Netflix sure made a splash earlier this fall when they announced their full fall schedule, a phalanx of movies seemed to decimate and dominate the Oscar and awards season. But the smoke has already cleared from the fall film festival schedule and left standing as the streaming services heavy hitters are “Marriage Story,” Scorsese‘s “The Irishman” and to somewhat a lesser extent, “The Two Popes.” But what about David Michôd‘s “The King” with a star-studded cast led by Timothée Chalamet?
Well, it didn’t do the film festival circuit like most of the other dramas this fall, instead choosing to play Venice only, where it received lots of praise, but was somewhat buried under the noise of the film festival circuit. Our review from Venice had high praise for the drama, writing, ” Michôd and [co-writer/co-star] Joel Edgerton take with their writing and direction, giving us an epic period piece that actually fulfills much of that ambition.”
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As mentioned, the cast is stacked and also includes Joel Edgerton, Sean Harris, Tom Glynn-Carney, Lily-Rose Depp, Thomasin McKenzie with Robert Pattinson, and Ben Mendelsohn. Based on Shakespeare’s ‘”Henry V,” Chalamet plays a young prince who ascends the English throne upon his father’s death, and must navigate the palace snake pit of inherited war and chaos. Here’s the official synopsis:
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Hal (Timothée Chalamet), wayward prince and reluctant heir to the English throne, has turned his back on royal life and is living among the people. But when his tyrannical father dies, Hal is crowned King Henry V and is forced to embrace the life he had previously tried to escape. Now the young king must navigate the palace politics, chaos and war his father left behind, and the emotional strings of his past life – including his relationship with his closest friend and mentor, the aging alcoholic knight, John Falstaff (Joel Edgerton). Directed by David Michôd and co-written by Michôd and Edgerton, THE KING co-stars Sean Harris, Ben Mendelsohn, Robert Pattinson, and Lily-Rose Depp.
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Director David Michôd is also known for “The Rover” which gave Robert Pattinson one of his best early roles, when the actor was trying to prove himself, “Animal Kingdom” which put himself, Ben Mendelsohn and many Australian actors on the map and the less successful ” War Machine” for Netflix which starred Brad Pitt in a Coen-esque comedy about the military in Afghanistan, but it’s largely considered a misfire.
Regardless whether “The King” enters the awards conversation or not—and it may not, it just may not be that kind of movie— Michôd will definitely be looking for redemption with this one. “The King” is available on Netflix and some select theaters on November 1. Watch the full, official trailer below.
