Film: King Arthur

The publicity for King Arthur proudly states that it is a true story. it also states that the film is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. This is not a promising combination. Bruckheimer's last attempt at portraying history was the turgid and factually erroneous mess called Pearl Harbour, a turkey so overpriced it makes Christmas shopping at Harrods seem like the bargain bin of a poundshop. Previous to that when researching Flashdance he found the entire basis of the "true story" behind the film was fictitious but stuck with the concept anyway. Therefore any Bruckheimer film sold on the basis of historical accuracy rather than entertainment value is worrying.

The "true story" of King Arthur is apparently that he was a Roman knight who stood firm when Rome withdrew from Britain to prevent the evil Saxons levelling Britain. In his stand he is aided by a woad Warrioress named Guiniverre who fights in a leather bikini and a bunch of Eastern Europeans who were pressed into service with the Roman's against their will. One worries that future generations may believe the Dirty Dozen and some from American Vogue founded modern Britain by defeating one of the main races it descends from.

Much credit must be given to Training Day director Antoine Fuqua for rising above the bunkum of the story and delivering an enjoyable two hours of blockbuster movie. The dialogue is pared down to the kind of short bold statements that John Wayne built his acting career on and Ronald Reagan his presidency. However this keeps the pace up and distracts us from the ludicrous plot. The battle sequences retain a visceral thrill despite being edited down to be family friendly.

King Arthur never feels extraordinary, however it is a professionally produced piece of nonsense which features an able and engaging cast.