Arthur the King

by Julian Spivey

Photo: Lionsgate Films

Director: Simon Cellan Jones 
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Simu Liu & Ukai 
Rated: PG-13 (language) 
Runtime: 1 hour & 30 minutes 

 
If there ever was a real-life story made for a Hollywood story it was that of Arthur, a wounded stray dog in Ecuador who befriended a team of adventure racers on their challenging 435-mile race through the jungles and mountains of South America.

“Arthur the King” changes a lot of the small things in this story – the setting, the year, the nationality of the characters (some understandable, some not so much but without impact on the story) – but what it doesn’t change and gets 100 percent right is the heart of the story … Arthur and the lives he changed.  
The film, directed by Simon Cellan Jones, opens with veteran adventure racer Michael Light (played by Mark Wahlberg), as an Americanized version of Swedish adventure racer Mikael Lindnord, leading his team to a disastrous finish in an adventure racing event because of his hubris and inability to listen to his teammates, including Leo (played by Simu Liu), who captures Michael’s failure for his massive social media audience to see.

A few years later, Michael isn’t taking well to the life of a non-athlete and convinces his wife, sponsors and a set of new teammates to one last opportunity at glory for an upcoming race in the Dominican Republic, the film’s stand-in for Ecuador (because it’s where it was filmed). He teams with Olivia (played by Nathalie Emmanuel), a promising mountain climber who’s only doing it to please her sick father, Chik (played by Ali Suliman), an all-time great adventure racer who’s been let go by his team due to a knee injury, and at the demand of the new sponsors because of his massive social media following Michael is forced to reunite with Leo.

We’ve seen this story before. It’s a Cinderella sports story about a team that isn’t supposed to have a chance at glory but ultimately does through hard work and teamwork. What sets it apart is Arthur’s courageous and unbelievably heartwarming story.

It doesn’t seem for the first quarter or so of the film that Michael is going to let anything come between him and attempting to win the race, but in Arthur (played by Ukai), who first crosses his path at a checkpoint within the race and is given a meatball by Michael, he ultimately finds a companion in his struggle to succeed through the pain and the elements.

Michael and his teammates can’t understand how this injured dog has gone so far in this event after meeting up a long way away from their initial meeting (and I don’t think Lindnord ever figured this out in real life). The joke is that he must have wings.

If you don’t know how the story ended in real life I won’t ruin it for you. Ultimately, this is a story about the bond of a man and a dog, who seem to see a kinship in each other.

“Arthur the King” is exactly the type of movie this story should be – heartwarming and made with a sure hand. It doesn’t try to be more than it’s not and thankfully (as it would’ve been easy to do) doesn’t delve into cheese and schmaltz, which is likely a testament to Michael Brandt’s script.

Some reviews you’ll see will knock the film for “pulling at your heartstrings” or being “manipulative.” But if the courageous and amazing story of Arthur doesn’t pull at your heartstrings I’d have to wonder if you even have a heart. We shouldn’t dock films simply for provoking emotion from an audience.

The performances by Wahlberg and the cast are all solidly played as they should have been. There’s no over-acting or put-upon dramatics.

“Arthur the King” is a breezy, 90-minute film that will make you want to look into the real story it’s based on as soon as you leave the theater. It’s the kind of film you should want to spend an easy Spring afternoon or evening with.