The Green Knight is an amazing journey of development. Not only is it proof that a three-act narrative can be perfected, but also shows what happens when you have players that buy into the vision of their director. It’s one of the best movies of 2021.
The last time I saw a green knight get beheaded there was James Bond and a very bob-haired blonde man involved. I speak of the 1984 film Sword of the Valiant, which was based on the Gawain and the Green Knight tale, but rough in execution. Still, it was good enough to be entertaining, frightening in a sense, and provide one intense ending.
Now, it’s 2021, and director David Lowery is taking that same story, losing the bob-haired blonde look, shedding the hairy manly chest of Sean Connery’s antagonist, and making this Dev Patel led story into something that Anonymous (the author, not the Internet group) can be proud of to represent their poem. Good times, bad times, and downright creepy times are to be had in The Green Knight.
Official Synopsis
An epic fantasy adventure, The Green Knight tells the story of Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), King Arthur’s reckless and headstrong nephew, who embarks on a daring quest to confront the eponymous Green Knight, a gigantic emerald-skinned stranger, and tester of men. Gawain contends with ghosts, giants, thieves, and schemers in what becomes a deeper journey to define his character and prove his worth in the eyes of his family and kingdom.
Off with his head! Twice.
The story of Gawain and the Green Knight is a visual treasure of sorts. The poem was well ahead of its time with a fair amount of deep meaning to it about exploring the world and journeying to define one’s life knowing that death is imminent. Spoiler alert: life is finite.
Lowery’s interpretation of that poem wasn’t the first of its kind. As mentioned above, there is a 1984 version called Sword of Valiant. There is a 1991 made for television movie. There is a 1973 version of it. Also, a television short of it in 2002, 2009, 2013, and 2018. There is even a Franklin (yes, the turtle) and the Green Knight film from 2000, which I have admittingly not seen. To tell you the truth, I’ll never see it. I’m sure Franklin sees some shit he never wants to re-live after taking off the Green Knight’s head. On second thought, I might watch that after this review. ANYWAY.
The story revolves around Sir Gawain (Dev Patel), who is clearly lost in life. He drinks, he goes against his royal bloodline by seeing a commoner named Essel (Alicia Vikander), and he purposely avoids a relationship with his uncle the King (Sean Harris) out of his own self-loathing and shame. Eventually, Gawain gets to a point where his mother grows concerned enough about her son’s life direction and seeks help for her son through the King. The King offers Gawain a better relationship to try and get him on the right path, which includes bringing him into royal events, the first being the yearly Christmas feast. Of course, the feast turns out to be the entrance for the Green Knight (Ralph Ineson), a shadowy figure covered in nature, and who proposes a Christmas game, where a knight can cut off the Green Knight’s head in exchange for the Green Knight getting the second swing in return. Knowing that not much could go wrong with a single chop, Gawain offers to participate in the game in the King’s honor and does indeed chop off the head of the Green Knight. Not entirely understanding the consequences and immediately thinking of the glory, Gawain soon realizes that the game was rigged as the Knight reattaches his head and warns Gawain that he must meet him in one year to allow for the Green Knight’s swing.
The first act is so well designed and executed. Lowery spent a great deal of time building up the reckless and immature Gawain. He gave himself enough time to properly put things in perspective for viewers to understand who Gawain is and how lost he was at the beginning. By doing this, using characters to support the notion that Gawain is simply avoiding life, and pushing him towards a terrible goal, you get the full girth of Lowery’s character, as well as his family and lover. Gawain is more than properly developed in the first act, which is an act that should serve as a shining example of how perfect a first act can be. And make no mistake, this entire story is Gawain’s journey from hopelessness to honor is his and his alone. The purpose of the antagonist is simply to frighten and act as a living McGuffin, or rather a means to an end so that Gawain’s transformation into his final form can be complete. All of the first act is beautifully crafted and woven together.
The second act of the film is Gawain’s journey. This is the playground for Lowery to stretch out his interpretation of the original poem and add his own flavor of creativity to Gawain’s quest for redemption and honor. Gawain goes through several stages of growth. The first is simply surviving and taking in his surroundings. He goes through seasons, where he must hunt for his food, find water sources to survive, and create a shelter to survive the changing seasons. It’s a montage of growth for Gawain that leads to a crescendo that finds our would-be-hero at a crossroads for flight or fight against some bad people. This is essentially how act two goes and it ends with the introduction to Helen and The Lord, two oddly placed people that have a mysterious background that Gawain must be a part of in some way. I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll stop there.
The second act is a sandbox of interpretation for Lowery. He doesn’t lose a moment with celebrating this fact. He brings in his vision, creates some stunning imagery, and sells everyone performing these scenes on said vision. More importantly, Lowery keeps to the story and delivers an eye-opening journey in the second act. The pacing and the gorgeousness of it all are stunning.
The third act begins with the final leg of Gawain’s journey. He has faced obstacles, faced decisions that were difficult, and faced his own demons that were common in his life…all leading to the Green Knight. It’s a perfect combination of everything that collides with this final moment that will determine what type of person Gawain wants to become. It’s breathtaking, especially the crossroads shot that Lowery writes and shoots, which shows all options. On that note, I’ll end this review because I honestly don’t want to spoil the film for you.
Before we wrap, let’s talk performance and writing
Dev Patel’s Gawain is beautifully brought out in both writing and performance. Lowery captures the rawness of Gawain and how lost he seems to be in his own world. The writing shows a juxtaposition of what life Gawain is living versus what life he should be living. The writing shapes two different worlds for Gawain and how he changes from point to point on his quest to find the Green Knight and confront him. It’s a beautifully drawn-out progression that is essentially a slow morning eye-open where there is no light, then some light, then all the light. Gawain’s evolution from being safe inside his own bubble to feeling and experiencing the world around him is a truly special journey thanks to Lowery’s careful craftiness. Lowery seems to get what the original poem was about and captures that journey of self from beginning to end.
Running parallel to Lowery’s writing is how Patel performs this careful evolution. Patel seems to understand Gawain as much as Lowery, where he brings out Gawain’s almost tantrum-throwing self-hate about his own life and pop’s Gawain’s bubble to a better life. Patel embraces this character and buys into what Lowery (and the poem) are selling. You can see Patel’s Gawain’s suffering and his need to find some meaning in life that is more than just drinking, sex, and repeating. Patel’s Gawain is also shaped from the guidance of Sean Harris’ King figure, a father figure of sorts, and the powerful performance of Sarita Choudhury’s mother figure. The latter of which is stellar and emits a great deal of concern for Gawain, as she pushes him out of the nest to find a better version of himself.
All these players and writing put together make for a beautiful time, even during a fair amount of horror. I wish we had more stories with Patel in it. That guy has range is fun to watch in any role he takes on. Just an amazing young actor.
The final swipe
As it stands, The Green Knight is an amazing journey of development. Not only is it proof that a three-act narrative can be perfected, but also shows what happens when you have players that buy into the vision of their director. It’s one of the best movies of 2021.
On the special features side of the tracks, here is what you’re getting:
• Boldest of Blood and Wildest of Heart: Making The Green Knight
• Practitioners of Magic: Visual Effects
• Illuminating Technique: Title Design
• Theatrical Trailer
Good stuff to keep the journey going.
