The table is turned

THE GREEN KNIGHT Cert 15

In this sweeping take on Arthurian legend, director David Lowery has created a work of art, a sumptuous feast of images. It’s like nothing you’ve ever seen before and the performances are top-notch. But is it a hit or a myth?

Dev Patel is Gawain, not yet a knight of King Arthur’s round table. On Christmas Day, everyone is a-feasting when the Green Knight, a terrifying hulk of wood and foliage with a human face, is summoned by magic.

Gawain takes up a challenge to strike him and lops off his head with his sword Excalibur. But the Green Knight gets up, grabs his severed head and creaks off with laughter worthy of Brian Blessed.

Our hero has been warned that next Christmas, he must travel to the Green

Chapel to face his foe, when the Green Knight must be allowed to strike the same blow in return.

And so, as December 25 nears, Gawain trots off for his day of destiny on a quest that gets more bizarre with every mile. Along the way, he’s mugged in a muddy field of dead warriors, helps a nun looking for her own decapitated head, meets a talking fox and some 100ft naked women in the mountains, and is seduced by a lady in a castle who looks like his commoner girlfriend back home in Camelot.

If you can hold out for the final reel, there is a satisfying conclusion.

But this film is a headscratcher. For much of the 130-minute running time, I had little idea what was going on. Verily, I wearied of my quest well before I reached journey’s end. My reactions varied from “Wow!” and “Blimey!” to “What?” and “Huh?” through to “You’ve got to be kidding” via a suppressed snort.

There was even an involuntary laugh at something that wasn’t meant to be funny.

Can we take a modern message from this 14th-century tale? Does disaster stalk those who cannot follow their personal code of morality? Is chivalry due a comeback? After letting it sink in for a few days, I’m no nearer the answer.

It’s simpler to glory in the fine acting, the cinematography of Andrew Droz Palermo and the amazing soundscape, which really gives you the creeps.

In the end, The Green Knight is truly unforgettable. And, my lord knows, I’ve tried hard to forget it.

This take on Arthurian legend is a work of art with fine performances

Sir Gawain HORSEPLAY Dev Patel goes into battle as medieval knight