Review of The Lost City of Z (2017) by Calvin C — 22 Apr 2017

This true story based on David Grann's book tells the true story of British explorer Percy Fawcett who searches the Amazon for a lost civilization that may predate humans. He spends his entire adult life searching for it to the point where it consumes him. I am a sucker for historical dramas and this lavishly shot film uses 35mm film and it looks amazing. It's a slow burner of a movie, relying more on performances than action, which in this case is a good thing. Charlie Hunnam is excellent as Percy Fawcett. He is a man that is confident and yet vulnerable when it comes to his obsession of the lost city. The supporting cast is also impressive with strong, quiet performances by Robert Pattinson (and he's great in this), Sienna Miller, Tom Holland, Angus Macfadyen, and Ian McDiarmid. The movie runs almost 2-and-a-half hours but I was intrigued and mesmerized the entire time. The lost city itself is a McGuffin, but the movie is so well told and acted, that we don't mind that we never see it. If you miss those old fashioned, classic, sprawling, epic British dramas, then this one should do the trick.

Grade: A-.