The King

The solitude, burden and uncompromising nature of being a ruler. On top of that, the father-son relationships on both sides of the channel torn apart. Undoubtedly, you will recognize Shakespeare's themes, dialogue, characters and speeches in many places. However, this is not a direct adaptation of his Henriad, though the movie was inspired by it. You won’t fail to notice it and that is intentional. In any case, The King is a fine historical film impressively shot in the mud and with excellent acting (especially the Edgerton-Harris-Chalamet trio). The more intimate, the better. And it is more than intimate. (11/02/2019)

A likeable and sober hybrid of Shakespeare drama and medieval epic that must have been great to watch in the big screen. Everyone took things admirably seriously, the actors fully fused into their roles (besides the excellent Chalamet, the cheerful drunkard Edgerton, the unpredictable Harris and the breathtakingly sly Mendelsohn also deserve praise), the costume designers perfectly recreated the era, the cameramen always found the right angle and lightning and the director tried not to fall into stylistic mannerisms to take the viewer right to the table, or to a battlefield, next to the characters. And everything works so well, and that’s why it’s such a shame how at times it deviates from the captivating old-world notes only because they feared the film would bore a modern audience – if the script had dived deeper into the psychology of the main character and avoided changing his view during one conversation, it could have been an amazing contribution to the half-century old tradition of big narrative movies. This way, it’s “only” a wonderfully executed and valuably authentic historical drama. (01/19/2020)

It takes a while for the viewer to get over the fact that here the otherwise fragile, etheric Timothée playing a proficient drinker and invincible warrior... I also had trouble believing him being a womanizer....  So if you manage to get over that, you will enjoy a black and grey medieval period full of dirt, mud and cruel massacres. It's not bad, just depressing. (03/23/2023)

Or how King Henry gained both victory and an honest French lady. A clever and authentic historical movie that gets under your skin. The detailed depiction of the characters and the authenticity of their behavior are crucial for Michôda. There is one major action scene in the form of a muddy scuffle at Agincourt, while the rest of the film is made up of discussions about war with a chubby Edgerton, a bit of sieging and royal intrigues, where Chalamet very adeptly prepares himself for the role of Muad'Dib in Villeneuve’s Dune. Pattinson is a loathsome bastard (the great scene with the little boys in the forest) and absolutely revels in this role. The King looks like a movie from a different time, old-school but with modern techniques and gadgets. It’s nice to hear a mention of the Czech Lands too. Powerful music. (11/04/2019)

The good old days of honest historical films came back to life for two hours and a bit - The King is great. It's a rough, dirty and cold spectacle, but it is based primarily on the story, the characters and well-chosen actors, although the scenes you expect from such a film also occur (the battle, the battle!). Directing, design... All of it is amazing and as authentic, as if the crew had gone to the 15th century using a time machine. Timothée Chalamet actually plays Paul Atreides here - that's exactly how I imagined him. (09/19/2021)