Review of 'The Green Knight'

A retelling of Arthurian legend sees Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), King Arthur's (Sean Harris) nephew, who at a Christmas day banquet accepts a challenge from the mysterious Green Knight (Ralph Ineson) to anyone who is able to land a blow on him: Should he do so, one year from that day the Green Knight reserves the right to land the same blow on his challenger. Full of bravado, Sir Gawain decapitates the Green Knight but is then surprised when the head reminds him of the bargain he has made and the knight rides away. Over the next year Gawain spends his time drinking but as Christmas approaches he sets off for the Green Chapel where the Green Knight awaits. As he nears his fate he faces a number of fantastic challenges…

Though beautifully shot, this film does tend to drag on for quite some time and is often quite confusing if you are not fully paying attention. It looks quite good and would likely appear to cinephiles as to it's amazing “mis en scene” though I feel is not particularly an “action” film, more a surreal melodrama with periodic violent bits, so it is likely not to appeal to many. The relatively simple story is fairly easy to follow but does not entirely endear any of the main characters, particularly Sir Gawain who is petulant, selfish, caring little for any but himself…

“The Green Knight” is quite boring but looks great.

Rating: “A bit better than average”

Review Date: 2022-05-08

Directed by: David Lowery

Studio: Sailor Bear

Year: 2021

Length: 130 minutes

Genre: Action/Adventure

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9243804/