The feel-good elements of a sports film and a pet bonding tale are mingled in director Simon Cellan Jones’ fact-based drama “Arthur the King” (Lionsgate). The combination results in a mildly diverting film that might have been especially appealing to athletic-minded teenagers if the script had not contained such vulgar dialogue.
Adapted by screenwriter Michael Brandt from Mikael Lindnord’s 2016 memoir “Arthur: The Dog Who Crossed the Jungle to Find a Home,” the film showcases adventure racing, a challenging multi-event team competition in which participants take on the rigours of the wilderness. In this instance, the setting is the rugged landscape of the Dominican Republic.
Mark Wahlberg plays Lindnord’s stand-in, Michael Light. Though aging and nearly washed-up, Michael is determined to take his final shot at the championship that has always previously eluded him. So he sets out to find financial backing and assemble a squad he hopes can win the gold.
His collaborators include expert mountain climber Olivia (Nathalie Emmanuel) and crack navigator Chik (Ali Suliman). Rounding out the quartet is Leo (Simu Liu), a former teammate-turned-critic of Michael’s. Since Leo has a wide following on social media, Michael’s potential sponsors insist that he be included, forcing Michael to patch things up with him.
As the team climbs peaks and fords rivers across a trek of hundreds of miles, a wounded stray dog Michael momentarily took pity on and fed during an early rest stop follows them with uncanny determination. His unrelenting persistence and dignified endurance gradually gain him the group’s affection-as well as the royal moniker from which the film takes its title.
Brandt’s screenplay has its priorities in order. As early scenes show, the last expedition on which Michael and Leo competed together ended disastrously due to Michael’s poor judgment and ego-driven refusal to take advice. Over the course of this outing, by contrast, Michael experiences personal growth and becomes a better leader.
Additionally, the plot’s somewhat formula defying conclusion finds loyalty and compassion trumping less worthy considerations. Grown viewers will appreciate these underlying aspects of Michael’s story. But they’ll also note that its macho atmosphere, Olivia’s presence notwithstanding, is underlined by numerous salty exchanges and exclamations.
Adapting the screenplay into a film proved a challenge for Michael Brandt, who was determined to tell the ‘real story.’
“I’ve done quite a few of them,” he told scriptmag.com. “The first thing you have to do is put the source material away. And it’s hard. And you go back to it when you’re stuck. Or you go back to it when you need something.
“For me, it was important to make the movie and let the real story be the real story. And let those things intersect in the most interesting places I can find.”
PICTURES
- Film poster showing Mark Wahlberg with a dog named Ukai who plays Arthur in the film “Arthur the King.” (OSV News photo/Lionsgate)