The King

2019

2h 20m

IMDb RATING

7.2/10

3.3K

YOUR RATING

Rate

POPULARITY

Play trailer

7 Videos

60 Images

Drama

History

War

England, 15th century. Hal, a capricious prince who lives among the populace far from court, is forced by circumstances to reluctantly accept the throne and become Henry V.

Directors

David Michôd

Writers

David Michôd(screenplay by)

Joel Edgerton(screenplay by)

William Shakespeare(original story by)

Stars

Timothée Chalamet

Joel Edgerton

Sean Harris

See production, box office & company info

Top cast

Hal

Falstaff

William

Hotspur

Catherine

Philippa, Queen of Denmark

Robert Pattinson

The Dauphin

Ben Mendelsohn

King Henry IV

Andrew Havill

Archbishop of Canterbury

Thomas

Dorset

Cambridge

Grey

Hooper

Northumberland

Westmoreland

Scrope

Scot Soldier

Directors

David Michôd

Writers

David Michôd(screenplay by)

Joel Edgerton(screenplay by)

William Shakespeare(original story by)

All cast & crew

Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

At last an opportunity to see Timothée Chalamet doing something a little grittier. Sadly, t'was not to be. His portrayal of this great character from early 15th Century British history left me cold. He looked like a good meal would have killed him, never mind a bloodthirsty foe clad in iron armed with an axe. The accent held up reasonably well, but he still struggles to shake off the winsome, "butter wouldn't melt" image and as he has to pretty much carry this film en seul, it just doesn't really work. The rare appearances by Robert Pattinson border on the hammy; with his final appearance reminding me of the first few steps taken by "Bambi" back in 1942. It is great that Netflix are prepared to fund projects like this, but the plain truth is that no amount of money can compensate for a poor screenplay - think Shakespeare "light" - supplemented with a few high-profile cameo contributions and some, admittedly, fantastic battle scenarios.

Geronimo196730 May, 2024