The King (2019)

Spoilers! Watch it before reading on!

I watched this after seeing it get mocked on the internet for casting a french actor as a english king, and an english actor as a french prince. And I like both those actors. # Team Edward. I didn't find the accents bad, but really I have no sense of what a good or bad english and french accent are, so ignore my opinion there.

I love historical dramas, as I've said many times on this page. I need to look into what was real in the movie and what wasn't, since it's based on Shakespeare's account of these people, and not the people themselves. But for this review, I'll be speaking solely about what's canon in the movie.

Prince Hal had a better moral compass than most monarchs I've learned about, even though near the end of the movie, he starts to lose touch with it. He had a good temper, listened to people, and genuinely prioritized peace over power, even when faced with a cruel father and jealous brother. I liked his softer moments the most, when he tried to save his brothers life, mourned a friend, and asked his wife to always speak honestly to him.

Falstaff also had a good moral compass, and thank god he was there to guide Hal, who might never have become king if he didn't heed his advice and return home. He was also credited with the success at The Battle of Agincourt. I love what Hal said about him, how he has seen the cruelty of war, and sees it for what it really is. He doesn't want to fight, he tries to find better ways to deal with conflict, and only resorts to it when necessary. That's something I dislike in historical fiction, and even reality. Sending people off to war should not be taken likely. Those are real people, with families, dreams, and wills to live. I'd prefer if all monarchs dueled each other to solve their disputes instead of dragging half the country to their bloody end. So, respect.

This movie itself wasn't quite as inspiring as Braveheart, even with a Braveheart style speech to rev up the troops. It's where you hear Timothee's deep voice for the first time; and while he pulled it off, it lacked meaning, and the energy that puts you on the edge of your seat before a battle even begins. As nice as it was to see him acting range, I thought he did a better job in the more diplomatic or thoughtful moments.

I suppose, in the end, there wasn't a real reason for the war. It was started based on a threat that his own man fabricated. Even though the situation seemed sketchy, they didn't consider it's authenticity, and jumped right into battle when not only 2 seconds ago Hal was a pacifist. How does that happen?! He risked his life to save his brother, and his brother's army, talking about how it wasn't their war and they didn't have to fight it - but one assassination attempt later he lashes out, dragging a bunch of men into his fight. He just, seemed stronger than that to me. Though he was young, and there had been conflict between there countries for a long time, so I guess I won't hold it against him.

Overall, not a bad movie. Might be worth watching if you like Braveheart, historical fiction, or men who look as if they've never bathed in their life, fighting to their death.

(let's also take a minute to mourn his hair at the start of the movie,
before he chopped it off to rock a more royal... bowl cut?)

feel free to discuss with me below!