The Lost King

* * * - Rating M - 2022 - Drama/Comedy - 1h 48m

We found the King! Five centuries after Richard III was defeated on Bosworth Field a banner on the side of a bus declared that Leicester University had unearthed his missing body. In fact an amateur historian called Philippa Langley located the grave and financed the dig only to be sidelined by the professionals when it came to claiming glory. Steve Coogan has fictionalised her story as a rollicking archaeological adventure with a sharp sting in the tale. Sally Hawkins is a winsome Philippa obsessed with restoring the reputation of the king usually remembered thanks to Shakespeare as a usurper and child-murderer. Opens December 26.
Cast:

Release date: 26 December 2022

Official Trailer

Review

6.6/10 IMDB
71% TOMATOMETER
0% AUDIENCE SCORE

Frears has made many great films. This is not one of them. It's too slippery with the facts to have any standing when it comes to the truth too ready to find villainy as it proclaims that Richard was no villain.

Whatever its inconsistencies The Lost King is an underdog story that proves a perfect vehicle for Hawkins's reliably winning screen presence.

The 81-year-old Frears who has enjoyed an illustrious career once again achieves excellent work the performances are impeccable and this story of a lost King proves to be a riveting yarn.