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Movies / Upcoming / The King
The King

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The King (2006)

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Reviews Counted:76

Fresh:42

Rotten:34

Average Rating:6/10

Consensus: This disturbing film about the past coming back demanding its due evokes classical tragedy, but is ultimately too heavy-handed.

Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins

Genre: Dramas

US Box Office: $157,875

Synopsis: Gael Garcia Bernal (THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES) may posses the rugged good looks of a classic screen star but he continues to dodge Hollywood, instead choosing to follow his own idiosyncratic path with... Gael Garcia Bernal (THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES) may posses the rugged good looks of a classic screen star but he continues to dodge Hollywood, instead choosing to follow his own idiosyncratic path with movies like THE KING. Bernal stars as Elvis Valderez, a recently discharged Navy recruit who travels to Corpus Christi, Texas, to track down the father he's never met. But when he finds him, Elvis is in for a shock; his father, David Sandow (William Hurt, who surely based his performance on the all-too-real John Mark Byers from PARADISE LOST), is the leader of a Baptist congregation in Corpus Christi, and has instilled strong Christian values in all of his family. David wants the rogue-like Elvis to steer clear of his flock, perhaps fearing that he'll reveal long-buried secrets about David's past. But when the ex-Navy man sees his father's daughter, 16-year-old Malerie (Pell James), he longs to form a romantic bond with her. Initially unaware that Malerie is his half-sister, Elvis continues to pursue her even when he discovers their family relationship, leading to smalltown tumult with plenty of unexpected twists in the plot. Despite having only one prior film to his name (the wonderfully gloomy documentary WISCONSIN DEATH TRIP) director James Marsh pulls some great performances from Bernal and Hurt, and beautifully captures the dazzling sunlit countryside of this small Texan outpost. Indeed, cinematographer Eigil Bryld--who also worked with Marsh on his previous film--plays a big part in setting the tone of the movie with his stark use of color, which is well matched by an accomplished script from Milo Addica (MONSTER'S BALL). [More]

Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal, William Hurt, Pell James, Paul Dano

Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal, William Hurt, Pell James, Paul Dano, Laura Harring

Director: James Marsh

Director: James Marsh
Studio: ThinkFilm

[See More Credits]

Reviews for The King

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21 - 40 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

The real acting sparks are generated by Hurt, delivering an absolutely sincere performance as a reformed sinner basking in God's love.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
07/07/06
Robert W. Butler
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star

A showcase for big ideas that winds up feeling empty.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
07/07/06
Michael Booth
Michael Booth
Denver Post
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
07/01/06
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul | comment Comment
07/01/06
Bill Gallo
Bill Gallo
City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul

While Elvis' briefly startled face isn't precisely legible, your reading is pretty much ordained.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
06/24/06
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

The King suffers from an overbearing sense of its own self-importance.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Dave Calhoun
Dave Calhoun
Time Out

So wildly and absurdly melodramatic in every way, shape and form that many viewers will be unable to decide whether it is a flat-out masterpiece or the most lurid piece of junk that they have ever seen.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
06/24/06
Peter Sobczynski
Peter Sobczynski
eFilmCritic.com

Offers a fascinating consideration of religion and religiosity, sin and revenge, and the ultimate question for Christians: Can evil be forgiven?

Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
06/24/06
Jean Lowerison
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan

It really is reprehensible and disgusting, not only because we've seen far too many sociopaths in movies over the past 20 years, but because it deals with horrid clichés and presents them as something indie-hip and morally provocative.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
06/23/06
Jeff Shannon
Jeff Shannon
Seattle Times

In various ways this is a strangely impressive movie.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
06/23/06
David Elliott
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune

Chilling and compelling.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
06/23/06
Steven Rea
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer

Milo Addica's script delves into emotionally messy territory... and director James Marsh embraces the ambiguity, sometimes at the expense of the characters.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
06/22/06
Sean Axmaker
Sean Axmaker
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

A strange, disturbing movie that will appeal to you if you like to leave the theater with lots of questions to mull over.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
06/22/06
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

It is an intelligent, disturbing thriller.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
06/22/06
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune

"The King" is a very distasteful picture that left me feeling uneasy and irritated.

Full Review Source: Sympatico.ca | comment Comment
06/19/06
Angela Baldassarre
Angela Baldassarre
Sympatico.ca

A deeply involving film where intentions are as cryptic as the title, and the reckoning of past sins opens fresh wounds.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
06/16/06
Peter Howell
Peter Howell
Toronto Star

The soundtrack is brilliant, the cinematography strange and wonderful and the performances are creepy good.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
06/16/06
Liz Braun
Liz Braun
Jam! Movies

The web gets more tangled until, midway through, the drama drops and the film becomes yet another bloody horror show.

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
06/16/06
Bruce Westbrook
Bruce Westbrook
Houston Chronicle

Even if the filmmakers are to be distrusted as slumming ethnological tourists, they treat the message of religious fundamentalism seriously.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
06/16/06
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail

He's played morally unsettled men before, but Marsh doesn't bring a sense of torment or menace out of Bernal the way other directors have.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
06/16/06
Wesley Morris
Wesley Morris
Boston Globe
 
 
21 - 40 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 >> >|
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