User reviews

This film has gained a bit of stick from advance audiences, and the writers faced some hostile questioning following the screening I attended at the London Film Festival. I am frankly bemused as to why. I feel that, at worst, this is a solid and compelling indie flick and, at best, it has some important and lasting points to make about American identity, the nature of sin and the power of faith. My personal opinion is that many of those who see it are offended by either the film's refusal to judge the evil of it's main protagonist (played ever-perfectly by Gael Garcia Bernal), the portrayal of Latino as killer, the perceived failure to criticise the tee-total, creationist excesses of the Bible Belt, or a combination of the above. After all, southern-style Christianity is about as popular as Nazism right now among the arty set. I would prefer to view the film as what it is - an open-ended tragedy refusing to answer its own questions for the audience. I have thought of it frequently in the days since.

An unflinching and at times disturbing look at cause and effect, 'The King' is an oddly satisfying experience to be had. It takes you on a journey, from an unsuspecting state that descends so deeply into evil there's no turning back, but no looking away. With an uncomfortable final act and an equally unsettling performance by Gael Garcia Bernal, 'The King' is elevated to explosive heights. Stirring from beginning to end, this independent film is thought-provoking and a welcome surprise.

After being discharged from the Navy, Elvis (Bernal) sets out on a journey to meet the father he's never known. His father, David Sandow (William Hurt), is a devout Christian and a pastor at a local church in Texas. David rejects his son, for he sees him as an illegitimate son born out of wedlock during a time in his life he's chosen to forget. Elvis is told to stay away from his estranged father and family, but unknowing that Elvis is her half-brother, 16-year-old Malerie gives her virginity to him and embarks on a passionate relationship. But in a small Texas community like the one in Corpus Christi, secrets have their way of rising to the top and bubbling over. And for David and his family, many unexpected and devastating twists of fate await them.

A low-budget effort from British director James Marsh, 'The King' comes through and finds its footing thanks to a compelling script. What's funny about a film like 'The King' is how it doesn't immediately pull you in, but slowly wraps you in its web of brooding darkness. And before you know it, you're smothered by it. It's the kind of film that will find its way into your head long after it's over with. It raises some provoking issues, including the dark side of religion and how one simple choice can have a destructing and devastating chain of results. But the most interesting question remains, can a person be born evil? Was Elvis, who under the Christian perspective was born in sin, a damned child from birth? The viewer watches the character worm his way into the Sandow family, they watch him descend into evil, all until it's too late. No turning back. Can anyone truly 'get right with the Lord'? Are Elvis' intentions pure damnation and destruction, or is he somehow seeking redemption?

'The King' is filled with many unexpected and unpleasant twists. Yet with each turn, Marsh's directorial skills become that much more impressive. It's gritty and edgy, and driven by exceptional performances. For years now Gael Garcia Bernal has been the star of many (excellent) underground Spanish-speaking films, including 'Y Tu Mama Tambien', 'Bad Education, and 'Amores Perros', but perhaps is best known for his powerful role as Che Guevera in 'The Motorcycle Diaries'. And as he begins to enter American cinema (he stars in this year's best film, 'The Science of Sleep', in which he masters English and French in addition to speaking Spanish), his choice of character-driven roles suggests that the independent route may suit him better than the lure of Hollywood and special effects. His boyish charm makes him the perfect choice for the role of Elvis, his charm bleeds through the screen. Even William Hurt's eyebrow raising character, based off of John Mark Byers from Paradise Lost, is powerful and compelling to watch.

'The King' remains one of 2006's best undiscovered gems. It may not be what you'd call entertaining, but you'll find it difficult to look away. Raw and natural, 'The King' is a film told by characters and not by a camera, and sometimes that makes all the difference. James Marsh proves himself to be a capable and very talented director, who takes command of this heavy film and turns it into an experience as engrossing as it is uneasy. It's dark and deeply disturbing, yet very intelligent, and 'The King' indeed takes the crown.

Just saw this film as part of the Seattle International Film Festival and I found it very well made. I go to plenty of festival films and most are truly dreck. This was a nice surprise. While the story goes a couple of steps too far in terms of reality, viewed as old fashioned Greek drama, it was quite exhilarating. The story hits many high points and keeps you on the edge of your seat wondering when characters will catch up with the audience. The acting among the principal players was highly consistent with the characters they set up and were actually believable when circumstances became overly dramatic -- even the daughter's actions made some sense when considering her "place" in the family and how much she was actually marginalized by her father. I would also say that Hurt deserves another nomination after the one he got last year for "The History of Violence" (another true gem). Plus, Bernal gives his most convincing performance yet -- very smart of him NOT to play this character in a very obvious way!

