The King
Directed by David MichôdYoung Henry V encounters deceit, war and treachery after becoming King of England in the 15th century, in the aftermath of his brother's death.
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The King Ratings & Reviews
- 0 12d agoI recently watched "The King," David Michôd and Joel Edgerton's adaptation of Shakespeare's Hal plays, which presents a much more realistic portrayal compared to Kenneth Branagh's 1989 version—the latter being perhaps the closest to the original plays. In "The King," the romanticism and heroic speeches from Shakespeare, such as "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; Or close the wall up with our English dead!" and the St. Crispin's Day speech, are notably cut out or changed. Instead, the film explores the pretenses and justifications for the war that later unravel, including claims of historic lineage and an insulting gift of tennis balls orchestrated not by the French Dauphin but by manipulative English advisors spreading misleading information. Late in the movie, King Henry realizes he's been deceived and has some of his advisors killed. It's ironic how the reasons for war—often rooted in hubris and misinformation—haven't truly changed over the centuries.
- thompsinApril 3, 2025It's funny seeing the negative reviews are mainly from female critics. This is a movie for men who dream of being in the medieval period. If that is you, then you will love this movie. It is the best or at least in the top 3 movies set in this time period.
- Jorge BarrosoNovember 17, 2025Amazing, only a bit short, Henry V could definitely make for a longer story!
- MitchMay 9, 2025Incredible, very overlooked movie that I'm disappointed to have only seen just now in 2025. I won't say it's a masterpiece, but it's very close, especially in regards to medieval/historical films. It's not an all out war movie, but there's plenty of brutal fight sequences that really do well at portraying how horrific war during this time - very realistically filmed and acted (the sound design is a work of art). I think the film suffered from failing to really connect with many characters. There were powerful scenes and the score/performances really helped with that, but the characters (aside from Henry) all felt like plot devices to just move the story forward. Timothee Chalamet is a generational talent. Robert Pattinson was a scene stealer, and I was really impressed with Joel Edgerton and Sean Harris' performances as well.
- ShwaahMarch 17, 2025Had low expectations going into this one. Was pleasantly surprised though and really enjoyed it. Great cinematography and well-acted by all.
The King Trivia
The King was released on October 11, 2019.
The King was directed by David Michôd.
The King has a runtime of 2 hr 20 min.
The King was produced by Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Joel Edgerton, David Michôd, Liz Watts.
The key characters in The King are Hal (Timothée Chalamet), Falstaff (Joel Edgerton), William (Sean Harris).
The King is rated R.
The King is a Drama, History, Biography film.
The King has an audience rating of 8.4 out of 10.