King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017) Review

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (2017)

Legend of the Sword follows Arthur, a man robbed of his birthright, a fact he realizes when he pulls Excalibur from the stone, setting him on a warpath with his uncle, and father’s killer, Vortigern, in an effort to take back the throne of England. 

I’m telling you, while critics hated this movie on release, this has all the hallmarks of an eventual cult classic. Guy Ritchie has such a particular style—fast and loose with a cockney-gangster vibe that is instantly recognizable. What King Arthur does right is just that, rewriting the classic tale to make Arthur more of a Robin Hood type, on a fast track with destiny. It doesn’t bother grounding us to reality, this is a story about mages, mythical creatures, and a magic sword. So in Ritchie’s case, go big or go home. 

I usually don’t drone on about directors in these reviews, but so much of understanding this movie is understanding Guy Ritchie as a director. It’s snappy as hell, quick, remarkably funny, and has one of the more kickass and interesting soundtracks I’ve heard in awhile. He makes the characters interesting, makes a seemingly one dimensional villain somewhat admirably dark (also due in thanks to Jude Law), and makes you believe in the earnest, badassery of the born king, Arthur. 

We’ve seen the unwilling hero type a thousand times, often times never giving our protagonist a real reason to take up arms, usually just coming to the call out of guilt. This however, sees Arthur as unwilling but plainly states that he isn’t doing it for the people of England or for the power. He’s doing it solely to tear down Vortigern piece by piece for what he did to his family (of blood and of those who raised him).

The film contains a great cast, starring Aiden Gillan, Eric Bana, Àstrid Burgès-Frisbey, Djimon Hounsou, Jude Law, and Charlie Hunnam. Hunnam reminds me of a young Jason Statham (likely intentional on Ritchie’s part), boasting a swagger and confidence that one can only obtain from working their way from the bottom of the gutter, making his Arthur act and feel real within the context of this reimagining. 

Legend of the Sword, directed by Guy Ritchie, is an unbelievably fun and witty take on the classic Arthurian legend (and don’t let any critic tell you otherwise) that plays it very fast and very loose with the source material but still manages to craft an interesting tale of redemption and fate, which is sad considering we likely won’t get another.

8.7/10