Like getting blood out of a stone

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ENGLISH filmmaker Guy Ritchie is known for his mesmerising visual flair: Quick cuts, flashy camera work and nicely-put-together action scenes that usually result in style taking precedence before substance.

Then there’s the killer soundtrack that accompanies his bombastic imagery.

None of this is essentially a bad thing, since he sets out to entertain his audience and that’s what moviegoers get, and should expect. After all, this is not Shakespeare that he’s presenting.

His older gangster flicks such as Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Snatch (2000) and RocknRolla (2008), which were original stories, delivered the goods with its quirky ensemble of bumbling characters exchanging laddie banter.

Ritchie received somewhat similar success by reinterpreting old and beloved material with period action film Sherlock Holmes (2009) and retro spy action film The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015).

With his latest endeavour, Ritchie takes on the old English legend of King Arthur. Although purists and historians might find it trite and contrived, it was always intended to be a loosely adapted fantasy tale re-imagined in a contemporary fashion, while still set in medieval England.

And all the hallmarks of a typical Ritchie movie, as explained above, are present.

So is the director able to draw the proverbial fabled sword from the stone in this one to make it a success?

Alas, not really. The story follows a lad named Arthur, played by a hunky Charlie Hunnam, who was raised by ladies of the night in the seedy side of Londonium.

He is unknowingly the heir apparent to the throne after his father Uther Pendragon (Eric Bana) was murdered by the King’s own villainous brother, Vortigern (Jude Law).

There’s also the powerful Excalibur sword that is stuck in stone, of which, only a true heir can release.

A paranoid Vortigern, who is willing to sacrifice loved ones to gain power and further his rule of the land, gets his men to round up lads to take a stab at pulling out the sword.

When the skilled street smart fighter Arthur manages to pull it out, Vortigern has him executed. But Arthur is saved by associates of the “Resistance” that want to put an end to Vortigern’s tyrannical reign of terror.

These merry band of men, as well as Arthur’s best buds, will eventually become the Knights of the Round table when he accepts that he is the rightful king. A reluctant Arthur has to go on a heroes journey first in order to realise his potential and responsibility.

Eventually Arthur has an epic videogame-like showdown with Vortigern, which unsurprisingly hints to a sequel.

Although there was plenty of visual spectacle, it just seemed rushed and forgettable. It was hard to get into the world of the movie, and be thoroughly invested in the characters and situations they were in (a much publicised cameo didn’t help either).

My attention wandered by the time the movie ran its two-hour duration.

Watch this mildly entertaining flick only if you really have to.

KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD

DIRECTED BY Guy Ritchie

STARRING Charlie Hunnam, Annabelle Wallis, Aidan Gillen, Katie McGrath, Eric Bana, Jude Law, Djimon Hounsou

DURATION 126 minutes

RATING P13

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