An art movie more than a conventional adventure epic...and a very fine one.

Rating: 9/10 (27 May 2018)

Far from a conventional 'jungle adventure' James Gray's outstanding "The Lost City of Z" has more in common with the films of Werner Herzog than "The Mission". Bases on real events it's the story of explorer Percival Fawcett's search for the lost city of the title deep in the Bolivian jungle. It is a long, slow film more concerned with the psychology of its characters than their actions and it's very well played by Charlie Hunnam, (a revelation), Robert Pattinson and, in a major supporting turn, Angus MacFadyen. It's also stunningly shot by the great Darius Khondji and superbly written and directed by Gray, moving away here from the gritty confines of the American city where we usually find him. It wasn't really a commercial success but then in this day of action superheroes did anyone really think it would be. This is an art movie posing as an adventure epic and doing it very well indeed.