The King - Review

Rating: 4 out of 5

SHAKESPEARE’S Henriad provides the inspiration for David Michod’s intelligent and compelling look at the early years of King Henry V and the events leading up to the Battle of Agincourt.

Hence, while relying more on dramatic licence that stone cold historical fact, the director’s film - which he co-wrote with one of its co-stars, Joel Edgerton - has lessons that bear scrutiny for modern leaders, as well as insight into follies past.

Timothée Chalamet, donning the crown previously worn by no lesser actors than Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh, brings both youthful arrogance and naivety to the role of Henry, first seen as a drunken womaniser of questionable repute, who subsequently finds himself King of England and tasked with uniting a fractured kingdom.

His advisers are no fans, treating him with the same disdain as did his late father (Ben Mebdelsohn), and they slowly conspire to bring England to the brink of war with long-term enemy France, where a cocksure French dauphin (Robert Pattinson) awaits.

But Henry proves a far better leader than anyone imagined, despite moments of impetuousness, thanks in no small part to the counsel provided to him by long-term friend John Falstaff (Edgerton), a boozy battle veteran, whose disregard for war (having experienced it all too often) leads to a more level-headed approach to strategy, as well as a talking conscience (“you’re not that man”).

The ensuing drama is filled with intrigue and political manipulation (with Sean Harris’ quiet William Gascoigne standing out), before building to a suitably bruising battle at Agincourt, at which the tactics of England’s smaller forces ultimately outwit the masses of the French.

At this point it’s probably worth pointing out that there’s a lot of dramatic licence on show here, in keeping with the Shakespearean text from which it has been adapted.

Most notable among these is the presence of Edgerton’s key figure Falstaff, who did not really exist. But the relationship between Henry and his father has been altered, as has the timing and location of his younger brother’s death, and the supposed conspiracy to bring about the war with France.

It’s always a little frustrating when films opt to do this - but then, to be fair, The King doesn’t lay claim to being a definitive historical movie (there aren’t even any scrolls to bookend the film to either set context or review what became of characters next).

Rather, the suspicion is that the film exists almost as a cautionary tale about the machinations and abuses of power, the responsibility of leadership and the cost of war.

It lays out the folly of men who would campaign for war without ever experiencing it in the battlefield, as well as the dire reality of fighting it for real.

Edgerton’s Falstaff is very much the film’s conscience, as well as its eyes and ears. He begins as a jaded drunk. But his wisdom stems from lived experience, which makes his eventual sacrifice all the more powerful.

Michod captures the brutality of battle superbly without resorting to extreme violence to do so - rather, there’s a claustrophobic feel to the fighting as men fall about each other in the mud and exhaust themselves in the process. It’s ugly, messy, brutal and cold-blooded. And it leaves you in little doubt that this is the last place on earth you would want to be.

It also makes sure that Falstaff’s wisdom and insight feels both prophetic for the moment and enduring for future warmongers.

Elsewhere, Chalamet conducts himself really well as a young man apparently out of his depth, who slowly grows into the role - fully aware of the pitfalls of leadership and the loneliness of ruling a kingdom. Just as Henry grows into his role, so Chalamet grows with confidence and rage - sometimes getting ahead of himself in his desire for revenge. But it’s a tempered, nuanced performance that benefits greatly from the camaraderie he shares with Edgerton.

There’s also measured support from the likes of Lily Rose Depp, appearing late on as Henry’s future wife (and another wise head that prompts soul searching), and the aforementioned Harris, well known for playing the villain, yet much more restrained here.

Pattinson’s precocious dauphin is also fun, albeit with a slightly outrageous French accent. But this may be by design given the way he uses it to wind up his opponents. It’s a performance filled with disdain for just about everyone around him, so one suspects the thick French intonations he affords his ‘English’ is designed to rule and provoke scorn.

The King is a clever film and a timely one. It’s a riveting watch, driven by a top drawer cast and a deliberately low-key approach that helps it to deliver its themes and reflections all the more powerfully.

Certificate: 15

Running time: 2hrs 20mins