‘Letter for the King’ chronicles the metamorphosis of Tiuri, son of Tiuri the Brave, from shield-bearer to knight.In the tradition of Sir Lancelot and the Knights of the Round Table, young Tiuri is sent on a quest which will pit his bravery, resourcefulness, honesty, innocence and integrity against cunning, treachery and brute force.It is a straight ‘knights-in-shining-armour’ tale, with no Harry-Potter-esque magic or mythical beasts, though the kingdoms in which his adventures take place are fictional.Tiuri and his family live in the kingdom of King Dagonaut, a just ruler whose peace is defended by brave knights. To the west is the friendly kingdom of King Unauwen, whose twin sons, however, are at odds with each other. Iridian is crown Prince, groomed to rule the kingdom wisely after his father’s death. Viridian, however, controls an area to the south, and has declared war on his father’s kingdom with his Red Knights.During the vigil in the chapel on the eve of his knighting, Tiuri disobeys the instruction to speak to no-one and answer the door to no-one. His disobedience results in him being given a letter of vital import to both kingdoms that must be delivered to King Unauwen at any cost. If the sealed letter is ever in danger of being seized by the enemy, Tiuri must learn its contents off by heart and destroy the letter.As in all good quests, the journey takes Tiuri through forests and over treacherous mountain passes, into hostile towns and across dangerous rivers, all the while pursued by the evil Slupor and the Red Knights. Along the way he meets helpful knights, a wise man of the mountains and a best pal. There’s also the inevitable love interest, established through smouldering looks over the banquet table. Some of the plot is a little formulaic, and the escapes occasionally implausible, but as one expects to suspend disbelief, this is not too problematic.Themes such as growing self-awareness and obedience versus initiative add some depth to what is primarily an adventure story, with chases and sword-fights.The locations are stunning, the cinematography is beautiful, and the costumes faithful to the medieval period. The acting is competent, but generally lacking the sparkle that makes it special, and the dialogue is somewhat stilted, losing something, perhaps in the translation from the Dutch.Nevertheless, a good film for a family night out.