King Arthur Movie Download

10 / 10

Very underrated gem
King Arthur:

Antoine Fuqua’s King Arthur is an underrated gem, and one of my favourite post 90’s medieval epics. It opened to lukewarm reviews,our reception and was ultimately written off. Too bad. It’s a rousing, detailed, character driven adrenaline rush, and on top of being visually stunning, it has a brain in its head as well, as its characters actually have something to say as they chop each other’s heads off. Clive Owen makes an honourable Artorius, leading knights of the round table that are far grittier than any legends we heard as kids. Him and his crew are actually Sarmatian warriors, taken in their early years to give years of service to the rampaging Roman Empire, as tribute for their lands. Theirs is a tough life, fighting one hair raising battle after another for a cause that was never their own. Each actor plays their knight with a sense dignity, humour and humanity, and it amazes me in a film as fast paced as this that they took the care to write like, six or seven different supporting characters so diverse, detailed and different. Ray Winstone is an a optional wrecking ball as the rowdy Bors, Mads Mikkelsen plays quiet, deadly and loyal as Tristram, Hugh Dancy is outraged and passionate as Galahad, Joel Egerton sly and good natured as Gawain, Ray Stevenson a gentle giant as, and Ioan Gruffudd makes a brooding, jaded, yet hopeful Lancelot. The film pits them in a close quarters battle with the Saxons, led by the terrifying Cerdic (Stellen Skarsgard is just ‘piss your pants scary’ in one of his best roles). Keira Knightely also joins the party as a kick ass, archery loving version of Guinevere, full of sass and wounded patriotism. The film rides the high of Hans Zimmer’s utterly invigorating score, which is some of his very best work. From scene to scene it has a wonderfully flowing, beauty laden aesthetic, from an ice siege in a narrow pass, to a misty forest ambush, to the all out thundering roar of the final battle. It uses the picturesque, damp, wild UK locations to achieve some really amazing shots. One note: it’s important to see the Director’s cut, which is longer and presented in all its bloody, romantic, uncensored glory. Disney, who had shares in the rights at the time, had to be a buzzkill and insist they tone it down for its theatrical run, which is bullshit, to put it mildly. That could be a reason it didn’t do too well in theatres initially. Irregardless, it’s a blood stirring, gorgeous film of epic proportions and an excellent addition to the genre.Read More