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Submitted by cinemascope on Fri, 2006-05-19 16:02. :: Cinemascope 5
Movie title:
The King
Starring:
Gael Garcia Bernal, William Hurt, Laura Harring, Pell James, Paul Dano
Directed by:
James Marsh
Written by:
Milo Addica & James Marsh
Genre:
Drama
Year:
2006
Country:
USA/UK
Language:
English
Runtime:
105 mins
Imdb:
Rating:
Synopsis
Young sailor Elvis is discharged from the navy, and sets out for Corpus Christi, Texas, to track down his father, now a pastor. Unwittingly he strikes up a relationship with his half-sister, a relationship that will cause huge emotional upheavals for both Elvis and his father's new family.
Young sailor Elvis is discharged from the navy, and sets out for Corpus Christi, Texas, to track down his father, now a pastor. Unwittingly he strikes up a relationship with his half-sister, a relationship that will cause huge emotional upheavals for both Elvis and his father's new family.
Review
It’s hard to believe that this movie is Gael Garcia Bernal’s English-language debut, such is the level of his fame based on only four films: Amores Perros, Y Tu Mama Tambien, The Motorcycle Diaries, and Alomodovar’s Bad Education. As a step-up to Hollywood stardom it’s an odd choice – a Southern gothic drama from the pen of the author of Monster’s Ball and Birth. And he’s not playing to be liked either – his Elvis is a dark and troubled soul. A meditative tone is punctuated by some scenes of sudden violence, one in particular recalling the shocking scene in Hidden (Cache) – if you’ve seen it you’ll know which one I mean. A resurgent William Hurt adds to his recent menacing role in A History of Violence with another performance of depth and power as the pastor with a past, while Laura Harring (Mulholland Drive) is excellent as his devoted wife, but it’s Bernal’s movie – he’s a great actor, and has that elusive quality – he is a movie star. Without these tremendous performances, The King would be an interesting movie, with them, it’s compelling viewing.
It’s hard to believe that this movie is Gael Garcia Bernal’s English-language debut, such is the level of his fame based on only four films: Amores Perros, Y Tu Mama Tambien, The Motorcycle Diaries, and Alomodovar’s Bad Education. As a step-up to Hollywood stardom it’s an odd choice – a Southern gothic drama from the pen of the author of Monster’s Ball and Birth. And he’s not playing to be liked either – his Elvis is a dark and troubled soul. A meditative tone is punctuated by some scenes of sudden violence, one in particular recalling the shocking scene in Hidden (Cache) – if you’ve seen it you’ll know which one I mean. A resurgent William Hurt adds to his recent menacing role in A History of Violence with another performance of depth and power as the pastor with a past, while Laura Harring (Mulholland Drive) is excellent as his devoted wife, but it’s Bernal’s movie – he’s a great actor, and has that elusive quality – he is a movie star. Without these tremendous performances, The King would be an interesting movie, with them, it’s compelling viewing.
