The King Review

October 31, 2019 at 8:19pm
By Jason Stettner

The King is a Netflix Original film that focuses on a particular battle during the run of the young King Henry V (Timothee Chalamet). The start of the narrative follows this young man that has no regard for the state of political affairs, but is thrust into them when his father starts to face a withering death. This of course leaves room for manipulation, political movement and of course war.

Certain events lead towards a war upon the French, with some fairly well tactically developed battles along the way. I found the discussion elements of the film to be rather interesting, and the battles to be intensely gritty. I wasn’t expecting the attention to details that were presented in how the battles were set, and its worth to watch those if you enjoy large scale medieval conflicts. I won’t go over the tactics however, as that would spoil seeing those come into play during the events of the movie.

This is a rather long story, and one that takes its time in getting to the point. You won’t feel that a lot necessarily happens, and that’s fine as it’s really about this one conflict towards the start of a king’s career. Defining what type of ruler he wants to be, and what sort of influences will alter this path. It’s really quite interesting, and brought together with some excellent performances.

This is a beautifully shot film, the cinematography here is stunning. I was very impressed by the beauty of the historically set locations and in how the battles were showcased. It really created a sense of claustrophobic action and just how visceral it was in those times. It can get downright ugly fast, and that was presented in an excellent fashion.

I was very impressed with that element, and again if you like medieval battles you’ll really enjoy seeing these in action. Aside from just the conflict, the acting here is excellent. You get a very quiet, yet quite emotive lead with Timothee Chalamet’s King Henry V. Opposing him is a strange, yet almost sinister The Dauphin of France (Robert Pattinson) representing the French forces.

Other key players included Sir John Falstaff (Joel Edgerton), a brave calculating friend of the King and Chief Justice (Sean Harries) who was an opportunist within the situation providing great council. There are some interesting twists in this one, gruesome moments and excellent speeches throughout.

The Conclusion

The King is a long, well selected slice of this royal’s run featuring epic tactical battles and impactful emotionally driven speeches. There’s a great story here, but it definitely is a slow burn.

It takes time to get places, but that helps round out the main character and some of the supporting ones. It showcases the causes, and effects of what drove the war effort in these times. It’s certainly interesting, and I enjoyed it while also seeing that this might not necessarily be for everyone. I loved the sickening sense of claustrophobic warfare that took place, and the reasoning behind the strategies.

It was also great seeing the sense of conflict that took the centerpiece as young king dealt with many early issues in his rule. Some excellent performances throughout, that’s for sure. I would actually love to see more from this presentation of the character, really just a short slice in a long run time.

The King Review at Home with Streamed Viewing
Screening was Provided by Netflix

Rating Overall: 8.0