The King

Name: The King
Genre: Biography, Drama, History, Romance, War
Released: October 11, 2019
Duration: 140 min
Rating: 62
Cast: Andrew Havill, Ben Mendelsohn, Dean-Charles Chapman, Edward Ashley, Gábor Czap

2019

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 38 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 214 Ratings

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7.8

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7.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 214 Ratings

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The King

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Movie Details & Credits

Netflix | Release Date: October 11, 2019 | Not Rated

Starring: Andrew Havill, Ben Mendelsohn, Dean-Charles Chapman, Edward Ashley, Gábor Czap, Ivan Kaye, Joel Edgerton, Lily-Rose Melody Depp, Robert Pattinson, Sean Harris, Stephen Fewell, Steven Elder, Tara Fitzgerald, Thomasin McKenzie, Timothée Chalamet, Tom Fisher, Tom Glynn-Carney, Tom Lawrence

Summary: Hal (Timothée Chalamet), wayward prince and reluctant heir to the English throne, has turned his back on royal life and is living among the people. But when his tyrannical father dies, Hal is crowned King Henry V and is forced to embrace the life he had previously tried to escape. Now the young king must navigate the palace politics, chaosHal (Timothée Chalamet), wayward prince and reluctant heir to the English throne, has turned his back on royal life and is living among the people. But when his tyrannical father dies, Hal is crowned King Henry V and is forced to embrace the life he had previously tried to escape. Now the young king must navigate the palace politics, chaos and war his father left behind, and the emotional strings of his past life — including his relationship with his closest friend and mentor, the ageing alcoholic knight, John Falstaff (Joel Edgerton). [Netflix]… Expand

Director: David Michôd

Genre(s): Biography, Drama, History, Romance, War

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 140 min

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Critic Reviews

The Playlist Christina Newland

Sep 3, 2019

In spite of all the reasons that this film should have been another "Outlaw King" – silly and self-important – it manages to cleverly duck and dive around nearly all of them. It’s a feat that speaks to the deftness and intelligence of the approach that Michôd and Edgerton take with their writing and direction, giving us an epic period piece that actually fulfills much of that ambition. Read full review

Alonso Duralde

Sep 3, 2019

Full of surprises ... It’s a historical piece that defies expectation and offers both the thrills of battle and a thoughtful critique of war and imperialism. Read full review

Kenneth Turan

Oct 10, 2019

Though it is a tale of real-life 15th-century rulers and lords, The King uses superior filmmaking and fully involving storytelling to make it seem very much a modern situation — in which wholly human individuals deal with up-to-date themes including power and its corruptions and the nature of friendship. Read full review

Richard Lawson

Sep 3, 2019

Without the Shakespearean language, this is just an ahistorical story about a king and a battle. ... But it’s nothing fancy, really, nothing newfangled or inventive. This is a pretty straight-down-the-middle period war-king film, a true Boy Movie of respectable pedigree but no real distinction. Read full review

David Edelstein

Oct 10, 2019

The King has enough in its coffers to keep you moderately engaged. Read full review

Barry Hertz

Oct 15, 2019

The movie – a messy and frequently bloody blend of Shakespeare’s Henriad plays, but devoid of their language, scope and, well, drama – is forgettable. Read full review

David Sims

Oct 17, 2019

To quote another of the Bard’s royal characters, it ends up feeling like a tale full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Read full review

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User Reviews

moviefan23

Nov 4, 2019

when you think about a frail young king who has been drunkard, then you will have to refer timothee chalamet's performance in this movie as the best henry v adaptation. he's wobbly but isn't it how supposed to be played? also, i give credit with sean harris performance as william gasciogne.when you think about a frail young king who has been drunkard, then you will have to refer timothee chalamet's performance in this movie as the best henry v adaptation. he's wobbly but isn't it how supposed to be played? also, i give credit with sean harris performance as william gasciogne. he usually play the macho character but in this epic drama, he's unnoticed and effective. if you think it needs an all royal-buff-classy portrayal, then we need to educate ourselves more about movies. just like the real henry v, timothee chalamet's performance is well underestimated. as for me, i think he brought the character into life by giving us a thought that even royalties aren't the most perfect ones.… Expand

2 of 3 users found this helpful21

Naz34

Oct 23, 2019

This is a masterpiece. I will add more details...hopefully if the film gets a proper wide release. Timothee Chalamet should be a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination. The ingenious script should also be nominated. There are a lot of parallels to our current political situation

