12 Best King Arthur Movies Ranked: Worst To Best

4. The Fisher King (1994)

Camelot 1967
TriStar Pictures

The Grail Quest is a myth unto itself, with as many interpretations as the larger Arthurian cycle. According the the Grail legend, the so-called Fisher King is the last in a line of Grail guardians stretching back to Joseph of Arimathea. Due to a grievous wound in his thigh/legs/groin, he is unable to stand and so spends his days fishing in a boat on river by his castle. He is healed when a noble knight arrives and asks him a specific question.

In Terry Gilliam's version, we're all the Fisher King. Gilliam brings all of his powers to bear on this modern-day Grail Quest about two lost souls finding one another in the midst of pain and heartbreak. Robin Williams is Parry, the homeless ex-professor whose wife's violent death caused a psychotic break. Jeff Bridges is Jack, the disgraced shock jock who provoked the man whose crime turned Parry's world inside out. The two find each other at their lowest points and raise each other up with a combination of moonlight streaking and showtunes.

The film is a humane, gentle comedy about what it means to be a person and why "other people" are crucial to that meaning. It's an underrated gem.

Contributor

A podcaster and writer living in Massachusetts with his wife and son. You can follow him on Letterboxd at Daniel Marchant.