A rich, beguiling and quite fascinating fantasy film set in the Dark Ages and the mythical time of King Arthur. Based on an ancient poem this is story of false courage, nature and life as a young cousin of the King, Gawain (Dev Patel) grabs an opportunity to impress the court by accepting to play in a 'Christmas game' with the strange Green Knight (Ralph Ineson). But there are conditions to the game and Gawain is forced, a year later, to travel to a distant forest to seek out the Green Knight and allow him to inflict the same wounds on Gawain that he caused dealt to the Knight. Gawain is reluctant as this would involve his death but the King forces him on the quest to find the Knight and fulfil his promise. The journey is perilous, across a bleak and unforgiving landscape where he encounters dangers and magic. This is an enthralling, enigmatic film with the same, if condensed, imagery and feel that Peter Jackson brought to his Lord Of The Rings trilogy. It's a seriously told fantasy film that looks at the absurdity of masculine honour and the support cast of Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton makes for an interesting experience. Sean Harris and Kate Dickie as a moody, almost cadaverous King Arthur and Queen Guinevere in a dark, brooding castle are an interesting vision of the legend. This is a quite mesmerising film with a stand out performance from Patel, who captures a combination of bravado, fear and cowardice in the 'hero' figure. This is worth checking out even if it might seem a little baffling to begin with.
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This one offers us a reminder of how difficult it is to put the Gawain tale onto the screen, for whilst there are some very powerful scenes here and whilst it is certainly visually stunning throughout, overall I'm coming away that much of this was a confused mess, I'm afraid. For writer-director David Lowery tries far too hard at giving us a unique take with 'epic' dimensions - including a mix of ghosts, giants, temptresses and mysterious beasts, with each dream-like detour prolonging Gawain's march to the inevitable showdown and the ultimate test of his mettle and manhood. Occupying practically every scene, Patel makes a striking and relatable hero, but he spends much of the time as baffled as the audience is likely to be, for the psychological themes on show are in the end far too vague to be truly thought-provoking. The film's sheer originality is certainly striking, but we still await a film version that does justice to this astonishing work.