Jerry Bruckheimer
King Arthur

Since the days of "Braveheart" by and with Mel Gibson, and perhaps even before, medieval battles in films are not a novelty. And certainly, "King Arthur" features them too. In the end, it is the most boring part (in my opinion, a declared pacifist) of a film that otherwise captivates. It's indeed a novelty to see the story of Arthur told from before the legionnary Artorius, as he was called in the army of a  Roman Empire already in decline, became one of the most famous monarchs in History. And I say History because studies have shown his existence in Southern England.

This historical film tells us about an Arthur who is loyal, introverted, and brave (classic formula), but seen through the eyes of those beside him: his comrades-in-arms, valiant soldiers of what we would today call a "special forces unit", this time in the service of the pope to rescue a Roman family settled near Hadrian's Wall, almost in the territory of the belligerent Saxons.

And it is in this singular circumstance that we meet a fearless Guinevere. The friendship that binds the comrades-in-arms is so great that it manages to rise above religious differences (Arthur is Christian, the others pagans) in the name of something greater, a united group on an island invaded by barbarians, in the midst of the Middle Ages, where violence and individualism reign supreme.

To avoid revealing the ending of this film, masterfully shot among desolate landscapes, fogs, and torchlight in a very realistic setting, I can only say that the future queen Guinevere cannot have Lancelot as her lover because... well, find out for yourselves.
By watching this film beyond entertainment, we understand that it also wants to make us realize that violence, pettiness, wickedness, and fanaticism (religious and otherwise) are certainly not inventions of modern man. But it is man who carries within such destructive power, even the heroic Arthur, who does not hesitate to kill even his own countrymen to defend what he believes in.

We spend two hours immersed in the most magical England, that of the druids and the wizard Merlin. The England of internal struggles. What comes to mind when we hear the words "King Arthur". King Arthur.