The King: Movie Review

On its last few scenes, one of the questions asked towards the film's main character Henry V was what is the purpose of the Battle of Agincourt? There was really no easy and clear answer. This is also the same sentiments we have about "The King". We really couldn't find a significant purpose for the semi-historical drama film. But here's the thing, even with its flaws, "The King" is still a powerful and wonderful film to experience noteworthy due to gripping performances from its cast.

Hal (Timothée Chalamet), the wayward prince and reluctant heir to the English throne, has turned his back on royal life and is living among the people. But when his tyrannical father dies, Hal is crowned King Henry V and is forced to embrace the life he had previously tried to escape. Now the young king must navigate the palace politics, chaos, and war his father left behind, and try to bring glory to England on his own terms.

"The King" touted that it will delve into palace politics and war but the end product is far from that. Even with its almost two and a half hour running time, we couldn't help but feel like it lacked any emotional or narrative weight to really transcend into just being great. This had potential to be a "Game of Thrones" type of experience full of cunning ploys and espionage but really it wasn't. This is probably the film's biggest and only chink in the armor. Beyond that disappointment, "The King" excels in everything else. The cinematography and visuals left us in awe not only to how beautiful the shots and scenes were but also how visceral and raw they felt. The production looked top-notch with set pieces and battle exuding a sense of grandeur and awe. But what really defines "The King" were the powerful performances from its cast. Timothée Chalamet was simply stunning as Henry V evoking a well-rounded performance that required various transformations and shifts of tones that he handled masterfully. We also thought that Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris both had memorable and praise-worthy performances.

Rating: 4 reel





Why you should watch it:
- powerful and gripping performances from its cast

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the film feels like it lacks purpose and emotional weight