King Arthur

Antoine Fuqua (2004)

120min

12A Certificate

Review

Our Score

by Gareth Moses

Less a "re-imagining" of the Arthurian legend and more a Dark Ages-set remake of The Magnificent Seven, this Jerry Bruckheimer production still manages to be an occasionally exciting adventure with convincingly staged battle scenes. Most of the traditional elements are missing - there's no wizardry, no Camelot and no love triangle - so instead we get Arthur (a subdued Clive Owen) recast as a soldier with British lineage serving in the Roman army, and Guinevere (Keira Knightley) as a woad-wearing warrior. With the mystical nature of the original myth dismissed, what remains is a mud-splattered western-style stand-off, with Arthur and his six loyal knights posted to Hadrian's Wall to repel a Saxon invasion. The knights all look the part - particularly Ray Winstone, who almost steals the film as the hard-fighting father of numerous illegitimate children - but the would-be rousing speeches and obligatory love scene fall flat.

Summary

A Roman commander is posted to Britain in the last days of the empire and given a final mission to rescue a high-ranking official and his son stranded in the north. However, the endeavour reveals his true destiny is to lead the Britons against the new Saxon invasion, and marks the start of a legend. Historical adventure, starring Clive Owen, Keira Knightley, Ray Winstone, Ioan Gruffudd and Stephen Dillane.

Cast & Crew

Arthur Clive Owen

Guinevere Keira Knightley

Cerdic Stellan Skarsgård

Bors Ray Winstone

Lancelot Ioan Gruffudd

Tristram Mads Mikkelsen

Merlin Stephen Dillane

Galahad Hugh Dancy

Gawain Joel Edgerton

Dagonet Ray Stevenson

Cynric Til Schweiger

Marius Honorius Ken Stott

Ganis Charlie Creed-Miles

Jols Sean Gilder

Director Antoine Fuqua

Other Information

Language: EnglishColourTheatrical distributor: Buena VistaGuidance: Violence, some swearing, a sex scene. Available on: video, DVD and Blu-rayReleased on: 30 Jul 2004

Drama

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