Any intent of peace has a blood price and that has to be paid especially by the one who seeks peace. More so, if there is a throne involved. History of victory has often been bloody. With an abundance of guillotines, swords and angst, the history of England, especially with respect to Scotland, Wales, and later, Ireland, has been a pretty gory one. The King takes a chapter from that history book — a chapter that chronicles one of the greatest warrior kings of medieval England, King Henry V.

While this historical period drama is based on Shakespeare’s epic, Henry IV Part 1 and 2, and Henry V, the film took its own course of the narrative to paint Hal, aka Henry Prince of Wales (Timothée Chalamet) as a pacifist. After prolonged strife with his warmonger father King Henry IV (Ben Mendelsohn), Hal is coronated as the next king. Completely ignoring his father’s philosophy of constant aggression and subsequent dealing with civil war, Hal proposes to retreat and end all the ongoing wars. But does that give an impression of a weak and cowardly king? Hal goes on to establish validation of his competence.

The film is long and verbose, balanced with the right amount of war sequences, with a focus on the Battle of Agincourt. Also, The King has a lot of theatrics. The forte is surely its dialogues. The exchange between Hal, after his coronation, and William (Sean Harris), the Chief Justice, is smart and engaging. “How does this strategy greet you?” asks Hal after declaring to end the civil war. “Great reforms are best enacted with regime change,” replies William with confidence. Soon, William turns out to be Hal’s confidante. In a moment of indecision, William says, “But problems... And this is my experience. Problems that are left unattended have a habit of becoming crises.” Their conversations are truly enjoyable. Also, Timothée’s calm and restrained acting blended well with the theatrics of Sean’s performance.

With a large canvas of a period drama, The King is engaging. Despite being lengthy, the film has its own smartness, derived from its historical references. That is also its weakness. It deviates from real historical references and facts. However, it stands out as an independent, engaging film.