The Green Knight, 2021
In this adaptation of the old tale, Gawain (Dev Patel) hopes to become a knight in the court of King Arthur (Sean Harris). When a mysterious, enchanted knight (Ralph Ineson) appears in the court on Christmas offering a strange "game", Gawain volunteers to play and ends up beheading the knight . . . who then picks up his head and tells Gawain he'll see him in a year. A year on, Gawain travels north to meet his destiny.
This was exactly the kind of movie that I've been needing (the exact comment made by one of the people I watched it with): just gorgeous, a little weird, beautifully shot, and a neat variation on a folk/fantasy story.
The DP on this film is the brother of one of my acquaintances, and so I'll admit to maybe having some partiality. But the people I watched this with didn't realize that fact and made several comments about the beauty of the film. I loved the deeply saturated color palette and the way that the camera picked up lovely details, like the many embellishments on the queen's robe. It's the kind of film I absolutely wish I'd been able to see on the big screen.
The film does have a bit of a "road movie" pace to it, with a kind of episodic feel. I especially loved the little interlude where Gawain interacts with Saint Winifred (Erin Kellyman). When she asks him for a favor and he asks her what he'll get in return, she replies "Why would you ever ask me that?" and I wish I could have high-fived her. But the whole supporting cast is really strong, and there's equally good work from Barry Keoghan as a sketchy battlefield scavenger and from Joel Edgerton and Alicia Vikander as a lord and lady who offer Gawain shelter on his journey.
From the first image to the last frame I was fully engaged and for me this is a film that definitely lived up to the hype.
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What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes
What I actually said to win MovieGal's heart:
- I might not be a real King of Kinkiness, but I make good pancakes
~Mr Minio