers that, at the push of the button, will bring them back home, and are told if they aren't back in six hours, they might not be able to return at all.
They arrive in a rushing river. Once on land, they find themselves in the middle of a battle between the English and the French, and Gomez is quickly beheaded and Baretto -- just as he is about to throw a grenade -- is struck with arrows and uses his marker to return to the present. Marek is caught up in the battle and saves the Lady Claire (Anna Friel) by slaying a knight who was attacking her. She brings Marek to the safety of her village, but they're overheard talking to her brother Arnaut by an English spy and captured by the English.
They're seen as spies and are brought before the English Lord Oliver de Vannes (Michael Sheen), who kills one of the students, Frenchman François Dontelle (Rossif Sutherland).
The group is reunited in prison with Johnston and devises an escape plan based on their knowledge of the day's events. Unfortunately, they don't take into account that their presence has already changed the timeline.
Meanwhile in the present day, Baretto returns to the laboratory and dies, the grenade in his hand exploding and severely damaging the machines. Stern, ITC president Robert Doniger (David Thewlis), and vice-president Steven Kramer (Matt Craven) work as hard as they can to fix them, but the rather amoral Doniger prepares to write the students off as "lost".
The time travelers are forced to remain involved in the battle and are able to change history by saving Lady Claire’s life. At the same time, they learn of the presence of former ITC employee William Decker (Marton Csokas), who has stayed in the past (and is now known as Lord DeKere) because damage to his internal organs indicates another jump will kill him. This flaw — which damages internal organs — in time travel was withheld from them by Doniger. Gordon was responsible for abandoning Decker when he traveled with him in the first place when Gordon chose to save his own life. This is revealed earlier when Chris catches Gordon for trying to abandon them and travel back to the present.
Decker kills Gordon and steals all but one of the markers, forcing the professor and Marek to fight against the French, while Chris and Kate fight with the French against him and Oliver's English forces. At a church near Castle La Roque, the pair discover a tunnel leading into La Roque and tell Lord Arnaut (Lambert Wilson), the French commander, of the tunnel. Arnaut and Chris fight their way through English forces. Chris, caught by Lord Oliver, is saved by Arnaut and quickly rushes to join Kate. They — Chris, Johnston, and Kate can return home. Marek, who has discovered his destiny, gives Chris the last marker and remains behind with his newfound love, Lady Claire. Doniger tries to stop them returning but Stern rushes to stop him and he gets trapped in the machine. As the students and the professor return Doniger is sent back and is killed by an approaching knight.
Back in present-day France Kate finishes the dig on a sarcophagus by the old Castle La Roque. She and Chris are now dating as well. The inscription revealed on the sarcophagus is of Marek and Lady Claire, whose three children were named Christophe, Katherine, and François. Marek tells his surviving friends he chose a wonderful life, although he lived only twenty-five years longer in the harsh medieval world.
Cast
- Paul Walker - Chris Johnston
- Frances O'Connor - Kate Ericson
- Gerard Butler - Andre Marek
- Billy Connolly - Professor Edward A. Johnston
- David Thewlis - Robert Doniger
- Anna Friel - Lady Claire
- Neal McDonough - Frank Gordon
- Matt Craven - Steven Kramer
- Ethan Embry - Josh Stern
- Michael Sheen - Lord Oliver de Vannes
- Lambert Wilson - Lord Arnaut de Cervole
- Marton Csokas - Sir William De Kere/William Decker
- Rossif Sutherland - François Dontelle
Production
The battle sequences used medieval reenactors.
The battle of Castlegard never took place. However, there are similarities between besieger's strategy in the film and the actual historical event of the siege of Château-Gaillard in France in 1204.
The movie's crew visited various European castles from around that period (the late 1300s) to make the castles and towns look realistic.
Composer Jerry Goldsmith had his score replaced by Brian Tyler's score, because of the changes in the final cut of the film. However both Goldsmith and Tyler's scores were available alongside the movie.
The character Robert Doniger was named after a teacher of Crichton's daughter, Harriet Jacobs Doniger.
