Product Description

Clive Owen, Ioan Gruffudd, Keira Knightley. This action-packed epic production presents a gritty and more explicit look at the legend of King Arthur and the brotherhood that served him known as the Knights of the Round Table. 2004/color/138 min/NR.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7201 in DVD
• Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
• Released on: 2007-04-03
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Original language: English, French, Spanish
• Subtitled in: English
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 139 minutes

Amazon.com
It's got a round table, some knights, and a noble warrior who rises to become King Arthur, but everything else about this revisionist legend is pure Hollywood. That's not such a bad thing if you enjoyed Rob Roy, Braveheart, Gladiator, and Troy, and there's some intriguing potential in presenting the "real" Arthur (played by Clive Owen) as a 5th-century soldier of Rome, assigned to defend Roman-imperial England against a hoard of invading Saxons (led by Stellan Skarsgård in hairy villain mode). As revamped history and "archaeological findings" would have us believe, Guinevere (Keira Knightley) is a warrior babe in face-paint and Lancelot (Ioan Gruffudd) is a nonentity who fades into the woodwork. Never mind! Best to enjoy the harsh, gloomy atmosphere of Irish locations, the ruggedness of Owen and his hearty supporting cast, and the entertaining nonsense of a Jerry Bruckheimer production that strips battle-ready Guinevere down to leather-strap S&M gear while all the men sport full-body armor. Hail to the queen, indeed! --Jeff Shannon

Amazon.com
It's got a round table, some knights, and a noble warrior who rises to become King Arthur, but everything else about this revisionist legend is pure Hollywood. That's not such a bad thing if you enjoyed Rob Roy, Braveheart, Gladiator, and Troy, and there's some intriguing potential in presenting the "real" Arthur (played by Clive Owen) as a 5th-century soldier of Rome, assigned to defend Roman-imperial England against a hoard of invading Saxons (led by Stellan Skarsgård in hairy villain mode). As revamped history and "archaeological findings" would have us believe, Guinevere (Keira Knightley) is a warrior babe in face-paint and Lancelot (Ioan Gruffudd) is a nonentity who fades into the woodwork. Never mind! Best to enjoy the harsh, gloomy atmosphere of Irish locations, the ruggedness of Owen and his hearty supporting cast, and the entertaining nonsense of a Jerry Bruckheimer production that strips battle-ready Guinevere down to leather-strap S&M gear while all the men sport full-body armor. Hail to the queen, indeed! --Jeff Shannon

From The New Yorker
There's not a lot of Camelot in David Franzoni's script of the Arthurian drama. Taking a more realistic approach, the screenwriter of "Gladiator" demythologizes the characters into medieval ruffians. It's a very bad idea. Arthur (Clive Owen) merely commands a group of fighting men, Merlin (Stephen Dillane) is a sorcery-free rebel, and Guinevere (Keira Knightley), in inexplicable Xena-wear, is a warrior princess. The film's plot revolves around the Knights of the Round Table on one final mission to rescue the godson of the pope. Don't ask. -Bruce Diones
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker