The Green Knight

A24 has been one of my favorite studios over the last decade for films like this, this, and this (among many others). For the most part, they've become synonymous with movies that are challenging, not quite what you'd expect, and not always "mainstream". 

Their newest, The Green Knight, is one such film and, like many of their others, it will probably prove divisive among general audiences while most cinephiles will love it. If my theater - shockingly the most packed one I've been at this year - is any indication, many will laugh the film off as weird, confusing, or a slog. To be fair, The Green Knight is all of those things, but it's also a lot more. 

And I loved it. 

The Green Knight feels like a classic novel that has been brought to light, with plenty of room for dissection and debate for years to come. It is loosely based on the tale of Sir Gawain (which I am not familiar with at all) but it feels like it goes in many of its own directions for added symbolism, ambiguity, and mystery. In a way, that's very frustrating, and there are things that happen in the film where I'm not quite sure I could tell you their value, but the film is also so painfully gorgeous that it spends most of its runtime searing images onto your mind. 

"Tis but a flesh wound ya wanker!"

"Yes, that pointy end IS dangerous..."

Our tale starts normal enough with Sir Gawain (Dev Patel) aspiring to be a knight without really seemingly doing much to get himself there. When a challenger arrives on Christmas, inviting some knight to strike a blow upon him, Gawain obliges and takes part in his game. A year later - per the rules of the game - he must go seek out this challenger to have the blow returned. The film pretty quickly moves that year forward and we're on our Knight's Quest swiftly. It's in the adventure and unknown of a "Knight's Quest" that The Green Knight gets to play around a lot and I'd by lying if I said it didn't inspire a handful of my own story ideas. If you thought the journey would be straightforward with Gawain going directly to his objective, you'd be wrong, and there's something very cool about a good old fashioned quest, wrapped up in a moody, well-crafted, and R-rated package. You can't say we get those very often, so leave it to A24 to help director, David Lowery, make it happen. 

As Sir Gawain, Patel feels more massive than he ever has. Physically, sure, he definitely bulked up a bit, but also in confidence and acting ability. I've been a fan of his (as I'm sure many are) but he's always felt like "the silly/awkward kid". Here, he has moments of awkwardness with his character but there's also an immense weight that you can feel on his character that he portrays with skill. He feels as mature as he ever has - especially within the final frames - and it's an award-worthy performance where I honestly didn't think we'd get one. The rest of the cast - Joel Edgerton and Alicia Vikander primarily - bring their A-game to match Patel's and while everyone but Gawain feels mysterious and less-fleshed out, their performances are solid. Vikander is a silent MVP (and let's be real she's almost always the MVP). 

All of what I've alluded to thus far makes a good film. What takes The Green Knight into the "excellent" realm is just how wonderful it treats your senses. Visually, it's an arresting film that feels like it's gently pouring its images into your eyelids. The editing (and pacing for that matter) is slow, with certain scenes lasting sometimes for 30-60 seconds or more without a cut/edit. For some that may be painful, but I love it, especially when nearly all of those are coupled with jaw-dropping backgrounds of foreign landscapes. More often than not, whenever I felt even remotely bored with the film, I'd focus on the imagery for a bit and be thrust right back into my appreciation for this film's technical skill. A handful of scenes are so visually stunning that I question putting them in the Rath Award's Best Scene conversation even though nothing plot-related really happens in them. Even better - as you've heard me argue before - is that The Green Knight has an incredible, equally grandiose original score that sings and beats and thuds beautifully throughout. Story or not, if you're someone who's even remotely appreciative of these things things in film, then I cannot recommend The Green Knight enough. 

Cinematography for the win!!

Unfortunately, however, many audiences are not going to movies for the cinematography, original score, or acting. They're going for the story and the entertainment value (both two very valid reasons!). It's there where - like some of the best A24 films - The Green Knight may be a little too weird and a little too unconventional for me to fully recommend it, but if you know your tastes and they generally align with mine, then get to The Green Knight henceforth with your coin! 

CONS

• While I enjoyed the mystery and ambiguity to a point, it may be too weird for its own good at times
• Can be a bit of a slog, particularly in the middle
• Not every side-quest or distraction feels totally relevant or needed

PROS

• A R-rated, moody, and weird knights quest is not a film we get often and there's something awesome about that combination
• A24 and director David Lowery for having the guts to put something like this together
• The mystery and ambiguity ensure that it will be in the discussion for a long time
• Dev Patel's performance is playful when it needs to be and stoic otherwise. He has a lot of screentime and it's an award-worthy performance
• Alicia Vikander and Joel Edgerton turn in excellent performances too
• Stunning, challenging, and memorable cinematography. This film is a dream to look at
• I loved the way the film used color hues. Among the dull grays and browns there's intense color (Gawain's yellow cloak is an ongoing example)
• Amazing original score that compliments the visuals perfectly. The combo of the two is *chef's kiss*
• Memorable, thoughtful, mind-numbingly beautiful. The Green Knight lives up to A24's reputation

Rath's Review Score | 9/10