This is a nasty piece of work. It's also an impressive piece of work, a sour and cynical dark comedy of a twisted kind of Americana by the young British director James Marsh, making his feature film debut. Elvis, (Gael Garcia Bernal), gets out of the navy and heads off in search of his daddy, the man who sired him and then abandoned him. Daddy, once a sinner, has now reformed and is a preacher with his own church. Bit by bit Elvis worms his way into the family circle, taking no prisoners on the way.

There are moments of shocking, unexpected violence and you are always left with a nasty taste in the mouth but at the same time, you are never quite sure which way the film is going to turn. In some respects it's a bit like Pasolini's "Theorem" but when I spoke to the director at the Dublin Film Festival he said he had never seen "Theorem", (but surely he must have known what it was about?), but did admit to being influenced in part by Dennis Potter's "Brimstone and Treacle".

It's a deeply unpleasant little picture but it is very well directed, (it feels unpolished, unfinished, rough around the edges which is just as it should be), and both Gael Garcia Bernal and William Hurt as his preacher father are superb. Bernal is like some beautiful, rotten fallen angel. Is he seeking redemption or total damnation? Hurt, too long in the doldrums, is on a run at the moment. With this, and Cronenberg's "A History of Violence" under his belt, he is very much back on form. See it certainly, but don't expect to be entertained.

THE KING (2006) **1/2 Gael Garcia Bernal, William Hurt, Pell James, Laura Harring, Paul Dano. Disturbing and dark morality tale about a young man (Garcia Bernal continuing to be his generation's Brando) coming into the lives of a pastor (Hurt in one his best roles of his career) and his family, claiming to be his long-lost son and attempting to fulfill his birthright with deadly results. Novice filmmaker James Marsh (who co-wrote the screenplay with Milo Addica) gets the message across in a decidedly clumsy and hard-to-swallow histrionics yet the talented cast outshines the film's downward spiral of despair. James, best known as the only female who treated Bill Murray with civility in "Broken Flowers", proves to be a young talent to watch suggesting a latter day Diane Lane.

No, this movie is not a sequel to The Queen, and it's peculiar to have both The King and The Queen making their screenings at our theatres at the same time. If given a choice to make, I would recommend The King instead.

This movie reminded me of Woody Allen's Matchpoint. Different stories altogether, but with the general sense and feeling of incredible luck, and evilness amongst man. You can't help but wonder that each one of us have the propensity to do evil, and just what might exactly push our button to commit sin. Lust, revenge, and pride clearly on display in James Marsh's The King.

There are various Kings here, the first which is most obvious, the main protagonist's name Elvis Valderez, played by Gael Garcia Bernal. Recently discharged from the Navy, he's on a trip to Texas to look up the father he never knew, who turned out to be a pastor, clearly already having moved on from his mother. The other notable King here, is pertaining to religion, given that Jesus Christ is acknowledged by Christians to be the King of Kings. I thought William Hurt put up a credible performance as the strict Pastor David Sandow, who now serves a little community, with possibly a happy family befitting a good Christian family.

And perchance it is the ghost from the past, his illegitimate son Elvis, who's now the devil in his midst of them, slowly bringing down the facade and hypocrisy surrounding the Sandows, and exposing them for who they truly are. It's quite a dark movie, and made possible so as the devil has an innocent, possibly angelic face (thanks to Gael), and little do you know the kind of evil that lurks around. Which probably makes it all the more dangerous as the saying goes, you know the person, but not what is in his heart - the motives, if ulterior.

Having to say more will most likely spoil the entire movie. I liked the pacing that the story took, on having it all laid out methodically. At times, you question Elvis' intent, if he's truly aware of the repercussions of what he's doing. You might want to argue that love knows no bounds, but there certainly are some clear markers and blinkers to warn you to stay away, at all costs.

