The Rivals of Amziah King

The Rivals of Amziah King is a film that almost defies easy categorization, mixing as it does elements of crime drama, westerns, musicals, horror, thriller, romance and slow cinema character study. It is a film that seems, on the surface, simple enough, but as it unfolds, becomes something far more complex. It is also a film that will force audiences to ask themselves questions, as it did this reviewer, but more on that later.

As the film begins, Amziah King (played by Matthew McConaughey) lives in a small town in Oklahoma, and is one of the members of a band of musicians. His main job, though, is honey, and the local police come to him with a problem about stolen honey. Amziah informs the audience, during a discussion with the police, on just how dangerous the honey business can be, and how profitable. In these early scenes, we get to know many of the players, and what they are like. There is an energy here and a lightness of touch which belies the severity within and to come.

Amziah soon reconnects with a former foster daughter, to whom he teaches the honey trade, and once again grows to love as a daughter and she him as a father. However, events conspire to keep this peaceful existence from lingering and what unfolds is a tale of pursuit and vengeance which is full of enough grit and viciousness to make I Spit On Your Grave nod in approval. It is an enormous switch from the first half of the film to the second half.

This is one of two main places where audiences may feel confused or leave and lose interest. But they would be remiss to give up on the film as what preceded was plot, story, character and setting build up to the finale, which as mentioned before, could make a viewer question what they have seen. This mostly concerns aspects of the film surrounding the character played by Kurt Russell, who appears all too fleetingly.

This is not to suggest there are twists and turns-though there are-but rather that, like the best crime, character and western works, the film has characters acting in ways which we might not approve. While other characters might respond one way or the other, does the film ask us to join in the celebration or not? This is another, vital aspect of the film. This viewer had a level of unease about the resolution of the film, given the precise events.

In this sense, it works like an old Charles Bronson film, for the modern era. Kateri, played by Angelina LookingGlass, has a very serious and profound arc, based on their experiences in the film. Their choices and actions are something to reflect on, though the film could be seen as regarding their actions as entirely heroic rather than just the choices of these characters. Depending on how one interprets this aspect, the film could leave a very sour taste with certain viewers.

LookingGlass is a revelation, and reminds this reviewer of a young Lily Gladstone, and not just because both are Native American. There is something about the way in which she imbues her role with soul and how you can sense her inner life without having to be explicitly told. McConaughey, as usual, is superb, and here turns in his best work in several years, in a role that is not what audiences have come to expect. Kurt Russell does his patented Kurt Russell and that is more than enough.

The film has some lovely photography and fascinating, if repetitive, musical interludes yet this is not a work concerned with technical prowess. Instead, it is about the script, acting and direction, all of which are exceedingly well done, though your mileage may vary on the direction of the script. The writer and director of the film, Andrew Patterson, has made only one film prior to this and here he shows himself in full command of the form. Again, despite being a film that is not about eye candy and visual or technical bravura, there are elements here which show a film maker exploring. Nothing ground breaking, at all, but it is the implementation which is fascinating, given the direction and subject of the tale. It is a real marmite sandwich of a film, but worth checking out, especially if you do not mind extremely idiosyncratic work.