The King

A masterfully crafted intimate drama about the difficult beginnings of Henry V's reign on the English throne, focusing primarily on revealing various intrigues and the notion that being a king was hardly something to be genuinely grateful for. Timothée Chalamet is beginning to fully showcase his talent, and in various verbal sparring scenes, he demonstrated that he need not fear for his future in Hollywood, as he possesses great skill. In addition to the excellent performances, I was impressed by the cinematography, which, apart from one battle scene, is not very dynamic—a choice that suited me perfectly. The long takes of landscapes and the play with light and shadow convinced me that the creators truly know how to captivate the audience. The final gritty battle only confirmed my positive opinion of the film. I’m not saying it will be a blockbuster that will be discussed in film circles 20 years from now, but as an above-average film with a fresh storyline, it works flawlessly. I give it 79%. P.S. Watch the film just for Robert Pattinson. Although he appears on screen for only about five minutes, in that brief time he convinced me that I’m far less concerned about his portrayal of Batman. (11/10/2019)

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)

A bigger budget and a more effectively rendered battle would have elevated The King, but even without those things, this is an outstanding film. The slow-paced, psychologically meticulous narrative follows the transformation of a bohemian pacifist’s way of thinking and attitude into that of a cruel warrior who wants to uphold his honor. Friendship, ambition, intrigue and the loss of something held dear in exchange for something less valuable but predestined by fate. At the same time, the English and French “political nature” is nicely depicted in historical terms. All four of the key roles are played by great actors. As co-writer and co-producer, Edgerton is the father of this work. Excellent. (09/18/2020)

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)

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)