The King Movie Analysis, Spoilers and Review (2019) | Magnolious

Every good movie makes me want to write about it, to bring to light the magnificence that constitutes it. The King movie analysis that you peruse is no different.

For a movie that is so beautifully written and performed, it would be a tragedy if I don’t talk about it. Even as I bring to mind its elegance, it is extremely hard for me to stop myself from going on a ranting spree. Ye be warned!

There will be words. Lots and lots of words in this King Movie Analysis.

Talking about which, brings to mind the extraordinary writing of the movie. The knowledge that it breeds of Shakespearean roots makes me even more interested in sharing some of its ingenious lines that David Michôd and Joel Edgerton brought to fruition. I will be sharing its quotes as well. Watch out for them, as they come in this movie analysis of The King.

The Direction of The King Movie

The King movie is a well-crafted piece of art, a medieval drama directed by David Michôd, whose fan I already was ever since I had come across another one of his great creations – The Rover. While to some the latter didn’t appeal much, but even today when I think of it, brings to mind extraordinary performances by Guy Pearce and Robert Pattinson.

The movie’s primary strength lies in its poignant direction, its story that is deeply rooted in history, topped with some powerful performances delivered by Timothee Chalamet and Sean Harris.

Its brawn also lies in how very much akin to reality it stays throughout, sans theatrics something we see in war movies a lot, things that often try to glorify war or death. The King movie calls a spade a spade. It brings to light the very pointlessness of it all, shows as much truth as possible of how a war is downright reeking of horror, plot, and politics.

The King is also a transformation, a cocoon that sees the making of a righteous King as he slithers into his crown, hammered by the ugly politics that goes around him, and blinds him into taking actions, making him a powerful powerless man.

This movie is an abridged form of Henriads extracted from the many Shakespearean plays. Characters are brimmed alive from the pages William Shakespeare wrote. Even if you haven’t read much of Shakespeare it doesn’t really matter, for The King is capable of existing in its very own universe.

From this point onwards the king movie analysis and spoilers start. If you haven’t watched the movie yet, maybe come back to read this? For those who have already watched it, brace yourselves, for a thorough movie analysis of The King begins now.

The King Movie Analysis – The Curtain Raiser – Hotspur

The movie drops its very first blow in the form of Hotspur portrayed brilliantly by Tom Glynn-Carney. Tom brings a rare raw energy to his role that would make you remember him for long. However shortlived his role remains you would take Tom as a lad to watch out for, a really good casting material perfect for hotheaded rants.

To show that Hotspur was involved in a war with Scotland, David Michôd remains laconic, leveraging a mere pan shot on a war survived enemy soldier who comes under the radar of the victorious Hotspur.

Where go you, my friend? You’re crawling in the wrong direction. That wind you feel is coming from England. Scotland’s that way.

Such a superb scene! Only one scene is capable of telling you so much about what has undergone. It proclaims England’s victory over Scotland under the supervision of Hotspur.

You don’t have to show war, you don’t have to waste your resources for you could save them for moments that matter the most. A mere talk with a random extra tells you so much about it. That is one of the most subtle ways to do it.

Trouble brewing with the King

The following scene is that of the dining table where we get introduced to the reigning King Henry IV of England. Portrayed by none other than Ben Mendelsohn himself, who paints an extremely brilliant picture of the crooked king.

An ailing arrogant beast who was least concerned about his people. He treats the death of his soldiers with such vile disregard that it boils Hotspur up.

Also, primarily because Hotspur is peeved for the King refuses to pay cousin Mortimer’s ransom to free him from the Welsh.

Yours are the ramblings of an old man so saturated with malice and mistrust that he no longer knows up from down, can no longer see beyond the walls of his own monstrous schloss.

You can sense the tension rising when Hotspur isn’t afraid of consequences. He is reckless when he calls the King a crazy old demon.

All that we’ve done for you we have done for the good of England. But our lands are now more riven with war than ever before.

But he is tired of all the pointless fighting. The king does not fight his war, but he shows his power from behind his castle, leveraging hotheaded warriors like Hotspur and then not rescuing them when they are taken prisoners, even though he has all the means to do so.

