Film: The Green Knight

 

GENRE: Drama, Fantasy
RATING: R for violence, some sexuality and nudity
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 10 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire, Lion, The Newsroom)
Alicia Vikander (Tomb Raider); Sean Harris (Mission: Impossible 5 & 6)
DIRECTOR: Dave Lowery (The Old Man & the Gun, Pete’s Dragon)
WRITER: Lowrey (The Old Man & the Gun, A Ghost Story)
PLOT: The medieval story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.   

FULL DISCLOSURE: I teach this tale in my Literature 12 class.

STORY STUFF: This is definitely the best adaptation I’ve seen of this medieval tale. All the elements are there as well as some interesting embellishments and extras thrown in. I liked Barry Keoghan (Dunkirk) as a scavenger Gawain meets on his journey. I was not a fan of the ending as it makes some significant changes to common interpretations of the story. The pace is also very slow, which makes it difficult to stay connected at all times. It’s definitely not for everyone.

ACTING STUFF: I’m a big fan of Dev Patel. I love the way he expresses his emotions in all his films and shows. He makes it easy for us to root for him even when he is not making the best decisions. Even though the cast list just names him as ‘The King’, I assumed that Harris was playing King Arthur. I didn’t find him very dynamic; he sounds old and withered. Vikander does good work in her small role as does Joel Edgerton as the Lord. Not much to say about the rest of acting aside from Patel (and Keoghan).

ARTISTIC STUFF: The cinematography was outstanding. Andrew Droz Palermo does some amazing camera work. I love the simplicity of a steady cam dolly shot as Gawain embarks on his journey and kids chase after him down the road. He also does some smooth spins as we go from earth to sky. There are plenty of beautiful extreme wide shots as Gawain makes the long trek to the green chapel. I also give points to the music as it seems authentic enough with medieval songs and instruments.    

VERDICT: Two and a half stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You’re into slow moving medieval tales and like Dev Patel.
UPCOMING REVIEW: Free Guy