Director:Â Amma Asante
Cast:Â David Oyelowo, Rosamund Pike, Tom Felton, Laura Carmichael, Jack Davenport, Charlotte Hope
Rating:Â 12A
Running Time:Â 111 mins
Release Date:Â November 25th, 2016
David Oyelowo stars as Prince Seretse Khama of Botswana who, in the late 1940s while studying in London, caused a massive controversy when he took home a white woman, Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike) to be his wife. Facing anger and uproar from both his native people, including his own uncle and the British Government, Sereste and Ruth prevailed despite the prejudices they faced; their love eventually prevailing. It’s an uplifting albeit by the numbers biography of two people who deserve to have their story told, as it’s an important one of courage and love. It’s just a shame the film couldn’t have tried to be a bit more memorable than it ends up being.
Early scenes set in London show the central pair as they meet, fall in love and immediately come to blows with the British government. It’s here, in its first half that A UNITED KINGDOM is at its worst; so eager to move onto the main conflict that comes later in the film, the story breezes past Sereste and Ruth’s initial relationship – it’s a shame, as Oyelowo and Pike imbue their characters with so much chemistry that watching them fall for each other is incredibly charming, so much so that overlooking the initial early stages of the relationship lends a certain unconvincing element to it later. Without really seeing them together properly in the beginning, it’s harder to worry so much when they have to face being apart. The film stumbles in trying to deliver a powerful message with powerful actors but thinking it can take shortcuts to get there.
Thankfully events pick up once the couple arrive in Botswana and Sereste is faced with a country that is strife with poverty and people that don’t want him as king, his own uncle included. While the conflict between Sereste and his uncle is never as engaging as the film thinks it is, it gives way to some of the best scenes of the film, as Sereste slowly regains the support of people; Oyelowo delivers a powerful speech that’s sure to make anyone in the audience a little teary eyed. Intertwining with the plot involving Sereste’s uncle, the film also portrays the British government as several officials, including Tom Felton and Jack Davenport, try to force Sereste out. Felton and Davenport, both fine actors, are saddled with largely thankless roles as two cartoonish, sneering, mustache-twirling bad guys, the film exaggerating them beyond belief to the point of parody.  Â
If it wasn’t for the unmistakable star power of Oyelowo and Pike and their chemistry as actors, the film would suffer more. As it stands, A UNITED KINGDOM is overly sentimental and full of cartoonish characters that threaten to stifle the important message it carries. But underneath the fluff and soppiness of the material, there are several engaging, emotionally moving scenes that manage to move past the more theatrical elements of the film, led by a passionate Rosamund Pike and a terrific, strong performance by David Oyelowo.
Verdict