His demeanor of treating his soldiers as mere puppets, and how reckless he is with them just so he could bellow the horn of victory over the less powerful ones are summed up quite cleverly using the following line:

Chickens can’t fly. But I have seen one eke enough wing flap to clear a fence. Then it’s free. But then so too are the foxes.

The King is indebted to warriors like Hotspur, to his family who had fought so that the King could wear his crown, but then he shows him who is the boss by being absolutely blunt.

The drama here is intense, and makes you wonder why does Hotspur has the power of saying what he felt like. Then the following line answers your question.

What a venomous boy! He will betray me, I am sure of it. If only he were my son.

It is not just because Hotspur has won him many battles, but he is also like a son he never had. And even though there are disagreements galore, he admires him for his courage, for his valour, for his war acumen, not to mention all the good things he had done for the kingdom.

Entrée Son – Movie Analysis of The King

Speaking of a son he could never have, we are taken directly to the insinuated part – Hal, played extraordinarily by Timothee Chalamet, who has been such a great find, who shot to fame ever since he acted in Call Me By Your Name.

It is implied how Hal is a wastrel of a son by how he leads his life. He stays away from the kingdom known by a lesser-known crowd.

In a preparatory and introductory scene we get acquainted with another crucial character of the movie, Falstaff played equally convincingly by Joel Edgerton. Falstaff is that honest friend whom Hal trusts eyes closed.

There are certain innate qualities in him, his roots, his upbringing etc. that separates Falstaff from royalty. He is forever by his side fuelled by the sheer desire of common interests and some good old unadulterated friendship. Of course, serving royalty has its own perks.

Hal’s contempt and disregard for the king and his actions are hinted in one scene where he refuses to visit his father even though he is ill, and is being summoned.

It is only on Falstaff’s urge and coaxing wisdom that Hal finally agrees to step up and face the King.

It should be better to regret having done so than it would to have not.

The Announcement

The big news is broken to Hal after he appears in front of the king. The succession crown is to go to Thomas (Dean-Charles Chapman) Harry’s younger brother.

The bloke is summed up in a one liner by the King himself.

He is soft, but he is eager.

When it is brought to Hal’s knowledge that Thomas is going to fight Hotspur who had betrayed the king, Hal tries to talk sense into him.

You need not fight. These feuds need not be yours.

Hal had never wanted the crown, it did not matter to him what was being taken away from him. But watching Thomas being wheedled into a fight that wasn’t his, Hal tries to intervene.

Subsequently, we see him troubled by the thought of Thomas’ well being. War only takes life.

Henry vs Hotspur

As the battle is nigh, Hal tries to stop Thomas from a surefire passing. He intervenes and challenges Hotspur for a duel to stop the war, to cease all the pointless killing.

If I have my way, there will be no battle.

A king’s worth lies in not how many battles he has won, or the cities he has conquered. It lies in the way he treats his people. Wars are the death of people. Hal shows his first virtue by being straight up with the men.

He is confident even when he is around people, and he says what his gut tells him to, without repercussions. There is wisdom galore and it trickles out at such moments when he has thought something through, and he tries to stop all the fighting.

Thomas’ concern is, however, more related to Hal stealing his thunder.

You do not know war Thomas. You have been recruited to our father’s madness, to wars that need not be fought.

Soon it is discovered that Hal’s offer of a duel has been refused, that the rebels wanted war.

However, before the battle is about to go down, the hot-headed Hotspur couldn’t stop himself from accepting the challenge. He gallops towards the enemy vanguard to face Hal alone.

You could see Hal trying to put reason inside Hotspur’s head even at such dire moments.

This fight need not be had, Percy. My father will soon be dead. Your grievances will die with him.

There is something about anger that takes away reason from sane men. Hotspur considers Hal’s challenge as an act of disrespect. He fails to see beyond what it is, that Hal who has nothing to do with the battle of his father is doing it just to save lives. It is like an internal dispute that they could have done without.

As the duel preps begin, you cannot help but imagine what must be going on inside the heads of the onlookers. You can’t help it yourself. Such a scrawny little young lad who hasn’t fought before has defied an impetuous rough bloke who is thirsty for blood.

