For the most part, the movies I've discussed so far have been the sorts of movies you watch on late-night cable. This time, though, I'm going to talk about Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of Shakespeare's Henry V, the sort of movie your mom would be shocked that you're watching.
Henry V is the roughly historical story of the Battle of Agincourt. Henry was pressing his claim to the throne of France. In an effort to force the French into giving him what he thought was rightfully his, Henry invaded. His troops were badly outnumbered by the French forces, leading to this decisive battle.
It helps to have a little bit of background on the story, which in this case means knowing something about Henry IV. In these plays, Hal, who will eventually become Henry V when his father dies, is something of a ruffian who steals, drinks, gambles, and womanizes. Naturally, no one is truly keen on his becoming king, which makes his invasion into France all the more important for his legitimacy.
Branagh, as he has done with all of the Shakespeare plays he's adapted for the screen, does the whole play, taking very little license with the material. In fact, the only real license he takes is in creating a few scenes as flashbacks, giving a little insight into Henry's checkered past. Otherwise, this is the entire play, from the first word to the last.
So what makes this a guy movie? Well, for starters, it's about a war, and there are some great battle sequences at the end of it. Sure, the ones in Braveheart were better, but those were also filmed with a much larger budget and much more recently. There's not a lot of blood in this movie, although there's a hell of a lot of fighting.
It's the pre-battle stuff that really kicks, though. Here we get to see Henry in all his glory, intoning some of the most intensely cool speeches ever filmed. Watching Branagh recite the incredible speech to the mayor of a town, telling him that if he does not surrender he will slaughter everyone inside, spitting the children on pikes is, well, it's really cool. You'll want to go out and kick the butt of some guy named Yves.
There are some slow parts in the movie. The death of Sir John Falstaff, the scene that takes place entirely in French, and a few others are a bit of a drag, but they really don't detract at all from the good stuff. And you really need to pay attention to this film. The language is difficult at times, and the accents don't help. Additionally, a lot of the words are involved in extremely subtle wordplay, which can be hard to pick up the first time you watch, and even on a repeated viewing. Fortunately, none of this is critical to the overall enjoyment of the film.
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