Review of The Green Knight
midlandsmovies • September 3, 2021
The Green Knight (2021) Dir. David Lowery
The director of slow-paced and measured A Ghost Story and The Old Man & the Gun David Lowery returns with an epic take on the 14th century poem in this new fantasy film tackling part of the Arthurian legend.
Dev Patel stars as Gawain, the nephew of King Arthur, an arrogant young man who wants to secure his place in the royal circle and is challenged one day by the mysterious Green Knight. In a bargain, the Knight tasks anyone to land a blow on him but they will receive an equal blow in return. Gawain steps forward and surprisingly the Green Knight is decapitated when he lowers his head. However, laughing as he lifts his severed head, he tells Gawain to come to the Green Chapel next Christmas to take a return blow.
A year later, Gawain’s mysterious mother Morgan le Fay (Sarita Choudhury) undertakes mystical rituals and gives Gawain a green belt she says will protect him as he heads out the castle to begin his journey.
Lowery infuses his film with reimagined myths from a variety of sources including knights, fairy tales, religion, Viking-style runes, Tolkien and much more. The Green Knight (Ralph Ineson) is hidden under great Del Toro-esque creature make-up, being part Treebeard and part Hellboy 2’s The Last Elemental (also referred to as the Giver of Life and a Destroyer).
In addition, the set design and production is fantastic with the gorgeous visuals illuminating old woods with exotic lighting giving an ethereal tone to the proceedings. The stone castles, grimy taverns and muddy battlefields combine with the weather-beaten faces of yore to create a gritty look which avoids the nasty CGI of certain recent fantasy films.
As Gawain continues his journey he faces challenges including being held up by a scavenging boy (Barry Keoghan) and his criminal crew (think Barry Lyndon) as well as collecting a missing skull for a ghostly woman and encountering some valley giants. A fox joins him on the trail and eventually he ends up in a house with a stately Lord (Joel Edgerton).
This middle section slows down what is already an incredibly measured pace and was the least interesting part for me. Possibly representing a combination of the witchcraft from his mother and a mysterious lady played by Alicia Vikander (the same actress who plays his love interest earlier in the film) the movie doesn’t offer any easy explanations but at times this also leads to frustration.
The film overall has an awfully serious tone with very little light and although it has a host of Game of Thrones alumni, the film wouldn’t have gone amiss with a shot of bawdy melodrama. The dour tone of the final few seasons of Vikings seem like a comedy in comparison. Dev Patel is fantastic however, saying so much with little dialogue and showing outward bravery with a huge dash of inward cowardice.
That said, the meticulous music is a highlight as it mixes ancient choir chanting with modern synth soundscapes. Enchanting and hypnotising it adds a layer of mystery and tension throughout Gawain’s quest.
A captivating ending offering dreamy predictions culminates in a pinnacle of its deep themes about bravery and temptation and is satisfying as well as somewhat open-ended.
From the source material, the incredible 2530 lines and 101 stanzas that make up the poem must be an arduous read. At times, although a lot is apparently cut out, Lowery’s film and its strange pacing is equally gruelling but then again so is Gawain’s expedition.
Haunting and challenging, The Green Knight explores melancholy leitmotifs of life and death as well as fabled gallantry and personal weakness. The film is also at times both puzzling and gruelling, but if you stay loyal to its ambiguity you’ll end up with a satisfying examination of mythical mortality during an extremely rewarding voyage.
★★★★
Michael Sales
On Sunday 26th April Midlands Movies Editor Michael Sales & awards ceremony co-host Ed Stagg (BBC Radio) announced the nominations for the 2026 Midlands Movies Awards live from the Queen of Bradgate Vintage Cinema in Leicester. A big thanks was given to the entire Jury Panel of industry experts who gave up their precious time to watch a huge selection of creative projects and as always, had a difficult time choosing from the excellent number of films from the region. You can read the full list of nominations across all 16 categories below and watch our announcement videos here: Part 1 & Part 2 And please also check out our great awards partner Chrome Video Best Actress in a Leading Role Karendip Phull for Family Kate Bracken for The Lace Rachel Baker for Throwing Fruit Chloe Wade for How Long Sophie Bullock for Ma Prison Best Animated Film Of All the Things by Steff Lee Big Red by James Pyle Statue in the Garden by Qianhui Yu Butterfly by Jacob Christie Best Director Luke Worrall for The Waterline Lily Portman for Quiet Jack Richardson for Daniel’s Room Jonathan Hawes for Sorry We’re Closed Sophia Dall'Aglio for Man from Mars Best Documentary Nothing's Impossible by Jacob Thomas McClean A Birmingham Symphony by Jemma Saunders We Bring Light: Leicester's Diwali Legacy by Kieran Vyas The Sunshine Café by Jill Lampert Through the Viewfinder by William North Best Sound (Editing or Mixing) Neil Evans & his team for Artificial Insanity Alasdair Gretton for Dead on Distribution Deepanjali Patel for Earworm David Hamilton-Smith for The Pause Heidi Wilson for Of All The Things Best Actor in a Supporting Role Devon Junior for Lazar Tim Sparrow for Safety Net Shaiek Ahmed Rana for Family Luke Rollason for Quiet Peter Willoughby for A Story of Spring Best Visual & Special Effects Jake Wesley-Worrall for Soul Trader Steve Askey & team for The Correction Unit Nick Willett, Matt Burkey & Jayne Hyman for Black Goat JaqD SFX MUA, Mind Magic Studios and Ben Harker for Beyond the Witching Hour Jacob Christie for Countenance Best Cinematography Gary Rogers for The Pause Laurence Mason-Guetta for Sorry We’re Closed Ian Snape for Soul Trader Ash Connaughton for Daniel’s Room Duane Adamoli for Surfing (nominations continue below...)
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