Jason Statham starred in one of the worst video game movies of all time

Director Uwe Boll has one of the worst movie directors of all time. In the mid-2000s, he helmed a series of highly publicized but critically savaged video game adaptations that were instant box office hits. In 2003 he produced House of the Dead and followed it up in 2005 with both Alone in the Dark and BloodRayne. In 2007, he followed them up with “In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale,” “BloodRayne 2: Deliverance” and “Postal,” before ending his run in 2008 with “Far Cry.” Fans of the games on which the films are based were outraged that Ball had to handle the source material so clumsily, and fans of the cinematic medium were outraged that

Despite his critical reputation, Ball has remained prolific, sometimes producing several pictures a year. In 2024, he directed the films “First Shift” and “Bandidos”, and in 2025 “Run” is scheduled to be released.

I've spoken to Ball for an interview and it's easy to see why he keeps working. He is talkative, smart and pragmatic. In the face of his critical reputation, Ball usually shrugs, offering a “so what,” because he feels that his filmmaking accomplishments outweigh anything critics might say. He is also an ideas man who can succinctly outline films in a way that makes them seem intriguing. He loves making movies and that's all he needs.

Additionally, all of Ball's films tend to boast illogically impressive casts. He has revealed that he usually calls big-name actors on the weekend of a shoot to ask if they are free. If they want a few bucks to sit on a throne and read a few lines, maybe take six hours out of their Saturday, then they're in the movie. Some disgraced actors with a petition to stage their return by Boll.

It was definitely In the Name of the King, starring Jason Statham and Ron Perlman, along with Burt Reynolds, Ray Liotta, John Rhys-Davies and Matthew Lillard.

In the Name of the King is based on Dungeon Siege, a medieval fantasy RPG published by Gas Powered Games in 2002. The story follows an evil mage named Galian (Liotta) who has attacked evil monsters called Krug. Ehb country. A simple man known only as Farmer (Statham) is able to protect his farm, but loses his son in the attack and his wife (Claire Forlani) is kidnapped. Farmer and his friends Norick (Perlman) and Bastian (Will Sanderson) go on a quest to rescue Farmer's wife. Eventually, Farmer will gain the attention of King Conrad (Reynolds) and be adopted as his son due to his battlefield prowess.

The theatrical cut of In the Name of the King was 127 minutes long, although Ball's 156-minute director's cut was released on Blu-ray. Not that the extra shots would have helped much. In the Name of the King was released to lackluster reviews, earning just a 4% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes (based on 51 reviews). Critics felt that the performances were one-sidedly bad and the production values ​​were notably low. This, despite the film's budget, which exceeded approximately 60 million dollars, was the most expensive film in Ball's career. Mark Savlov of the Austin Chronicle compared “The King” unfavorably with the works of Edward D. Wood Jr. and Laura Kern of the New York Times noted that everyone on screen looked stunned, as if they were playing dress-up rather than acting in a movie.

The film also lost a ton of money. This $60 million budget only made $13 million worldwide. Many video game fans already knew Ball's work from “House of the Dead” and “Alone in the Dark” and it made sense to stay away. Ball claimed to be a genius.

With blood in the water, the reputation of “In the Name of the King” only grew. It became conclusive proof that Uwe Boll was the Ed Wood of his generation, lacking only Wood's quirkiness, peculiar dialogue and sexual fetish. The Razzies nominated “In the Name of the King” in five categories, including worst picture. Ball won the title of worst director, although the film “lost” the main award that year to “The Love Guru”.

Interestingly, despite being a huge bomb and becoming one of the most openly hated films in recent years, it seems that the IP behind Dungeon Siege still had enough influence to warrant a few follow-up films. In 2011, Ball rethought the premise of the original film and decided to make it a time travel story, plucking a modern-day man and placing him in the world of Dungeon Siege. The sequel, titled “In the Name of the King 2: Two Worlds,” starred Dolph Lundgren as a modern-day soldier who is magically transported back to the Middle Ages. Although one might expect an “Army of Darkness”-style farce, the film is neither intense nor funny. Its biggest advantage is that it was made for only $4.5 million. That's modest even for a direct-to-video release. Lundgren was the only notable celebrity this time.

Ball then returned in 2014 with “In the Name of the King 3: The Last Mission.” This movie starred Dominic Purcell from Prison Break and kept the time travel element from the second movie. Purcell played a murderer who is thrown back in time thanks to a magical amulet. He fights dragons, etc. This one cost just $3.5 million. Acknowledging that it exists may be enough.

After that, Ball seems to have abandoned the video game adaptation beat, moving on to films in other genres and ancillary projects. Ball has claimed that his films are good and that many are better known Hollywood directors are hacks. Say what you will about Ball, the man sticks to his guns.