King Arthur: another chip off the old sword and stone

With the recent surge of huge movies involving bloody men with swords and predictable plots, moviegoers are looking for an action film that stands out from the crowd. Director Antoine Fuqua (Tears of the Sun, Training Day) tried - and failed - to make King Arthur that film. This movie isn't the worst thing ever produced, but unfortunately Arthur falls into the mediocre category that encompasses so many summer flicks.

Unlike many of the films about the legendary king that preceded this tale, King Arthur is a story of a search for freedom, with absolutely no mythical magic or swords in stones to stand in the way. King Arthur (Clive Owen, The Bourne Identity, Gosford Park) and his knights are servants of the Roman Empire, positioned at Rome's British guard post. While in the legend Arthur's men came from all across the land to join Arthur, in the movie the knights' ancestors were brave soldiers who pledged themselves and their offspring to Rome in exchange for their lives. Each new generation must serve 15 years. At the start of the film, the current knights have reached their last day, and hurriedly await the arrival of the bishop who has their release papers.

The introduction of the bishop, played by Ivano Marescotti, marks the start of the movie's predictability and action film clichés. The bishop tells the knights that in order to be free, they must complete one last job, which is (of course) the hardest task they have ever faced. They must travel behind enemy lines to rescue friends of the Pope from the invading Saxons. After showing resentment at having freedom dangled before their eyes, the knights dutifully ride out and save the family and its slaves, including the beautiful Britain rebel Guinevere (Keira Knightley, of Bend It Like Beckham and Pirates of the Carribean fame).

This differs plenty from the ancient legend. In the stories, Arthur and his knights never had to complete this quest, and were never ordered to do anything by a bishop. Guinevere was a Roman princess and not a British slave. Further differences between the old legend and this new tale include the portrayal of Lancelot (Ioan Gruffudd) and Merlin (Stephen Dillane), both of whom have very small roles in the film. Lancelot is shown to be a reckless and selfish knight with only a slight attraction to Guinevere, while according to legend he was one of the best and kindest knights and had an affair with Guinevere after she became Arthur's bride. Merlin makes a brief appearance in the movie, but only as the mysterious leader of a rebelling British band of soldiers who fight Arthur. He looks more like a crazed hermit than a powerful wizard.

Back in the film, as the knights and their charges try to get back to safety, they find that they cannot outrun the Saxons, leaving the small band of soldiers to take on the approaching army. The first skirmish is a dramatic but completely unbelievable showdown on an icy lake, with Arthur, his six knights, and the recently rescued Guinevere taking on 200 members of the Saxon infantry. The Saxons are forced to retreat, leaving the audience to wonder if the army had a combined IQ above 80.

The knights hurry to the guard post, and within a few hours the entire Saxon army is camping outside. This naturally, leads to a huge battle, full of sword action that hasn't been seen since, well, the last big sword movie, Troy. Similar to that movie, there are many predictable one-on-one battles, which, although well choreographed, seem just too perfect and convenient to be true.

The combat isn't the only thing that's a little too perfect – King Arthur apparently has no flaws. Despite the approaching Saxon army, he goes above and beyond his call of duty to bash open a cell to save the imprisoned slaves there. He also prays to God to take his life and spare those of his men. Arthur is portrayed as being totally devoid of character flaws, and combined with his willingness to put everyone ahead of himself, makes the King seem far too good to be true.

Although Arthur's deeds may not be believable, actor Clive Owen plays the hero very well. He stays true to character throughout the film, and shows what appears to be genuine concern for his knights. Owen pulls off the combat scenes perfectly, and has a commanding aura around him that makes his character feel like a true leader. Owen seems born for the role, albeit a role was written too sanctimoniously.

The combat scenes in King Arthur were also competently done, but there wasn't anything spectacular that made them feel much different than those in Troy, Timeline, or any other recent film with swordplay. There are the typical burning arrows and bloodied swords, including one arrow shot that goes up a hill, over a fortress and into a tree where a traitor sits, all done without the archer able to see his target. There are new tactics used to divide and conquer the opposing army, including fiery walls and smoke screens, but overall the movie has just standard battle scenes.

King Arthur isn't going to be a movie you remember for years to come, with its clichéd plot and action scenes and unbelievable hero. However, if you want to see well-choreographed combat scenes in a movie that does not include all of the unnecessary magic and romance often shoved into King Arthur films, then Arthur may be your best bet.

King Arthur is rated PG-13 for intense battle sequences, a scene of sensuality and some language. It runs 130 minutes and is playing at AMC City Place, the Majestic, Loews Wheaton Plaza, and other local theaters.