Firebrand (15)

Everyone knows Henry VIII had six wives — but as far as filmmakers are concerned, it’s wife No. 2, Anne Boleyn, who has always been the main attraction.

With Firebrand however, it’s all about the king’s relationship with his sixth and final queen, Catherine Parr (Alicia Vikander), who is presented here not as the pious nursemaid, but as a rebellious reformer who struggled to save England from tyranny. Jude Law outrageously steals every scene as the horrendously unwell and bloated king.

Henry is away in France with his army and Catherine takes the opportunity to ride off for secret meetings with Anne Askew (Erin Doherty), a childhood friend who is now preaching revolt against a new law that has banned English-language Bibles. But then Henry returns earlier than expected, whereupon Catherine’s status plummets.

Jude Law is horribly scary and funny as a cruel, paranoid ruler, cheerily belittling everyone around him. Neither Catherine nor any of the courtiers can escape from his mood swings. With the plague sweeping through London, the royal advisers have moved to a castle in the countryside

It’s a delectable piece of faux history, with Law giving a grotesque and wonderfully entertaining performance.