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The King

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The King (2006)

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54 %
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Reviews Counted: 74

Fresh: 40

Rotten:34

Average Rating: 5.9/10

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

Theatrical Release: May 19, 2006 Limited

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 movies like THE KING. Bernal stars as... 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]

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Release:

Oct 10, 2006

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Keep Case
  • Anamorphic Widescreen - 16:9

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1- English
  • Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 - English
  • Closed Captioned - English
  • Subtitles - Spanish - optional

Additional Release Material:

  • Audio Commentary - Filmmakers (unspecified)
  • Behind the Scenes
  • Making of - Actor Rehearsals
  • Original Theatrical Trailer
  • Trailers

Interactive Features:

  • Interactive Menus
  • Scene Access

Reviews for The King

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 4 >> >|
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Ratings Image

Red States' worst nightmare rules on screen.

Full Review Source: WBAI Web Radio | comment Comment
05/03/07
Prairie Miller
WBAI Web Radio
Ratings Image

Good work that, with a little more effort, could have been so much better.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
03/01/07
Doris Toumarkine
Film Journal International
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Observer [UK] | comment Comment
01/20/07
Philip French
Observer [UK]
Ratings Image

This movie creeped me out big time.

Full Review Source: Laramie Movie Scope | comment Comment
01/19/07
Robert Roten
Laramie Movie Scope
Ratings Image

An undemanding morality tale set in the Bible Belt.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
12/07/06
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Ratings Image

The filmmakers' stoicism finally proves insurmountable and indefatigable

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
10/17/06
Bill Chambers
Film Freak Central
Ratings Image

I'm all in favor of warts-and-all depictions of Christians, but the closer you look, the more you realize that warts are all this film has to offer.

Full Review Source: Christianity Today | comment Comment
09/25/06
Peter T. Chattaway
Christianity Today
Ratings Image

A Southwestern American pastoral of dormant menace, The King is a film of triple-dipped mood that turns on an act of shocking violence, but still seems to substitute willful indistinctness for insight.

Full Review Source: Now Playing Magazine | comment Comment
09/22/06
Brent Simon
Now Playing Magazine
Ratings Image

"The King" actually moves you, particularly because it has outstanding actors like William Hurt and Gael Garcia Bernal giving haunting, complex performances.

Full Review Source: Capital Times (Madison, WI) | comment Comment
09/06/06
Rob Thomas
Capital Times (Madison, WI)
Ratings Image

This film wastes the talents of the entire cast.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
08/25/06
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City
Ratings Image

Programmed by the fatalistic filmmakers toward a cruel outcome, but the actors make it convincing...

Full Review Source: Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN) | comment Comment
08/11/06
John Beifuss
Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN)
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution | comment Comment
08/06/06
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Both Hurt and Bernal drift through their performances, leaving the audience as unfulfilled as an empty collection plate.

Full Review Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | comment Comment
07/28/06
Michele Kenner
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Ratings Image

The many possible ways to read the film might be more fruitful if Marsh's direction was more assured.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
07/15/06
Brian Clark
Austin Chronicle
Ratings Image

Marsh has a knack for setting up twisted situations, and he nicely counterbalances the horror by filming everything in a straightforward, muted style.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
07/07/06
Mike Russell
Oregonian
Ratings Image

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
Kansas City Star
Ratings Image

A showcase for big ideas that winds up feeling empty.

Full Review Source: Denver Post | comment Comment
07/07/06
Michael Booth
Denver Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

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
PopMatters
Ratings Image

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

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

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
eFilmCritic.com
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Related Forums for The King

ok ....
by: wish_i_had_a_nickel 6/7/07


Disturbingly refreshing
by: G 77 2/23/07


REEL_REVIEWER
James Marsh THE KING featuring Gael García Bernal is set for a May 2006 USA release!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 6/14/06


REEL_REVIEWER
James Marsh THE KING featuring Gael García Bernal is set for a May 2006 USA release!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 6/14/06


REEL_REVIEWER
James Marsh THE KING featuring Gael García Bernal is set for a May 2006 USA release!!
by: REEL_REVIEWER 6/14/06
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