Every once and a while a drama comes along that really is as good as they used to be. The King's Speech is a tour de force of acting and phenomenal storytelling, one that comes together in all the right ways.
Colin Firth simply dazzles as King George VI, a monarch with a rather large problem -he stutters. He is terrified of speaking in public, an undesirable quality for a guy who's very life involves speaking in public. Geoffrey Rush is the speech therapist who finally is able to help him past the rather massive impediment and able lead his people with clarity and competence. This movie belongs to Colin Firth. His performance is hands down the best acting job of the past 5 years. The opening scene, in which the prince (and future king) waits to deliver a speech, contains some of the best and most subtle acting of perhaps any single movie scene in my memory. Firth simply looks sick with anxiety. It immediately gets the audience on his side and makes him a sympathetic character.
It's all about the journey, and by the end we can sympathize with the rather remarkable progress that he has made to overcome his problem and deliver a brilliant and inspiring oration that became a lighthouse signal to guide Britain through the fog of world war 2.
This is an amazing film, and the best film that begins with the letter "K." Highly recommended, though viewers should be aware of two scenes that contain strong language.
Entertainment: 6/10
Artistic Value: 9/10
Technical Merit: 8/10
Overall: 8/10
Runners up for the letter "K:"
- King Kong (1933)
- The Killing (1956)
- The Karate Kid (1984)
- Kagemusha (1980)
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