Since his breakout role as the sexually confused teenager Elio in Call Me By Your Name, a large portion of Film Twitter (including myself) have seemingly fallen in love with Timothée Chalamet, continuing to be impressed by his work. Since Call Me By Your Name, Chalamet has embraced a large spectrum of roles really showing his reaches as an actor. From darker lead performances in films like Hot Summer Nights to more emotionally vulnerable supporting roles like his performance as a recovering drug addict named Nic Sheff in Beautiful Boy.
With this proof that Chalamet could successfully tackle a wide range of performances, when it was announced that film twitter’s new favorite boy was cast as King Henry V in a gritty medieval war movie based on a series of plays from William Shakespeare, the decision did seem a bit out of place. When most people think of leads in medieval action movies they think of big muscular men like Mel Gibson from Braveheart or Chris Pine from Outlaw King.
This type of performance and character is not one that at first glance matches the ability of Timothée Chalamet, and did seem at first like a miscast by Netflix. King Henry IV (Ben Mendelsohn) finds himself in the middle of great conflict when he finds his time on the throne coming to an end. Left with no choice as he passes, his son King Henry V takes the throne, after originally rejecting it and his role in the kingdom. In a matter of weeks, King Henry V has found himself from living on the streets of London to having to brave the conflict he finds himself in the middle of. Many doubt his ability to lead and find success, but being their king they are forced to follow his orders and pray that he doesn’t get the entire army killed.
After Netflix fumbled last year with the medieval epic Outlaw King, and the apparent miscasting of the lead role, it is safe to say that The King was not one of the most anticipated films of the year. This is probably one of the reasons why The King surprised so much. This is not just a good medieval epic, but a truly great film with complex emotions and messages that was honestly shocking.
The first thing to really catch me off guard was how effective the casting ended up being. After this, Timothée Chalamet could be cast in just about anything, and I will have full faith in him. There is fire and intensity behind his performance. When he flips the switch and really embraces the anger within him, it hits you like a shockwave. Particularly this comes out in his pre-battle speech which he gives to his army, honestly going down as one of the best in memory.
Chalamet not only ended up being competent in this role, but really embracing it giving a performance that will continue to stand out when looking at his overall filmography. Where no one else really gave such an impressive performance, both Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris were quite strong as the other two main actors given a good amount of substance.
The other main performance featured in the film would be that of Robert Pattinson, which sadly never really found it’s footing. Playing the son of King Charles VI of France, Pattinson attempts to give off a different vibe to the others in the film, talking with an unnatural accent while being very soft-spoken. The ideas behind this performance are fine and could have been far more memorable, but sadly it never found it’s place. Especially in opposition to the powerhouse of a performance Chalamet is giving.
The technical elements in this film are all really well done. Similar to most of the acting, nothing stands out as revolutionary or new, but it remains high quality. There are plenty of nice costumes by Jane Petrie, becoming the highlight of the film’s design. The sets decoration by Fiona Crombie is all grand, and well put together, really transporting the audience into this time period and location.
The visuals overall do have some unique moments, specifically in the action scenes, and how they capture the dirt of the moment. Where other medieval action movies decide to try and sell their violence and brutality with blood and gore, The King uses earth and mud to show the impact of battle – both unique and effective. These elements come together to create an environment and production that helps suck the audience into the deeper messages and emotions. It’s because of this that it goes beyond the average medieval film, and one of the best outright of 2019.
The King has plenty to say about getting lost in conflict and how much trust people put in those around them. Especially those final few minutes of the film, when King Henry V has to deal with the consequences of his battle, specifically when compared to the moral stance he came to the throne with. King Henry V didn’t want to inherit his father’s violence, which he viewed as meaningless, yet as more and more people got into his ear and the situation developed, he couldn’t help but fall into the trap.
Overall, Netflix really impressed with The King. This was a film with a compelling and captivating story that left an emotional impact. An alternative look at the story of King Henry V, and Timothée Chalamet continues to impress with every role he is given. An easy recommendation, The King continues Netflix’s impressive start to the awards season.
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