Review of The Green Knight (2021) by Theredsky — 04 Aug 2021

The Green Knight is a perfect example of A24’s consistent quality. This is one of the lowest 3 films on my A24 ranking list yet it’s still a great film and one of the best films of 2021. Dev Patel gives his best performance here and one of the best performances of the year.

His character is an engaging look to see what it means like to be worthy to the eyes of others. His interactions with other characters is great due to the stellar supporting performances and writing. The sequence with Joel Edgerton is fantastic as it shows Patel’s vulnerability and shows that he is only human too.

Sean Harris also gives a great supporting performance as the King. The best supporting performance by far though as Ralph Ineson as The Green Knight. His initial presence is mysterious and creepy as we see he can’t die but his appearance at the end of the film is more friendly like.

They are respectful to each other and act like they have known each other for a long time which is an interesting dynamic. The film really excels in its technical category. Every aspect of the production from the cinematography, editing, makeup, and costumes is absolutely phenomenal.

The camerawork is outstanding and has the best location filming and cinematography of the entire year along with some amazing make up and costumes that feel authentic to the time period. The visual effects for the most part are pretty great with some sketchy moments here and there.

The reason this isn’t very high on my A24 Ranking is because the pacing can feel a little awkward sometimes and it doesn’t have a major thought provoking attitude that the best A24 films like The Lighthouse and Midsommar have.

I would definitely recommend checking this film out if you want something more experimental and slow.