Directed by David Lowery and based on Arthurian Legend, The Green Knight tells the story of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), King Arthur’s reckless and headstrong nephew, who embarks on a daring quest to confront the eponymous Green Knight (Ralph Ineson), a gigantic emerald-skinned stranger and tester of men. Gawain contends with ghosts, giants, thieves, and schemers in what becomes a deeper journey to define his character and prove his worth in the eyes of his family and kingdom by facing the ultimate challenger.
A24 has been responsible for producing several successful projects but I don’t think any have been as ambitious as this one, a full-on high-budget fantasy. We get a lot of them these days but the fact that A24 jumped in the game with talented director David Lowery at the helm is a huge deal. And after watching the film myself I can honestly say that this is one of the most unique and perplexing fantasy films I have ever seen. It is a slow-burn tale of mortality, the code of chivalry, and the journey of finding oneself through the perspective of a complex knight.
Dev Patel is completely haunting and enthralling in his portrayal of Sir Gawain. Even in scenes with no dialogue, of which there are many, he is able to carry the story with a lot of physical acting and facial expressions, completely setting the tone and conveying what thoughts or emotions Gawain feels. He has a truly interesting journey that takes many strange turns that ultimately lead to his destined appointment with the Green Knight. We get to see his character greatly explored, especially in his encounters with various individuals on his journey, all played perfectly by their respective actors and actresses.
Joel Edgerton, Alicia Vikander, Erin Kellyman, and Sean Harris were definitely the biggest standouts of the supporting cast and all were memorable in their own ways. And I have to give serious credit to Ralph Ineson’s magnificently imposing voice of the Green Knight. He really brought the mythical figure to life in an epic way.
The narrative is rather hard to describe but I can definitely say that it is dreamy, sensual, brutal, and bleak. It has a much deeper story that I feel people could interpret in various ways, especially as Gawain goes through different trials that all have specific themes to them. It’s one of these films that I feel requires multiple rewatches to truly understand and analyze because there is so much you could pick up from it. It might be too overwhelming for casual moviegoers, which is completely understandable.
There is a lot of impressive practical work done in this film, especially for the Green Knight himself, but there are also some impressive visual effects and CGI that are used sparingly. They are only used when they need to be and they look great, making for some truly pleasing scenes that hypnotize you with their beauty.
The cinematography of this film is absolutely beautiful and is probably the best among all the A24 films I have seen. It really absorbs you into the magic and eeriness of this fantasy land. Incredible landscapes were also used, making the film feel like a larger-than-life quest. Also, the cinematography does seem to give a lot of symbolism as well as foreshadowing here and there, some that might be obvious to some viewers while others require further analysis.
The score is both magical and haunting as it further transports you into this fantasy world, especially when it comes to dreamy or bleak scenes.
David Lowery made a unique and original film that adapts Arthurian Legend in a way that people can take something different from it upon multiple viewings. And even with how puzzling the narrative is, there is no denying that the film itself has incredible acting and is beautifully crafted on a technical level. It’s a brilliant modern take on an Arthurian Legend and one that I would definitely recommend people giving a watch or two. I’m going to give The Green Knight an A.
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