Last Knights 2015

I'm always up for some shield and sword films, whether they're of the fantastical variety, or more grounded and gritty; Last Knights seems to embody a bit of both, creating an alternate reality of medieval qualities, while also staying tried and true to the political nature that came with such societies. However, Last Knights never capitalizes upon its concept, with its politics dichotomous, and its sword swinging less than satisfying. It scratches an itch, but with a dull blade.

If the quick editing and incomprehensible camera work aren't an early indicator, the sword-fighting isn't exactly going to be the star of Last Knights; instead, what takes center stage most often are discussions are virtues, honor, and justice; the slashy bits really only bookend the film, to a mixed degree. Like all philosophical discussions, some bits hold weight, and others falter. Morgan Freeman's Bartok seems hell-bent on resisting corruption, but there's really no virtues that he extols either; he's merely a counterpart to a greedy Geeza Mott, which seems to underscore the ambiguous, self-serving nature that fantasy stories like A Song of Ice and Fire or The First Law tout in the 21st century.

This doesn't make things boring, per say, but definitely stunts some of character-driven story-telling going on; most of the film is a reaction to the falling from grace that occurs at the end of act one, and it's intermittently interesting, but eventually pulls back to the main course: Revenge. There's some minor heist elements here and there, but nothing that'll satisfy that fancy for more than a moment. What doesn't sit well with me is a cheap turn of events with Clive Owen's character, who miraculously goes from downtrodden to redemptive in a scene or two, or, at least the film tries to convince the audience of the act of it all. Either way, it's not satisfying.

The sword fights that end the film are slightly more entertaining than the start, but Kazukai Kiriya's camera-work makes it clear few of these men know how to properly handle swords, so the epic sense of it all diminishes - this isn't made much better by the fact that most of the emotional connections the film wanted me to feel weren't there, so watching side characters get butchered was...fine? Its ending is touching, though, giving the greatest sense of sacrifice, and ultimately, being the most political move Last Knights wants to play...yet, it's still a cheap ending. Drats. So close.

While I expected a full-on swordy-swingy-stabby film, there are components of Last Knights I moderately enjoyed, like the focus on politics, even if they're a banality from time to time. Last Knights will entertain those looking for a mix of physical and metaphorical daggers, but only until they find something much sharper to be stuck with...which won't take long.