King Arthur (2004)
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A Roman officer in 5th-century Britain must choose between his duty to the empire and his connection to the land as he faces an invading army.
The story
In the 5th century AD, as the Roman Empire withdraws from Britannia, a group of Sarmatian knights and their commander, Artorius Castus, known as Arthur, are completing their final mission. They are ordered to evacuate a high-ranking Roman family from north of Hadrian's Wall while facing an advancing army of Saxons. Upon arrival, Arthur finds the family's patriarch has enslaved the local population. Arthur and his knights must liberate the people and protect the family during a perilous journey through the mountains. As the conflict intensifies, Arthur begins to question his loyalty to Rome and his connection to the land of Britain.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In the 5th century AD, the Roman Empire is withdrawing from Britannia. Artorius Castus, known as Arthur, leads a group of Sarmatian knights on a final mission to evacuate a Roman family from north of Hadrian's Wall. They are pursued by Saxons led by Cerdic and Cynric. Upon reaching the destination, Arthur finds the patriarch, Marius, has enslaved the locals. Arthur liberates them and takes the family into the mountains. During the escape, Guinevere kills Marius. Arthur becomes disillusioned with Rome after learning of the execution of his mentor, Pelagius. He finds connection to his Celtic roots through Guinevere and Merlin. After a desperate battle across a frozen lake where Dagonet sacrifices himself, the knights deliver the family to the wall. Arthur decides to stay and fight the Saxons. In the Battle of Badon Hill, the knights and the local Woads defeat the Saxons. Lancelot and Tristan are mortally wounded but succeed in killing the Saxon leaders. Arthur kills Cerdic. Arthur and Guinevere marry, and Merlin proclaims Arthur as King of the Britons, promising to lead them against future invaders.
- First release year
- 2004
- Runtime (minutes)
- 126
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom; Ireland
- Original languages
- English; Scottish Gaelic
- Directors
- Antoine Fuqua
- Writers
- David Franzoni · writer
- Cast and characters
- Clive Owen · Arthur; Ioan Gruffudd · Lancelot; Keira Knightley · Guinevere; Mads Mikkelsen; Joel Edgerton; Hugh Dancy; Ray Winstone; Ray Stevenson; Stephen Dillane; Stellan Skarsgård; Til Schweiger
- Genres
- historical adventure; action drama; war drama
- Themes
- Identity; Duty vs. Loyalty; Cultural Heritage
- Tone and mood
- Epic; Action-oriented
- Premise and plot tags
- Historical Revisionism; Arthurian Legend; War
- Source material / true-story basis
- Arthurian legends, influenced by Bernard Cornwell's Warlord series
- Content notes
- Violence
- Reception
- The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics, who criticized the setting and violence while praising the score, direction, and performances.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 30% · review count: 187; Metacritic · score: 46 · scale: 100 · review count: 41
- Production trivia
- The main set was the largest film set ever built in Ireland.; The film features a non-traditional interpretation of Arthur as a Roman officer.; The director was reportedly dissatisfied with the film due to interference by Disney.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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