“The Lost City of Z” doesn’t just show the characters exploring new jungles; it shows the challenges and fundings of those explorations. Writer/director James Gray, in probably his best film to date, has shown us the beauty of nature, the determination of one explorer, the pit stops in his journeys, and the Indians who roam those lands.
Charlie Hunnam is a knock-out as British explorer Percy Fawcett (1867-1925), who discovers there may have been an ancient civilization in the Amazon, during his first voyage. His evidence is pottery found in those jungles, and is willing to make another voyage. The dangers include Indians, disease, and inventory. Those, and he has to leave his independent wife (Sienna Miller) and children home.
As time goes on, one of his explorers James Murray (Angus Macfayden) demands an apology from Percy, for leaving him, even if he claims he gave him some rations for home. Another is when WWI hits, and he is almost blinded by chlorine gas, and now his journey is placed on the back burner. And finally, his eldest son Jack (Tom Holland) decides to get him back out there. This leads to their disappearance in 1925.
It took awhile for me to get the hang of the story, what with the hold backs of the expedition; and bear in mind, I haven’t learned about this story before. Still, “The Lost City of Z” is beautifully shot, gorgeously drawn, and well-acted. You couldn’t ask for better acting from Hunnam, Robert Pattinson (as Percy’s aide-de-camp, disguised with facial hair and glasses), Miller, and Holland. Based on David Grann’s book, the story is challenging and time-consuming, indicating this expedition is not as easy as you history buffs would have thought. This journey is a go-go.
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