The battle that ensues is one of the most underrated ones. It is as real as it gets. It is a great way to mirror reality, how the army doesn’t have a say in anything really. How they are supposed to stand as mute observers waiting for their king’s orders.

The battle is won by the swift and supple Hal who stabs Percy in the neck with a blade. But Thomas is an adamant ungrateful fool who thinks his prize was taken away from him. The pointless battle happens anyways where Thomas ends up dying.

Aftermath First Kill – King Movie Analysis

Nothing puts death more aptly than Falstaff’s words as he figures out the torment that wreaks havoc in Hal’s soul.

For all our rejoice of courage and valour, nothing stains the soul more indelibly than killing. Never have I felt so vile than standing victorious on a battlefield. The thrill of victory fades quickly.

It is so true that you can’t help but ponder. How many times have you played a game of blood, or seen a movie that talks of brave men wanting to kill, for whatever reasons. How many times have they talked of courage? Why folk songs are written about pluck, history only remembering the victorious? No one barely understands what actually goes down there. What are such stories built on if not on a pile of dead bodies written with the quills of ashes?

Falstaff’s stating the obvious is a killing reminder of the deed Hal had performed in the morning. He asks him to stop to which Falstaff replies.

I will never stop talking. Never ever.

Falstaff is akin to a man’s subconscious mind. It keeps talking to him at every juncture. Every decision that he takes, every choice that he makes, a man’s sub-conscious always remains. It is always there, impenetrable, unconquerable.

The Death of the King Analysis

Early morning brings news of King Henry IV’s ill-being. Watch out for that funny exchange. You have to give it to the writing of The King movie.

William: It is a matter of great urgency.
Hal: You should hurry along then.
William: Please my lord, it is your father. He’s dying.
Hal: Hmm, that hook has lost its worm.

Wanting a closure before Henry IV passed away, fuming with anger, Hal approaches the kingdom.

Where is he? Where is the monster?

The rant is raging with rebukes. He removes his blanket leaving him to die a quick death.

You feel this cold? Wretch.

He faces the King Henry IV’s loyal servants, and spews:

You know not what will become of you. So, I offer you this, the most blessed reprieve, the most dreadful misery. You shall suffer the indignity of serving me, the wayward son you so revile. But know now you will be watched over by an altogether different king.

Henry – The Optimist | Analysis of King Movie

After Hal is crowned as the new king, in the coronation feast, the Dauphin of France sends him a ball. It is an emasculating demeaning gift that any other king would have taken as a sign of hostility. But the newly crowned Henry is an optimist.

For the boy I once was.

It is all in the way you react to a situation. It is such a valuable lesson right there. It’s in the attitude. The way you counter an instigation. Henry is all about peace, he doesn’t want war.

Even as his Chief Justice, William Gascoigne (Sean Harris) presses to respond, Hal refuses. He is more concerned about their standstill economy.

The war drains the purse like little else.

Even though there isn’t a morsel of doubt in his head about his actions, Hal wants to know how he is faring so far with his strategy. To which William responds:

Great reforms are best enacted with regime change.

In a conversation with his sister Philippa (Thomasin McKenzie), Hal talks about the unrest that prevails in the kingdom. Philippa is the Queen of Denmark, and a realist with a keen eye. She fills Hal with the reality that surrounds all the King’s men.

I can feel this calm of which you speak. I do believe they wish you well. But I also see that they have their own kingdoms behind their eyes.

No one ever speaks the truth wholly. She has experienced this herself, so she passes down the wisdom asking Hal to be wary.

It is amazing to see Hal shoot down conventions when the Archbishop of Canterbury (Andrew Havill) is suggesting war with France.

If we are to war with France, it will not come as a consequence of an old and impenetrable madrigal.

Probably the most diplomatic of players in the flick is William. It doesn’t go unnoticed how he chooses his words wisely. He shows his support for the king, however, doesn’t ever deviate from his own insight.

You wish to be a king for the people. Now, we must ensure to that end, however, you do not remain oblivious to the mood of the people.

