Superb

Rating: 9/10 (8 December 2019)

Right now I'm half way through The King and I've paused to give my thoughts so far. The word that keeps coming to mind is superb. Superb script, superb acting, superb photography.
Young Hal, the reluctant new king Henry V, Just wants peace - an end to all the civil strife. But the best way to bring England together turns out to be war - a war against France. Well, the French are literally asking for it.
The film itself is beautiful, raw, thoughtful, impressive. There are many words and images to savour. The grim medieval realism is reminiscent of (bizarrely) Monty Python & the Holy Grail. But the tension and conflict brings to mind the best Game of Thrones episodes, like Battle of the Bastards.
So far: this one's a keeper.