"King Arthur": We're not in Camelot anymore
A reluctant king; an outnumbered but valiant army; a vast and unwelcoming landscape; a wizard; a beautiful warrior princess; and a soundtrack that features a very Enya-ish female voice wailing ... hmm, sound familiar?
Nope, we're not in Middle-earth anymore; this is Antoine Fuqua's "King Arthur," a Dark Ages action drama that nonetheless bears much resemblance to a trilogy blockbuster we all know. (There's even a ring that figures in the plot — and I don't mean the Round Table.)
Unfortunately, "King Arthur" is somewhat less compelling than the "Lord of the Rings" movies; there's serious intent here, but an often thudding execution. Fuqua ("Training Day," "Tears of the Sun") and screenwriter David Franzoni have scrapped the usual Middle Ages setting of movie Arthurian depictions for an earlier, grimmer time; early title cards place us in fifth-century Britain, with a reminder that "archeological evidence" indicates that this is the time when Arthur actually lived.
Nothing wrong with trying something different, but we're certainly a long way from "Camelot" here. Clive Owen (strangely thick-voiced, as if he's channeling Nicolas Cage) plays the unhappy hero; he's a manly, brooding fellow with a constant thatch of Hollywood two-day stubble. (The facial hair in this movie, it should be noted, is diverse and creative, particularly among the Saxon army, made up of extras seemingly chosen for their resemblance to members of Metallica.)
Arthur only wants to return home to Rome (in this version, he's a Roman warrior), but he and the knights of his Round Table first must rescue an endangered Roman nobleman (Ken Stott) and bring him and his household to safety, all the while facing the inevitable arrival of the marauding Saxons.
Along the way, they rescue the fair Guinevere (Keira Knightley), have a brief encounter with the blue-lipped wizard Merlin (Stephen Dillane), endure a picturesque snowstorm and triumph in an effective battle scene staged on a frozen lake, before the film's chaotic final battle.
Some of this is nicely done, particularly that icy face-off on the lake, which features some showy under-the-ice shots and a palpable sense of menace. But the characters are mostly too morose to register, with few exceptions. Ray Winstone, with his big, blocky head, brings a cackling lightness to his role as Round Table warrior Bors.
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This Guinevere is herself a warrior, but a rather odd one: in a vaguely S & M-ish costume made up of a very few tight leather straps (it looks hellishly uncomfortable, which is perhaps why she's always yelling when she wears it), she joins the men on the battlefield, jumping on enemies and seemingly attempting to bite them. (While she's in calendar-girl garb, the men are safely encased in chain mail and armor.)
Owen is a fine, subtle actor (see "Croupier" or "Gosford Park" for a better demonstration of his cool appeal) but he's a bit lost here in a film that places action and noise above character.
And those well-known characters are part of the movie's biggest problem. Fuqua's film purports to give a more historically accurate take on the popular Arthurian legend; that's all very well, but we already know these names in another context. And within the new film's occasionally sloppy storytelling, we start filling in the blanks, using our knowledge of the previous stories — and the result is confusion.
Lancelot (Ioan Gruffudd) is introduced as if he's a major character, but he actually has little to do. If he were named, say, Fred, this wouldn't be a problem; but as it is, we keep waiting for plot points that never develop. And drop-in characters like Merlin are simply mystifying — if we didn't already know he was a wizard, we might conclude that he was just a wacko.
Despite its problems, "King Arthur" has its moments. Slawomir Idziak's cinematography is sweeping and occasionally lovely, and the brooding Owen, in a different movie, would make a splendid romantic hero. The movies likely aren't through with the Knights of the Round Table; a better movie about them will come along, another day.
Moira Macdonald: 206-464-2725