He has a personal advantage in advertising war which we will come to learn in the climax. For now, let us marvel the acting of Sean Harris. The way he stands, his dominant posture, the insight he provides seem rooted in age. He plays out some genuine wisdom on his face of serving kings, always cutting a profitable margin for himself with his advises.

When Hal inquires about whether he shares the same sentiments of wanting to go to war with France, he answers diplomatically:

This mood is a fantasy. But that does not mean it is not felt true.

Assassin from France

An act of instigation comes in the form of an apprehended assassin who claims to have come to kill Henry. While Hal is busy so as to not get affected by that audacity to maintain peace with France, his advisors try to open his eyes to the brazen act of hostility.

William touches a note that makes Hal boil from the insides. The King wants peace but does not want to be depicted as weak, and so he replies back fiercely. It is hard not to see that something has suddenly changed in him. Feels like a recently sealed pact of war.

It is the noblemen Cambridge and Grey who were approached by French men with concerns about the King of England’s governance, questioning his fortitude. Both then approach Chief Justice William, reflecting the same concern.

In a theatrical frame, we see William advising the King of what he should do. How he needs to take bold measures.

Thus is a king’s burden. A king must make decisions lesser men are neither willing nor able to make. A king is indeed presented with quandaries lesser men might never encounter in the course of their whole lives.

Soon you witness the real face of politics, the ugly facade that cringes your soul when you think of it. The monologue by William is followed by an announcement by the king who approaches Cambridge and Grey declaring war against France, and has them both beheaded the next morning.

Remembering Old Friends

It is almost like a cliched story, wherein moving forward often leaves behind all the people you used to be with. You often lose sight of them in the rear-view mirror when you are dabbing the throttle of life.

But that’s what moving forward means. When you start walking on a road, everything else goes the other way. It can’t be helped, for you have to walk alone on the path that you have set out on.

A new chapter of my life has begun before the last could be properly closed. These concerns are mine and mine alone. But the fact that this here be the first occasion I’ve had to sound them aloud to anyone other than myself speaks volumes. It speaks to the loneliness of the position in which I find myself.

At a point when John Falstaff was doubting Hal’s friendship, Hal arrives and offers him a place in his kingdom. He makes him his new marshal to garner support for steering their onslaught on France.

I have tasked Sir John to join this campaign for one most vital reason alone: he respects war as only a man who has seen its most monstrous form can. He lusts after it not, but rather regards it with the grim sobriety that you and your men should hope he would.

In a way, he draws out the balance of justice for John, giving him what he truly deserved. The desire to have him on board was also drenched with a feeling of unrest that the King felt surrounded by his disloyal counsel.

When Hal asks John

Are you ready for what awaits us?

John gives him a more existential reply:

One is never ready for what awaits us.

If you don’t think about it, it seems like a random reply to such a question. But it ends up being so profound. We are never prepared for what might befall. Even at times when we say we are ready for something, nature has a different plan for us. We can never truly be ready.

The Stratagem in The King – Analysis Movie

Hal’s strategic approach to war is a delight to watch. Going against the usual norm of storming a castle where a lot of soldiers were bound to die, he goes by siege and waits despite what others have to say.

When you are a decision-maker and your decisions don’t stick to the norm, there are always voices and scoffs that will try to steer you away from your belief. But what’s important is that you don’t give up on your ideas. Your ideas made you what you are in the first place. If you know it in your guts, if you believe yours is the right way, you have got to stick to it even though it doesn’t fall under everyone’s enthusiastic radar.

Eventually the commander of the castle surrenders. It must be noted how Hal treats the enemy. He allows them to vacate, a peaceful evacuation causing them no further damage.

Dauphin of France – Movie King Analysis

Three cheers to Robert Pattinson for creating this evil wicked character of The Dauphin, a nightmare to remember. We have seen so many villainous roles, but this one right here is quite unique per se. It is a performance-driven portrayal that is shaped solely by the actor.

Even though the French accent tries to belie the true nature of this man, he still gets the job done of intimidating his enemy with ease.

While the counsel wondered what had in store for them, The Dauphin gives them the taste of his medicine. He had the confidence and balls to say demeaning things that Henry wasn’t prepared to hear. So much for peace.