The great acting makes The King extremely watchable. William Hurt, as already mentioned, plays his pained pastor with plenty of skeletons in his closet, to a T. Pell James as his daughter Malerie, brings about a fresh faced ingénue to her role, with innocence written all over. For fans of Little Miss Sunshine, Paul Dano has more lines of dialogue here, and even exercises his vocal cords in singing two songs. His role as son Paul is contrasted against Elvis the illegitimate son - one devoted to God, the other the devil himself, one living his life with a cause, the other living his without any aim, except probably to groove along waiting for acceptance.

There are many releases this week (last count was nine), but The King ranks up there amongst the much watch.

Watching this movie really made me sad. I did not feel sad on behalf of the characters however - but on the behalf of the movie itself, its corrupt values, and its sadistic goals. The recipe of this film is this: take an all-American Christian family, tear it apart, watch it suffer and die, and leave it in its grave to decompose. End of story. Nothing else. The film does not care in any way about the people it portrays - we do not at any moment feel sympathy with anyone in it and do therefore not share their suffering, but instead simply watch it from a distance - which is what sadism is all about. I don't know if anybody gets off on this - I do not, I just feel sad that a movie as this can pass on as art and that not even my favorite critic, Roger Ebert, can see through its rotten morals. "The King" tells us that the world is a dark and evil place, that people are dark and evil, and from the moment we meet the Christian Pasteur and his family we know what is going to happen: the movie is going to take a deep and dark revenge upon them for their false ideas. I have long gotten used to christians being portrayed like they are in this film - as judgemental fanatics, holier-than-thou republicans, world distant freaks and born-again losers. I can easily forgive such a (false) view if a film has heart, but this film hasn't. If you want to see a satanistic film (satanism in fact tells us that love is false and hate is real), go ahead and watch it, but if you enjoy it, well, you really should start worrying about yourself.

I loved this film. It has an ingenious plot with several more or less unexpected twists. Religion and guilt are major themes in the film; themes that I felt were examined with a seldomly seen open mindedness. The acting is strong from all characters, and the portrait of the characters adds realism to the story as they are portrayed in a very down-to-earth, human way. I felt I could identify with all the characters (religious beliefs apart) in the film. I also think it succeeds in executing what I gather was one of its resolutions; telling the story of a terrible event without passing too much judgment.

The performance of Gael Garcia Bernal is solid and that of Pell James wonderful. In my opinion the two played really well together, as did William Hurt and Gael Garcia Bernal. I went ahead and watched this film without knowing anything in beforehand (I went to the cinema and chose a name from the list) which I think was appropriate for this type of film. Having known a lot in beforehand could perhaps have made it more predictable and less good. The film is interesting also in the fact that scenes depicting what in reality would be very morbid are made beautiful, a fact that pulls the viewer into the lovely high where beautiful film-making makes you want to be a writer yourself. This is not something you'll want to miss out on!

A breakthrough film by young director James Marsh. This film had me hanging on with bated breath just wondering where it was going. I was totally unprepared for the end, which was dynamite! Gael García Bernal (Babel, The Motorcycle Diaries) was understated but powerful as a young man just getting out of the Navy and going to look for his father, a pastor played by William Hurt (A History of Violence). Bernal was the product of a sinful life Hurt led before he "found Jesus." He starts a relationship with his half-sister, Pell James (Broken Flowers). You are wondering the entire time about motivation, danger, incest, pregnancy, and the inevitable end. It is not pretty, and it may be difficult for some to take, but I thought it was brilliant.

It was creepy, but Bernal was outstanding in only his second English-language role.

I just rented this movie lately, not really knowing what to expect. The movies I wanted to rent were already gone, so that meant just picking a couple random movies... and pray they are decent. My wife and I watched this and were pleasantly surprised! This movie was great. In a world of constantly recycled movie plots, this one was actually original. And to top it off, it was very entertaining. This movie has a very subtle suspense/ tension feeling to it. It makes you want to keep watching to see what is going to happen. And when something does happen, you really didn't expect it.

I don't really want to give out any details on this movie, or spoil it for anyone. All I will say is that this movie is a very good rental. Do yourself a favor and go rent this.

