Not great history, but that's not the promise of great Cinema.

Rating: 8/10 (24 November 2019)

I'm still of the opinion that Netflix should give large releases to their motion pictures especially seeing as many are worthy of such a large theatrical run worthy of the content on display. I'm bummed that I wont be able to see the upcoming "The Irishman" for the same reason. And while I wish I couldve been able to witness "The King" in a theater nearest me, it is not hindrance on the quality of the film.
This is a film for a niche audience and one that perhaps only Netflix is in a position to fund and proudly support as of late, especially in this saturated market of summer tentpoles and franchise pictures. And it is for that reason that I adore this film even more. It is a full-stop motion picture set in England of old loosely based on history to tell the tale of a man who must truly find his own Avenue to become the man he is not meant to be but who he really is. And what does that mean for England? And for France? And for the loads of people who just want to get on with their merry lives. Without spoiling too much of the film, we follow Hal as he just come to succeed the throne from his father for whom he is greatly estranged from. In his unexpected succession he must grapple with whether or not he must go to war with France under suspicious circumstances. This campaign for which he must now lead gives us a truly interesting look at what it must be like for a young man to have to rely on older men, many of which he can't hope to fully trust, to council him to make decisions that grow increasingly more difficult to surmount.
The film takes a more subtle approach to character development as it shows Hal, wonderfully portrayed by Timothee Chalamet, come to conclusions on his own about who he wants to be but time and again be shown that who he desires might be impossible in the world that his father left in his wake. The cinematography is good and captures the tone and the beauty of the gloomy land of Britain and France while the musical score by Nicholas Britell is simple in its composition but by relying on strong strings and ambient sound design, adds to a steady tug of war between hope and doom.
The screenplay by Joel Edgerton and Director David Michôd is equally literate and compelling if nothing else, tracking the nuanced obstacles that our characters face.
The film is a great reminder of the quieter epics that can still be delivered in this saturated market and one that Is both contemplative and ultimately highly entertaining. In regards to historical accuracy, it should be noted that the film is based in part of Shakespeare's Henry V and thus is more in line with classic Drama than historical documentary. Even still, the film has merits both technically and in the acting department that hold it up.
This was a delightful film and a little treat in the holiday Season.