I have come to describe for you your end days, the screams of your men as they die slow. I will drain your body of its blood and bury it under a tree. A little French tree. Very young, very small. Since perchance that is fitting of your mind for you to come here. Small.

Right after this little monologue, you read utter wrath on the face of Hal. He is perturbed by his mind games. You can see how John reacts to that instead. He has had so much experience with such people, who are nothing but words. John literally yawns at Dauphin’s face, but since the King is the one taking the shots he keeps his thoughts to himself.

Not long after Dauphin sends a message with a chopped head of a little boy, a cheap shot to get to the King. He expects to terrorize his enemies and intimidate them to the core so that they start questioning their decision of coming too far from home.

Henry lets The Dauphin get to him. All this time he was cool, calm, and composed, but Dauphin’s actions have him astray. He isn’t thinking rationally anymore.

Double the guards to 20 yards through the night. Three hours at a watch. I want these men fresh and alert. Any man caught sleeping will have his eyes gouged. Any caught speaking will lose his tongue. And I want all French prisoners in our train put to death. Leave their corpses speared on pikes by the river’s edge.

The tête-à-tête between Henry and John is an interesting piece. Henry can be himself with John, and vice versa. John tries to talk sense when he says:

You are not that man.

as in trying to show him the real him. Why he should not try to become someone else. It was never about retaliation with Henry, how come then a mere instigation makes him so mad that he starts spewing nonsense.

On being asked why doesn’t John give his counsel much, John says:

I speak only when there’s something to be said. Too often have I seen men of war invent work for themselves, work that leads to nothing but vainglory and slaughtered men. I am not that man. And this here is the war that you have chosen to wage.

People invent fantasies when they have nothing to do. They get incited by daft things and create fights that shouldn’t be fought. The results are written in gore. You shouldn’t chase non-existent things when you know for a fact it’s the reason for your definite decline.

John tells him that this war could have been avoided too had Henry not gone looking for it. It is a veritable truth that Henry suddenly feels piercing his soul. It is hard to turn back now. There is so much self-respect at stake.

The Night Before the Battle – King Movie Analysis

Fast forward to time after John witnesses troubled men praying. The contrast is befitting as he stands over them with a drink in his hand, what the onset of war does to people. There are all sorts of people in a horde. Not all of them are what they pretend they are.

As the English move forward, they encounter an outrageous amount of French forces tented, waiting for war. The first call of anyone would be to retreat, since it seemed like a surefire massacre. Dorset (Steven Elder) is that nagging man who has mostly talked conventional annoyance. He is the first one to suggest it.

I propose we consider turning back. I know it will not bring the outcome we desire, but nor will the evisceration of our army.

However, Sir John, having garnered the experience of warfare, begs to differ. He has observed the whole situation enough to pass his strategic wisdom. The strategy is to fight without horses and without armor, provided there is an imminent rainfall that is to turn the battleground into a muddy bog, that was to weaken enemy’s first line of heavily studded cavalry giving them the upper hand on speed and mobility.

It is a great call, laughable at first, but an ingenious insight that was to ultimately execute if it were to rain. The King responds with:

If it rains tonight, we fight tomorrow.

Before the night of the battle, brings home dubitation in the mind of Henry who begins to question what if it was just mere speculation that John passed, that he could be driving his men to an impending slaughter based on an advice from an overly ambitious man. To which John responds:

All plans are speculative. I only speak them when I feel them true.

The most significant quandary however is the king’s battle with himself. As he tries to explore the exact reason why he had brought his men to the battle.

I am scared to wonder, to tell it true, why we are here.

John’s apt reply to that introspective question couldn’t have been put better:

You best discover the answer for that. The men out there deserve it. They’ve given their lives to you. I cannot say what forces have conspired to bring you here, but these men need you, just as you need them. These men deserve your confidence. And if you cannot give them that, at least then tell them a magnificent lie.

It is important for people to have a common cause to not just fight, but really do anything in life. You cannot expect to steer them to your command as you please if they don’t believe in your cause, if they don’t share your enthusiasm. That holds true in every tiny minutiae of life. Be it be your job or politics.

