Synopsis
A prince living away from his kingdom is called back due to the king’s bad health. King Henry IV (Ben Mendelsohn) informs Hal (Timothée Chalamet) that he will not take the crown and that it will be given to his younger brother Clarence (Dean-Charles Chapman). This is good news for Hal since he never desired to take on the crown because of his hate for his father. From the beginning, Hal is shown as someone different than everyone else in the court, he has his own way of doing things. However, after his younger brother is killed in battle he is forced to be the next king of England. Upon accepting this new responsibility King Henry V vows to bring peace to England.
After a taunting gift and an assassination attempt, King Henry V has no choice but to declare war on France. Hal was trying to avoid this war decision, but it would seem the King of France left him no choice. The several advisors around Hal guided him to the best way to reach the peace he wanted. Because of this war, the King brought an old friend of his. A man named Falstaff (Joel Edgerton), that both respects and has a mind for the art of war. The King summoned his entire army to go up against the French army led by The Dauphin (Robert Pattinson).
Interpretation
The king was a well-done period piece with beautiful cinematography and amazing scenes. Everything came together for this film. Timothée Chalamet’s acting is at an all-time high and is accompanied by both Joel Edgerton and Robert Pattinson. The story of King Henry V becoming a king is greatly told in this movie. Falstaff tells Hal, “A king doesn’t have friends, only followers and foe.” Because of this, King Henry finds it so hard to trust anyone in the court. Like his sister told him, they all have their own kingdoms hidden behind their eyes. This is challenging for King Henry since this distrust he has for everyone means he has to rely on only himself, which is hard to do considering he’s never been a King before. Giving the presence of Falstaff even more weight because he is the only man the King trusts.
The battle scenes are brutal and do a great job of capturing the crowded nature of a battlefield. On top of that I enjoyed the display of the different dynamics that occur in the court. The King in particular’s adamant hatred and need to be different from his father made the end even more satisfying.
