The King
THE KING (Timothée Chalamet) - NETFLIX
Dark, dense and visually grand, The King is a mature and well-crafted tale that ruminates on power and what it means to wield it truly. Every technical aspect is tuned to near perfection and the story it tells is always interesting, though it is not without its minor flaws scattered throughout.
The King centres on Hal (Timothée Chalamet), a frequently drunk prince who is forced to become the next King of England after his father (Ben Mendelsohn) passes away. Once King, he must find out what kind of ruler he is with the help of his best friend and guardian, Falstaff (Joel Edgerton), as well as deal with the looming problem of France, who taunts and threatens England from afar.
Chalamet delivers a solid lead performance here as the titular character, with vulnerability under the surface that makes it easy to care about him. Edgerton puts in good work as well, his broken but loyal character remaining fascinating to watch all the way through. Sean Harris, Ben Mendelsohn, Lily-Rose Depp and Thomasin McKenzie all deliver in their supporting roles, making their characters feel fully-formed and human. Robert Pattinson goes a bit too over the top compared to the seriousness of the rest of the film — with a less than convincing French accent — but he remains entertaining enough not to distract entirely.
The script, written by Michôd and Edgerton, contains well-written dialogue that moves the plot along at a snappy pace while further developing the characters and their motivations. There are a couple of scenes where the writing is not up to par, with some on-the-nose thematic work, but these are infrequent enough only to be a minor quibble.
David Michôd is a great director and has proven such in the past with films like The Rover and Animal Kingdom. Here, he squeezes good performances out of the entire cast and helps the experience maintain a looming sense of darkness that never goes away. Adam Arkapaw’s cinematography perfectly captures the Medieval time period in considerable detail, capturing some stunning imagery along the way. The camerawork during the battle sequence is suitably chaotic and claustrophobic, making the scene that much more raw and gritty.
Speaking of the films primary battle sequence, it is incredibly well coordinated with an astounding amount of extras that make it feel as epic as it should. The score by Nicholas Britell is outstanding — at once epic and intimate, full of layers and complexity. It is quite possibly the high point of the entire film. The costume design, m courtesy of Jane Petrie, is immaculate, staying true to the time period and always feeling authentic. The editing by Peter Sciberras is tight, keeping important events moving along at a steady pace and ensuring that it never becomes dull.
The King is almost always bleak but its bleakness is never overwhelmingly so. It works as a character study, as a look at the inevitability of violence and as a medieval epic. It is not perfect, but its flaws do little to detract from the compelling story at the forefront. All hail!
The King is streaming exclusively on NETFLIX