If you are a king, give them a reason to fight and not just fight for vanity. Nobody kills because they like ending lives. They have to have a cause to disembowel someone without feeling sorry for them. They have to hate the guts of their enemies so much so they don’t think twice before submitting to such an inhumane cause.

The rain finally arrives, with that the battle gets half won in theory.

One Final Try King Analysis Movie

John suits up for the front line to draw the French in. The reason he gives is spot on, despite what our mind fears.

I cannot, in good conscience, send them out there to realize my speculative drivel without getting muddy alongside them, can I?

The best kind of leader is the one who is fighting alongside you. Getting their hands dirty and not simply sitting there, at a comfy spot, giving orders.

John proves why he is such a good commander, primarily because he is a good man. He understands the common tongue of a pawn coz he knows he is one. To be in the same mindset as his brothers are in is what makes him the right leader.

This is what I was built for. I die here or I die over a bottle in Eastcheap. And I think this makes for a much better story.

Choosing a battle over a bottle that sounds like a great line.

King Henry approaches The Dauphin to speak to him directly. The scene is an exact replica of what Henry had faced with the commander at Harfleur. Except here now we have a madman in the King’s seat.

I enjoy to speak English. It is simple and ugly.

Henry, however, whips out a challenge very similar to the one that he had made to Hotspur. He is once again concerned about the life of his people. It should be noted how fearless Henry is when he approaches his enemy, without giving it a second thought. It is like facing death, living on the edge.

Once again The Dauphin seems to be in a better place than Henry but it doesn’t stop the latter from defying him for a duel.

The offer is refused, and the battle of Agincourt happens.

Every battle is bland without a pep talk or a speech from their commander.

You expect of me a speech? You expect of me a speech? and it is the same one I’d give were we not standing on the brim of a battlefield. It is the same one I’d give were we to meet in the street by chance. I have only ever hoped for one thing to see this kingdom united under this English crown. All men are born to die. We know it. If your day be today, so be it. Mine will be tomorrow. Or mine today and yours tomorrow. It matters not. What matters is that you know, in your hearts, that today you are that kingdom united. You are England. Each and every one of you. England is you. And it is the space between you. And it is the space between you. Fill that space. Make it tissue. Make it mass. Make it impenetrable. Make it yours! Make it England!

The Battle of Agincourt

David Michod depicts the true form of war, naked in its truest form. Nothing of the sorts they generally theatricalize. It does not have any form of glory, rather is, as ugly as it gets.

Bogged down in mud, stone-cold murder, the noise of the heavy armours rattling against each other, countless stabs, confined spaces, people gasping for breath, dead horses and earth full of bodies. The director capturing the King’s battle is a fitting single shot act.

Eventually, The Dauphin comes to fight, with a heavy armour himself, but keeps slipping in the mud, making himself vulnerable, too easy a target for the likes of the King. Henry lets his men do the deed instead.

The aftermath is a sorry sight, and yet to be an eye-opener for Henry. The worst-hit is that of John’s. He dies too in the muck of his very own doing. A broken Henry is seen sitting next to his cadaver. But he wipes that tear off his face and orders the POWs to be killed.

It is a strange meeting with the French King – King Charles VI (Thibault de Montalembert) who surrenders himself to Henry.

This conversation we are about to have has been had many times before and will be had many times again for centuries to come between men of vanity and men of good reason. I would hope that you and I are men of good reason.

Henry realizes that the French King was, in fact, a good man and that his actions were in fact driven by family. Charles offers his daughter’s hand in marriage.

What he says then will make you ponder about every historical movement there is, every fight or battle between kings that has happened is mostly deeply rooted in family feuds.

It is most uncanny that the great movements of history so frequently find their origins in the minutia of family. That in ways I dare not unsettle here, my relationship with my son and yours with your father. These are the things that have led us here today. We are leaders of lands and peoples, and yet it is family that moves us. Family consumes us.

Catherine of Valois – King Movie Analysis

Catherine (Lily-Rose Depp) is a fresh new perspective into the life of King Henry. Henry was feeling complacent with his victory in France when Catherine breaks his reverie.

I will not submit to you. You must earn my respect.

What seemed like victory didn’t feel like anything once Catherine put what he did blatantly.