Not for the first time, I thank the British Cable/Satellite channels for making available an excellent film that that I would not have noticed at the cinema over here, in fact I don't believe it gained any significant cinema distribution at all. This is another example of the 'small' US movie (modest budget, even more modest marketing, no A-list stars) that is as good as anything produced anywhere in the world. A young fellow leaves the US navy and seeks out his father, who he's never met. He tracks Dad down to find that he's become a pastor in a born-again Christian church and now has a family of his own. I'll not reveal anything of what follows but will say that what develops is unexpected, shocking and totally gripping. OK, you get a sense that it will all end in tears but this is genuinely powerful stuff. Gael García Bernal is excellent (another Martin Sheen?) as is the rest of the cast. William Hurt, his glamorous male lead days behind him, demonstrates once again that he is an actor of real quality and ability – long may he continue to play similar cameo roles. I mentioned Bernals similarity to the young Martin Sheen previously. The King has some comparisons to 'Badlands' which blew me away all those years ago and I believe that this is as good a film. You need a slightly strong stomach but this is a powerful film for adults and I recommend it highly.

James Marsh's The King is a film that mystifies me. I can't think what its meant to be for. It's a story about a young man called Elvis played by Gael Garcia Bernal who gets an honourable discharge after 3 years Navy service and then goes off to find his biological Father and behaves dishonourably with him and his family. It's all rather sick really. Elvis worms his way into the family by seducing his 16 year old sister Malerie (Pell James). It's rather impossible to identify with anyone in this film from here in Middle England. Preacher Father and bouncy joyful Christian Congregation; I couldn't work out whether the film is meant to be deriding them for their mindless beliefs. Or is the target the happy family and we are meant to think that's unviable. OR is it just saying that some people are lost and just hell bent on destruction. It's shallow. We all know that bad things happen; the interesting bit is to learn why but this film just gratuitously depicts a violence without ever unravelling the thinking that has led to it. "The King" is such a lost opportunity. There are some really interesting questions about honour; the Warrior Code; the changing concepts of valour; honour killings in Indian families and so on. Honour is a very varied concept. But this film just adds nothing to the notion. However, Paul the Projectionist did more than his meagre role suggests. The DVD Projector showed all films in a green-only hue and the only way to repair this was to get it sent to Belgium. He did this through Christmas. I think those postal workers and repairers and Paul went far beyond the call of duty and our reward was this dismal film. But you might see it differently?

Gael Garcia Bernal has a knack of choosing roles that really challenge the viewer (Bad Education, And your mother too come to mind) and his role in The King is no exception. Superb performances from all the leads that left me with a chill down my spine as I left the cinema. It's impossible to comment too much on the plot of the movie without giving too much away but I was totally engrossed with this tale of Elvis seeking out his father who just happens to be a Pastor in the bible belt of Texas and what ensues. The camera work as it spans through the house of the Pastor in some of the final reels of the film serves to build up to a chilling finale to a story that goes places quite unexpected and deals with issues that are not usually addressed in today's cinema. Certainly not in such an effective way as is in evidence here. Bernal's quite detached way in which he plays this role leaves you with some unanswered questions about his initial motives but in my opinion does not detract from the performance or the film itself. Well worth the price of admission.

This film begins with a lot of promise. Unfortunately, the vehicle of "suspension of disbelief" quickly careens off the road to "Black Comedy". With brief-but-pivotal supporting roles this year in both "A History of Violence" and "Syriana", it is a true blessing to see Mr. William Hurt on celluloid again. To no surprise, Gael Garcia Bernal, Pell James, Paul Dano and Laura Harring are all convincing in their respective roles, as well. For some reason though, this film reminded me of Gus van Sant's "Elephant": the absurdity of Reality (cinéma réalité). Also, a bit of jarring tension in "The King" comes from its musical score, which somehow sounds displaced (put in the wrong context) -- but perhaps that is being a little too picky. Overall, this film is definitely a must-see for Hurt and Bernal fans!

Every once in a while you see a trailer for a movie that just blows you away. Then you see it on DVD and buy it without any other knowledge, and the film changes your life. "The King" is not one of those movies. The trailer looks incredible enough to drop $19.99 on it before ever seeing it, but this is not the movie you think it is. It is a slow paced, perverted (and not in Kevin Smith's "blowjobs are funny" kind of way), and downright disturbing film. I wasted some twenty dollars and tax, and about an hour and a half of my life, and the life of my girlfriend for this film. Let me be the first to tell you that it wasn't worth the time or the money. If you feel the urge to watch it anyways, rent, borrow or steal, because even Gigli would be a better investment of time and hard earned money. -adam