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Lost City of Z, The

8/10

Stars: Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller, Tom Holland, Angus Macfadyen, Edward Ashley, Clive Francis, Ian McDiarmid, Franco Nero

Director: James Gray

The producers of this rousing adventure deserve praise for deciding to cast an actor rather than a self-admiring Hollywood action star to play British soldier-turned-explorer Colonel Percy Fawcett, the extraordinary hero of this true-life saga.

Instead, they chose Hunnam, who stands out as a credible (unlike the strictly celluloid Indiana) nascent Indiana-Jones-style pioneer who, possessed by ambition but still patently human and emotionally supported by his frequently left-behind wife Nina (Miller, excellent in an essential but essentially supporting role) led quest after quest into the Amazonian jungles in search of a legendary lost city…

Gray’s staging of WW! War footage involving Hunnan, is powerful and convincing too, adding impact to a good-looking epic-style drama that benefits considerably from colourful Columbian jungle locations, good period detail and Darius Khondji’s colourful cinematography.

In summary, it’s an enjoyably watchable movie that gratifyingly confirms the line of dialogue, "Sounds like a great adventure".

Alan Frank

USA 2016. UK Distributor: StudioCanal. Colour.
134 minutes. Widescreen. UK certificate: 15.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 1, Violence/Horror 2, Drugs 0, Swearing 2.

Review date: 20 Jul 2017

DVD review