‘The Lost City of Z’ Is an Adventurous Ride With Superb Acting

Sandra Miska

Charlie Hunnam shows off his adventurous side in the historical epic “The Lost City of Z,” a film that details two decades in the life of British explorer Percy Fawcett and his quest to find a lost civilization in the Amazon. Percy is first introduced in 1905 as a dashing, smart and athletic young man with a loving, growing family that includes his supportive and equally intelligent wife, Nina (Sienna Miller). The only thing holding him back is some regrettable family history (his father was a drunk and a gambler). All of this changes after the Royal Geographical Society finds themselves in need of someone with Percy’s particular skill set to travel to South American to map out the border between Bolivia and Brazil. He accepts, even though this assignment means being separated from his family for an extended period, hoping to bring honor back to his family name, but finds himself sucked into something more bigger than he ever could have imagined.

Joining him on this expedition is an aid-de-camp, Henry Costin (played by Robert Pattinson, who, just as he did in “The Childhood of a Leader,” sports an impressive beard that leaves little trace of Edward Cullen). At their first meeting Henry is drunk, but Percy easily convinces him to ditch the bottle, and he proves to be a worthy mate, standing by Percy’s side as the men are shot at with arrows by natives who aren’t thrilled to see strangers in their remote corner of the world. With Percy and his crew on this first voyage is a native slave, Willis (Johann Meyers), who tells him of a lost city that no white man has ever seen. After finding further evidence of this sophisticated and mysterious civilization, Percy becomes determined to find this city that he comes to call Zed. Sickness and other factors cause him to come up short during this first trip, but he nevertheless returns home to a hero’s welcome for everything he does accomplish. A few years later he is able to secure funding for another expedition, only to experience more setbacks. Back at home Percy attempts to settle back into a quiet family life, only to be again be taken away, this time by World War I. The years go by and he once again starts to feel that similar pull, this time encouraged by his son, Jack (Tom Holland) – whom, after years of being resentful of father’s long absences, becomes his biggest champion, eventually taking Henry’s place to accompany him on a fateful expedition in 1925 to find Zed once and for all.

“The Lost City of Z” features some superb acting, not only from Hunnam but also Miller, whose character deals with her husband’s long absences with grace, smiling with a new babe in arms to greet him after those early voyages. However, she is more than a doting missus, as she assists Percy with his research. In one of the most memorable scenes she pleads with him to allow her to join him on an expedition, only to be told by her husband that they are equal in mind only, not in body.

At the end of it all, “The Lost City of Z,” has a very powerful message about not giving up. Viewers can also look forward to not only the beautiful costumes and sets one is accustomed to seeing in British period films, but also the lush beauty of the Amazon. One negative is that with Percy returning to South American multiple times, one starts to feel at points that scenes are being repeated. Percy expresses much admiration for their natives and their culture, and while there are some awe-inspiring scenes between him and the locals he encounters, none of these individuals transcend beyond one-dimensional characters, except for perhaps Willis.

“The Lost City of Z” opens April 14 in Los Angeles and New York and expands nationwide April 21.