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The King [2006]


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Elvis is back in the building - and he's bad!
Review date: 2008-10-05 Rating: 6 out of 10

There are a lot a themes crammed into this movie, and this is one of its flaws. The King sets out to explore revenge; lies; deceit; fratricide; incest; creationism; blind, intolerant faith; and redemption. But because it attempts to cover so much it manages to only touch on each of them, which produces a movie without sufficient focus.

Also lacking is any real insight into why Elvis does what he does. How much does he actually know about his past? We're never made privy to his motives accept on a simplistic level. In order to become involved with his character we require a deeper awareness of his inner workings, but this is never supplied.

William Hurt in particular gives a nicely controlled and understated performance. The direction is measured and doesn't intrude on the narrative, as you might expect from a director whose background is in documentaries. And the script is thoughtful and intelligent despite its efforts to overachieve. Ultimately, however, the film is too cold and unfocussed to be as effective as it should be.

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Reviews


The memory lives on
Review date: 2007-06-22 Rating: 8 out of 10

This film engages the viewer. It does not tell you the answer to everything contained within it - you have to go away and think about different elements and make sense of it for yourself. You might enjoy it, or find it annoying. That said, its also an enjoyable film to watch. An interesting plot - juxtaposition of two sets of very different lives and experiences colliding with each other, with dire consequences for one of them. What you read in to that is up to you.

The film also has interesting elements of intimacy and dreaminess, achieved at least in part by the photography.

I saw this film over a year ago - and still think about it.

Definitely watchable; but not outstanding
Review date: 2007-06-16 Rating: 6 out of 10

I have to state first that I am a massive fan of Gael Garcia Bernal; but I am not convinced of his casting in this film. He is required to act the part of an amoral sociopath and does this by adopting an expressionless, blank look from start to finish of the film. We are not given any clues to his motivation apart from the death of his mother and early abandonment by his father. I was puzzled by the seeming attraction he forms for his half sister before realising who she is..surely a bit of a coincidence....he ends up having an horrific effect on the family he wanted to join; but all the way along there is no feeling that he planned what took place, rather one awful event drifts into another. This random sequence of events taking place is reinforced by the almost dreamy but menacing soundtrack. We see the camera panning slowly and just know something horrible is going to be revealed. Time to hide behind the sofa. Gael, I think you would have been better off out of this one.

what a waste of time watching this
Review date: 2007-06-11 Rating: 2 out of 10

I don't say this lightly but could honest say this is one of the worst films I've ever seen, ok your dad doesn't want to know so you kill some innocent people, the end, its just so pointless as very little is told, reseolved, anything really, just some murders of innocent people and some praying. Bad ending.. not recommended

the return of the prodigal son
Review date: 2007-03-08 Rating: 8 out of 10

Do not be deceived by the title of this film, there is nothing here to do with either Elvis Presley or Jesus Christ, except in a most peripheral way. This film is a slow burning drama of the kind you see all too rarely these days.
The King of the title is Elvis Valderez, played with a quiet menace by the wonderful Gael Garcia Bernal, a young man who has recently been discharged from the Navy who heads for the town of Corpus Christi, Texas in search of the father that he has never met. Unfortunately, his father David is a pastor and preaches at the local church, and does not want to be reminded about his wayward youth, and so wants nothing to do with Elvis. But Elvis is not the kind of man to take no for an answer, and sets about worming his way into the family, first via a relationship with his half sister Malerie, who has no idea that this charming stranger is in fact her half brother, and then via other, more disturbing methods.
That all is not as perfect with this family as it first appears soon becomes evident in a series of nicely judged scenes. That David dotes on his legitimate son Paul is quickly made evident, and that his daughter Malerie is somewhat sheltered and looking for a way to get her fathers attention is also made apparent in a series of exchanges both with Elvis, in the family home and at the church. And it is these very factors that Elvis, the cuckoo in the nest of this god fearing family, uses to inveigle his way into the affections of this family, with tragic consequences.
Bernal turns in his usual great performance as Elvis, an obviously troubled man whose motives for doing what he does are left tantalizingly vague (although some people will find this very vagueness frustrating), allowing us to come to our own conclusions about his motives, and whether his actions are premeditated or spur of the moment things. As his father David, William Hurt gives us a quiet and dignified portrayal of a man struggling to come to terms with his past and face up to his future, whilst at the same time wanting his son, and any son will do, to be just like him. Pell James gives Malerie a level of naivety and vulnerability that is just the right side of credibility, and plays the role with more than a little touch of Sissy Spacek. Indeed, the film has other similarities to that seminal work that Spacek starred in, Badlands, both in its portrayal of Elvis, who certainly invites comparisons to Martin Sheens Kit with his air of seductive danger, and in a certain visual similarities, and that can only be a good thing.
Directed by James Marsh and written by Milo Addica, who also wrote the superb Monsters Ball this is an involving and at times deeply surprising movie that manages to be both touching and menacing at the same time. But whether it is a biblical analogy or simply a very good drama, that is up to you to find out for yourself.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Pell James
Gael Garcia Bernal
Laura Elena Harring
Paul Dano
William Hurt

Creators:
Gael Garcia Bernal (Primary Contributor)
William Hurt (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: Tartan Video
Manufacturer: Tartan Video
EAN: 5023965360922
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Anamorphic, PAL,
Release date: 2006-09-25
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 105 minutes
Theatrical release date: 2005
Language: English (Original Language)

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