William Tell

Set in the 14th century, William Tell follows a quiet hunter whose peaceful life in rural Switzerland is shattered when the expansionist Austrian Empire moves in. As imperial officers impose harsh rule, the hunter watches his family and neighbors suffer and gradually takes on a leadership role against the occupiers. The story traces escalating skirmishes, political maneuvering, and personal costs without giving away how the conflict resolves. Along the way the film introduces figures from the era and from the legend, framing a familiar rebellion in gritty, sometimes intimate terms while keeping key outcomes under wraps.

Directed by Nick Hamm, William Tell draws on Friedrich Schiller's source material and updates the tale for the screen. The cast is led by Claes Bang, with Connor Swindells, Golshifteh Farahani, Jonah Hauer-King, and Ellie Bamber, and the movie arrived in theaters in 2025.

The film had a modest theatrical run and found most of its audience among history and action fans rather than mainstream blockbuster crowds. There isn't a prominent, widely cited worldwide box office figure available for reference.

By returning to the William Tell legend, the movie sparked renewed conversation about national myths, resistance, and representation. Audiences and online communities picked up on the film's visual motifs, especially a key archery sequence, and discussions about the casting and tone circulated on social platforms.

Critical reaction leaned mixed to favorable, reflected in a vote average around 6.2 out of 10 from early viewers. Reviewers tended to praise the performances, especially Claes Bang's, and the film's atmospheric battle scenes, while some pointed to uneven pacing and occasional tonal shifts. Thematically it centers on the price of defying authority, the ties that bind a community, and how ambition can warp power, delivered through a blend of action set pieces and dramatic confrontations.