By Any Means, Watch This Movie

Rating: 9/10 (18 November 2019)

This is a terrific film and, above all else, worthy of your time.
Much has been made of its lacking in historical fact, or its failure to follow an accepted storyline, but to slavishly follow either of these courses would have delivered a movie we have seen many times before. What's the point of that?
One word: adaptation. Any screenwriter worth his or her salt is going to play with historical fact or the essences of a work of fiction; after all, who wants to see the same stories copied over and over again?
I remember thinking just this when so many people complained that a recent retelling of Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders, was so different to all the others. It had to be, otherwise we would be seeing the same thing repeated endlessly.
This movie tells as much as we need to know of history and is a worthy addition to the many tv and movie adaptations we have seen over the years.
If I had a prior reservation about this film it was the casting of Timothée Chalamet as a fighting King. Surely too slight a build to portray a warrior. Well, whatever this extraordinary young actor lacks in physicality he more than makes up for in sheer screen presence. A gritty and convincing performance. Maybe not an Oscar, but surely a nomination.
Don't look for accuracy here. Go see a documentary or read a textbook if that is what you want. This is a retelling worthy of its own entry in the annals of cinema history. Bravo!