Royal grace, where the king's destiny Suddenly I remembered this amazing film, which I watched as a teenager.
Then he watched after almost half of his life and for the second time the impressions were twice as much. It’s a rare variety of films that don’t have age limits, just to understand them. At 15 and 30, they are interesting, but they reveal truths that are proportional to the age at which you look at them.
Incredibly deep and original film. The chronology of events and the narrative itself is prompt and surprisingly informative.
Robert Downey, actually. The protagonist. The libertine and ladies' man, Robert Merrivel. A spoiler of fate and, as it turns out later, a brilliant doctor. Everything written in the description of the film is only a tiny part of the larger plot, where Robert played the main and full of drama role.
His dissolute gut during the film will undergo various metamorphoses, will pass difficult tests and will be in such situations that you do not even suspect when you start watching the film. Perhaps this is one of the “golden” roles of Downey, fully showing the talent of this actor.
Okay. Dr. Merrivel. It is the beginning and the middle and the end. Also, you will see Meg Ryan in a completely uncharacteristic role for her.
Sam Neal, or rather His Majesty the King of England, a typical medieval ruler who loved women, wine, and delicious food, would be deserving of the title. And for some of his actions you can even touch him.
David Thewlis. He played the role of Merrivel’s mentor and trustee. And it seems like a man of a completely different kind than Marivel, a kind of righteous, honest and always direct John Pierce. And I like that this "holy" is really, if I may say so, holy. His friend Merrivel, morally bad as he is, is his friend. He does not turn away from him, does not reproach and does not deny a friend-sinner. He loves him. Because he's his friend. There is no drinking partner, but a person who is on the same wavelength with him. Let him not understand it now. But John believes in him, moreover, he knows what it is inside. And in the end, it is his love, as a friend, as an associate, as a faithful and truly religious person, that will change and save Robert Merrivel. But he won't know that anymore.
It is for those moments that I love this movie. These are very subtle things to understand and very deep. Pierce’s position seems contradictory. But what matters is not the right actions, what matters is the effective ones. And in this regard, the role of Thewlis is almost as great as Downey. These two people start the movie and they finish it. Only John Pierce at the end of the film carries Downey inside himself. And salvation is not religious, it is deeper, touching the very essence of life, the essence of relations to it.
To be honest, I am amazed by the angry reviews. Is it possible to see only costumes and a couple of intrigues? Look wider and think deeper. A great movie.
10 out of 10