King Arthur Review
by Bob Bloom (bob AT bloomink DOT com)July 9th, 2004
KING ARTHUR (2004) 2 1/2 stars out of 4. Starring Clive Owen, Keira Knightley,
Ioan Gruffudd, Mads Mikkelsen, Joel Edgerton, Hugh Dancy, Ray Winstone, Stephen
Dillane, Stellan Skarsgard and Til Schweiger. Music by Hans Zimmer. Written by
David Franzoni. Directed by Antoine Fuqua. Rated PG-13. Running time: Approx. 120 mins.
Put aside those memories of the mighty, shimmering battlements of Camelot, the
Lady of the Lake, the tortured love triangle.
Forget T.H. White's The Sword in the Stone, Mallory's Le Morte D'Arthur. Erase
the myths, the legends.
None of that is to be seen in the latest Jerry Bruckheimer production, King Arthur. Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the movie, according to the press kit, is based on what historians have recently learned about the leader who lived in the 5th century, when the crumbling Roman Empire was pulling the last of its troops from Britain.
The half-Roman, half-British Arthur (Clive Owen) and his small band of knights, comprised of ferocious Sarmatian cavalry, are basically Rome's Special
Forces on the island, charged with maintaining the peace as well as battling various enemies trying to encroach on the far-flung outpost.
Arthur's band consists of Lancelot, Galahad, Bors, Tristan and Gawain — all mighty warriors from the Russian province of Sarmatia. The knights, indentured
to the Empire as boys, have been promised their freedom once the Roman forces withdraw.
But threats from without and within compel these protectors to undertake one last mission, thus delaying Arthur's dream of returning to a peaceful life in Rome as well as preventing his knights return to their homeland.
David Franzoni's script eliminates all magic and fantasy. At the outset, Merlin, the mysterious leader of the Woads, a band of Celtic guerrillas, is Arthur's nemesis. Guinevere, a Celtic warrior adept with bow and sword, is a captive of the corrupt Roman official who needs rescuing.
Soon Arthur, Guinevere and Merlin form an uneasy alliance to battle a Saxon invasion. The decisive battle at Badon Hill proves critical to the future of the fledging nation.
King Arthur eschews glamour and pageantry. Arthur polices a wet, cold and muddy inhospitable region.
The feature falters not in its attempts to be historically faithful — despite
some dramatic license — but in its reliance on exposition over action.
The battle scenes, while ferocious, have utilized that newest of clichés — the
quick-cutting, handheld camera that puts the audience in the midst of the fighting. Unfortunately, at times it makes it difficult to discern who is killing whom. And Fuqua's overuse of fog and smoke to create atmosphere only adds to the chaos.
The performers are an interesting lot. Owen, best known for his work in The Croupier, can best be described as ruggedly handsome. He brings a reluctance to
shouldering the responsibility thrust upon him, yet also burns with the idealism to accept the challenge.
Keira Knightley carries herself with assuredness and a confidence that allows
her at one point to boldly brag to Lancelot as they face overwhelming odds that
she will save him from being raped.
Franzoni and Fuqua all but ignore the traditional Arthur-Guinevere-Lancelot triangle, instead offering a few shots of the valiant knight moonily glancing at Arthur's lady.
King Arthur cannot be labeled a misfire. It is a novel twist on an old story,
stripping it to its historical context without the excess baggage of literary familiarity. Yet, this lack of spectacle and romance also are what keeps the film from reaching the heights it should attain. The movie simply fails to rouse you.
A famous line from John Ford's classic Western, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, goes, "When the legend becomes fact, print the legend." And while King
Arthur may be closer to fact, I still prefer the legend.
Bob Bloom is the film critic at the Journal and Courier in Lafayette, Ind. He
can be reached by e-mail at [email protected] or at [email protected]. Bloom's reviews also can be found at the Journal and Courier
Web site: www.jconline.com
Other reviews by Bloom can be found at the Rottentomatoes Web site: www.rottentomatoes.com or at the Internet Movie Database Web site:
www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Bob+Bloom
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