7 of 12 users found this helpful75

puntman

Jan 9, 2020

I initially skipped past this film, thinking it was another over the top historical war film - until I saw it was directed by David Michod. I loved Animal Kingdom. I am so glad I watched the King. It had such beautiful cinematography, fantastic performances (especially from TimothéeI initially skipped past this film, thinking it was another over the top historical war film - until I saw it was directed by David Michod. I loved Animal Kingdom. I am so glad I watched the King. It had such beautiful cinematography, fantastic performances (especially from Timothée Chalamet and Joel Edgerton) and brilliant direction. It felt much more realistic than other historical dramas, especially in battle showing that awkward jumbled mass of bodies, horses and mud. My only complaint, I wish they had fleshed out the relationship between Timothée Chalamet's and Joel Edgerton's characters more.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

shoulderoforion

Nov 3, 2019

There are those, like a great deal of the jaded professional critics, who might find this boring, but to me it was a sumptuous period piece with historical significance, right up my alley. The acting, directing, production, all top notch. There are much worse ways to spend 2.5 hours. IThere are those, like a great deal of the jaded professional critics, who might find this boring, but to me it was a sumptuous period piece with historical significance, right up my alley. The acting, directing, production, all top notch. There are much worse ways to spend 2.5 hours. I really really liked this movie.… Expand

2 of 5 users found this helpful23

arentare

Dec 14, 2021

Despite the fact, that this movie hasn't got an aim to show the real history, this is still a good entertainment movie.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JayDavies

Jul 21, 2020

The King is a well-made medieval film about the rise of King Henry V with some great acting and cinematography but not much beyond that. A good watch but nothing really special or unique. Also watching Robert Pattinson bully Timothée Chalamet about his penis size was pretty funny.

6/10 Jay x

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

MeritCoba

Feb 1, 2020

Perhaps this is the moment to blame Monty Python for emphasizing all that is wrong with medieval movies. Then again it was all meant to be silly and so The King could have been if it hadn't been so depressing. Gloomy isn't funny.

The King depicts the life of one of the more remarkablePerhaps this is the moment to blame Monty Python for emphasizing all that is wrong with medieval movies. Then again it was all meant to be silly and so The King could have been if it hadn't been so depressing. Gloomy isn't funny.

The King depicts the life of one of the more remarkable kings of England: Henry the Fifth, a man immortalized in a play by Shakespeare. He wasn't king for long, but almost succeeded in joining France and England into one union after remarkable successes on the field of battle, of which the battle of Agincourt in 1415 is the most notable. History would certainly have been different had that lasted. Given all that, it should be easy to make a movie of this grander than life figure. No need to embellish or twist things to make an otherwise boring historical figure into something watchable. Alas, the movie makers beg to differ. Let's toss all that boring historical stuff aside and just make up new things as we go along. And throw in some Holy Grail things, like dirty peasants, down trodden poor clothing and anything else that have been cliched to death by now.

It is fascinating to see them turn Henry into an erratic angsty teen that would fit right in with the Twilight saga cast. Henry, leader of men, the warrior king, mumbles his lines and sits in depressed silence throughout the film. Into the breach once more, he mumbles and listlessly waves his sword. His men stare at him. Sorry, did you say something?

The movie is almost drained of any color, like it is shot on an overcast or rainy day. The characters are drained of any liveliness as well. Like half dead men they stumble about. They look sick, or undead, or drunk. Oh... look.... the enemy.... Let's gape at them for a while. That movies aren't well versed in depicting war will not surprise you, but that they even get the most basic things wrong is amazing. Like having your fully equipped knights march on foot overland without any cavalry screen to find out where your enemy is. At one moment the column of men, and it is actually a long column without any flanking forces, comes up on a hill and then somehow Henry senses the French army is behind the hill. And by Jove, they are! And neither army has any scouts out, or screening forces or camp guards. I swear that the French army didn't even notice that one figure in plain sight on the top of the hill. Why make a movie about a king who spends most of his live on the battlefield while you have totally no understanding of how war is waged? Or, apparently, no interest whatsoever to ask people who do know? I bet there are enough people in England who can tell you how to avoid the most basic of errors? But all of this isn't the worst about this movie. The worst is how amazingly uninspiring it is and weird. For some reason the French king is disdainful of Henry. Apparently it is, so we are told, because of Henry's rowdy live before he became king. Let's just rewind this a little. Henry is a lazy layabout who spends his live whoring, drinking and doing nothing much until he becomes king. And then he changes from that into an experienced warrior who bests experienced knights in duels and defeats one of the most powerful armies in medieval Europe. Picture that.

SO the French king thinks Henry to be a weak king and thus mocks him, sends assassins and plots against him. And eventually, Henry has enough and thus invades France to teach their kind a lesson.

So far the totally made up history of the movie. In reality the story was different. The rumor that Henry was a whoring drunk was just that: a rumor. In fact he was well experienced in war. And the reason he invades France is not because he was insulted, but because he claimed the throne of France.

It baffles why you need to twist history if history is good enough to tell an engaging story? Anyway.. this uninspired movie exasperates. Maybe they should call it: the mumbler saga: breaking history.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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