RottenTomatoes Score: 85% (7.4/10) Box Office: Budgetary information is scarce, but Far from the Madding Crowd has raked in an impressive $12.5 million to date. Not bad for an art-house period drama without a major star (Carey Mulligan hasn't acted for two years). The Verdict: Dutch director Thomas Vinterberg is certainly a bizarre choice to helm something like this, but he does a splendid job rendering arguably the best cinematic adaptation of Thomas Hardys novel yet, largely thanks to excellent cinematography and two stellar performances from Mulligan and Matthias Schoenaerts. It's a bit of a slow-burn, but there's not a boring second in this painterly, deeply felt romantic drama.