While I'm the first to admit that this version of Arthur is flawed I still think that this is a very interesting and gritty film that does try to show what things were probably like during that period. Story shows that young boys were taken to serve in the Roman army for 15 years until they are discharged and Arthur (Clive Owen) and the rest of his knights of the round table are just days away from being discharged but are ordered to do one more dangerous task. Arthur and his men are to escort a group of Romans to Rome before the invading Saxons try and take over. The Saxons are led by Cerdic (Stellan Skarsgard) and his son Cynric (Til Schweiger) who want to take over England but a group that live in the woods called the Woads decide to help Arthur thanks to Merlin (Stephen Dillane).
*****SPOILER ALERT*****
On the trip Arthur finds a female prisoner named Guinevere (Keira Knightley) and saves her and eventually a romance blooms between them despite the flirting of Lancelot (Ioan Gruffudd). They finish their dangerous task and are discharged but with the Saxons on their way Arthur decides to stay and fight much to the chagrin of the other knights who at first just want to go home to Sarmatia but their loyalty to Arthur cannot be ignored.
This film is directed by Antoine Fuqua who made "Training Day" and he once again shows that he is one of the most promising directors to come along in years. He doesn't seem to be the right choice given the material but he handles it well and the overall look and mood of this film is quite effective. In this film there is no shiny armor or flowing gowns for Guinevere, instead we see Arthur and the rest of his knights as dirty and tired men. They're angry and grouchy and if in the wrong mood (Which is most of the time) they will kill if needed. Merlin in not portrayed as some seer or magician but as just a disheveled old man asking for forgiveness. There is a strong sense of realism to the film and for the most part the script goes back to it's origins but this is not a great film and it's hard to ignore the flaws. Knightley is a strong presence on film but I feel she was miscast and in a film that was striving for more realism it practically went out the window once she appears on screen with her perfect lips and model features. Her Guinevere was on deaths door one minute but a few scenes later she can split an apple with a bow and arrow at 100 yards. And the romance between her and Arthur just seems forced and Arthur looked as though he had other things on his mind instead of her as he should. The accents range from traditional Oxford English to Cockney and the Romans speak in thick Italian. This is a vastly different take on the story of Arthur and it's both a hit and miss but with the dark and dirty look and a pretty strong performance by Owen I found this to be a fairly effective film.
*****SPOILER ALERT*****
On the trip Arthur finds a female prisoner named Guinevere (Keira Knightley) and saves her and eventually a romance blooms between them despite the flirting of Lancelot (Ioan Gruffudd). They finish their dangerous task and are discharged but with the Saxons on their way Arthur decides to stay and fight much to the chagrin of the other knights who at first just want to go home to Sarmatia but their loyalty to Arthur cannot be ignored.
This film is directed by Antoine Fuqua who made "Training Day" and he once again shows that he is one of the most promising directors to come along in years. He doesn't seem to be the right choice given the material but he handles it well and the overall look and mood of this film is quite effective. In this film there is no shiny armor or flowing gowns for Guinevere, instead we see Arthur and the rest of his knights as dirty and tired men. They're angry and grouchy and if in the wrong mood (Which is most of the time) they will kill if needed. Merlin in not portrayed as some seer or magician but as just a disheveled old man asking for forgiveness. There is a strong sense of realism to the film and for the most part the script goes back to it's origins but this is not a great film and it's hard to ignore the flaws. Knightley is a strong presence on film but I feel she was miscast and in a film that was striving for more realism it practically went out the window once she appears on screen with her perfect lips and model features. Her Guinevere was on deaths door one minute but a few scenes later she can split an apple with a bow and arrow at 100 yards. And the romance between her and Arthur just seems forced and Arthur looked as though he had other things on his mind instead of her as he should. The accents range from traditional Oxford English to Cockney and the Romans speak in thick Italian. This is a vastly different take on the story of Arthur and it's both a hit and miss but with the dark and dirty look and a pretty strong performance by Owen I found this to be a fairly effective film.