Do you feel a sense of achievement? You have achieved a momentary respite. A unity forged under false pretense will never be a unity that prevails.

She is an enigma Henry finds difficult to crack. On prodding further, she tells him there was no assassin, no ploy to murder him.

The conversation that follows is like a gradually unspooling epiphany that King Henry comes to realize. The knowledge of it is unsettling to him for whatever reason he tries to conjure fails to justify his charge on France. It sounds so wrong when he tries to justify the war because he was sent a ball.

Finally, he manages to come up with:

Your father’s rule is illegitimate. He has no right claim to his throne.

To which Catherine replies:

All monarchy is illegitimate. You yourself are the son of a usurper. It would seem that you have no explanation for what you have done. You have shed the blood of so many Christian souls, and yet before me now, all I see is a young and vain and foolish man so easily riled, so easily beguiled.

It is like a below the belt blow which shakes Henry’s soul. He is made to realize the pointlessness of his actions. He is instantly thinking of righting the wrong.

The Climax Analysis of the King Movie

Let us take a look at the climax in this King movie analysis. The climactic scene is that of Hal coming to terms with his deeds, and the very source of it. It brings him to none other than William.

Henry asks about how much land has William annexed in France with the conquest. The latter is rattled with the insinuated allegations which can be witnessed in his body language.

All this time, William had been playing with the mind of this little boy, Hal, treating him as if he were a plaything. He was annexing lands under the pretext of wars and conquest, and the kings made him grow. The war was a necessity for him while he smooth-talked whispers of glory to achieve what he really wanted.

It should be noted how Henry constantly asks William to remain on the stool.

A problem has arisen. And it wobbles before me now on its silly little stool at mine own elevation.

Henry wants to peruse William as a mistake that he has fueled himself. He wants to witness William by letting him being an eye-prickle. To show who was to really gain by the war, and the consequence of what had truly happened.

It should also be noted how William is gradually losing it too, how he wants to be personal, when he stops addressing the King as “My Liege”, and calls him by Hal.

It is only when things go out of hand, that he retorts –

I have given you what you wanted, boy. Have I not?

It is by far the best acting you can emanate from Sean Harris btw. He is literally shaking with anger.

You wanted peace, did you not. This is how peace is forged. It is forged in victory. Listen, that is the sound of peace. That is the sound of your peace. That is the sound of your greatness.

Henry stabs William in the head, an inglorious death witnessed by a little page boy. You can’t help but wonder how the little lad had just witnessed a murder. In his madding rage, Henry had completely forgotten about the company of the little boy. In closing this chapter he had somehow just become a reflection of his father that he despised so much. He had become a king no one could really ever love, owing to his actions.

If you notice, at all points Henry is called callow. He is consumed in a bad light by everyone around him. If you think about the humongous pressure that he carries wherever he goes, it is sinking. Despite all that he thrives. He proves everyone wrong.

And yet, much ado about nothing.

The Final Verdict of the Analysis of The King

What’s the very definition of a King? The movie justifies that. It goes on to show how a king can be manipulated into making decisions. How everything he does is controlled by politics, how he is alone in the path that he is supposed to walk on. As aptly put by John:

A king has no friends. A king has only followers and foe.

The King movie is an exceptionally crafted art. It is historically inaccurate in many terms yes, but I believe inspirations can be abridged. You can have your own adaptation of a story, and could end up giving far greater value or moral through it. Can right the wrong or maybe point to a better crux of a drama that people forgot about. You can play around, coz that’s what creativity is.

Now that I have concluded The King movie analysis, let’s talk about some other aspects of the film.

The music of The King movie, composed by Nicholas Britell is brilliant. If you notice there are many areas in the movie where it goes without one. But whenever it does play, you realize how apt it is, and how astutely it complements every scene.

The screenplay and cinematography are simply outstanding. Top it all with the acting, and you know that it is a sum-up of everything that makes the movie what it is.

With that The King movie analysis concludes.

Check out the trailer of The King movie after King Movie Analysis:

If you liked our – The King movie analysis you must check out the movie analysis I wrote for Paterson movie.

The King

8

Direction

7.8/10

Plot

8.0/10

Screenplay

8.3/10

Drama

7.8/10