Release Date:
07/07/2004
Director Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) sets out to capture the "untold true story that inspired the legend" in King Arthur but mostly delivers a solid cast grappling with jarring plot details (accurate or not). Fuqua presents Arthur (Clive Owen, Beyond Borders) wrestling with his Briton-Roman heritage while leading an embittered cadre of reluctant knights in their last days of conscripted Roman service. The tale's action intensifies when the knights are sent to rescue a noble Roman family from Saxon invaders, and they pick up Guinevere of legend (played by Keira Knightley of legendary legs and Pirates of the Caribbean) in the process. Turns out, this Guinnie is a badass with a bow and arrow, and her warrior princess ways and strategically assembled costumes carry the remainder of the movie. Any who cling nostalgically to Disney's The Sword in the Stone animated feature may be dismayed by attempted injections of historical accuracy; likewise, those eager for a textbook lesson with a Hollywood veneer will bristle at Arthur's rock star pose in black leather pants. Come for Keira if you will, but stay for the flaming arrows, death, and maiming.