The King (2019)

Through the first forty-four minutes, I thought that Joel Edgerton had bitten off more than he could chew by co-writing, producing, and starring in The King. The problem in the first act was Edgerton’s Falstaff. The initial comical tone of the character was jarring. He did not fit into the puzzle that Edgerton and director David Michôd were crafting. But Michôd and Edgerton are very clever writers/filmmakers. And they solved the problem by reintroducing Falstaff later in the story as King Henry’s weary and wise war counselor.

Despite the initial stumbling of the Falstaff character, the movie grows, steadily and solemnly, as it marches through northern France. Almost a decade’s worth of Game of Thrones has taught me as an audience member to appreciate the politics as much as the war. The best bits of the movie were the palace intrigues. My brain perked up whenever quiet men whispered in small rooms, eager to assemble the political puzzle pieces before King Henry. This was best epitomized in the William Gascoigne character (played by Sean Harris), who arguably gave a more consistent Littlefinger performance than season 7 Littlefinger himself. The well roundedness of the cast was a shrewd decision. Having essentially overly qualified actors in small parts (Ben Mendelsohn, Dean-Charles Chapman, Lily-Rose Depp, and Thomasin McKenzie) elevated rather forgettable characters into ghosts that grafted onto King Henry’s soul.

While there was nothing quite as awe-inspiring as Hardhome in terms of the set pieces, the climactic battle in the bowl did pay homage to the tragedy and comedy of Shakespeare’s works, via the fall of Falstaff offset by Robert Pattinson pratfalling as The Dauphin. Shakespeare, without being successfully Shakespearean.

The story material was strong, and I hope that Edgerton and the director David Michôd continue to collaborate. They clearly envisioned a hero’s journey, and then executed that vision with competence and confidence. Lastly, hail the king — or rather the chameleon — Timothée Chalamet. His ability to be American, French, or (squints) English is astounding. He definitely has a right to claim the acting throne as his own.