Return of the King

Our rating:

There’s a lot going on in James Marsh’s feature film debut, The King. Marsh and co-writer Milo Addica (Monster’s Ball) have crafted a dark, complex tale drawing deeply on religious, mythological and iconographical themes.

At first blush, The King (whose protagonist is named Elvis, get it?) seems to be a film in the tradition of movies like The Apostle or Night of the Hunter in its focus on fundamentalist Christianity in the American South. But on closer inspection, the film’s title is no coincidence, as this is actually a version of Oedipus Rex.

But there is a clear point of difference here – while Oedipus is usually seen as a victim of fate, Elvis is very much in control of his own destiny.

When we first meet Elvis (Gael Garcia Bernal), he’s being discharged from the Navy. He travels to Corpus Christi, Texas to track down his natural father, David Sandow (William Hurt), who’s now a revivalist minister in the city. His arrival though isn’t exactly welcomed by the Sandow family; certainly not by David’s son Paul (Paul Dano) who seems set to follow in his father’s footsteps, or by his wife Twyla (Laura Harring). But their daughter Malerie (Pell James) isn’t so sure. She finds Elvis something of a kindred spirit, and their friendship grows. But when Paul discovers the truth, he decides to take matters into his own hands.

Those expecting The King to be a rant against religion will be sorely disappointed. While Marsh clearly doesn’t set out to do fundamentalist Christianity any real favours, his treatment of it is pretty even-handed, especially via the character of Paul. Indeed, the film is a morality play in itself; a warning about the dangers of being too trusting – whether that’s of your parents, your religion, or someone you think you know well.

Some have criticised the ending as being too jarring compared with Marsh’s almost lyrical treatment of the rest of the film. But understood in the context of the Oedipus story, it actually fits neatly into that mould (but no, no one has their eyes plucked out); and it makes a sense of seemingly unimportant events along the way to that point.

As with Addica’s script for Monster’s Ball, this story is a fairly slow burn. Events take their time unfolding, and certainly there’s no overblown theatrics or visual pyrotechnics in the film. That perhaps makes it a demanding film in some ways, even at a modest 105 minutes running time.

One of the best things about this film is its excellent cast. Gael Garcia Bernal is terrific as Elvis. With barely a trace of a Mexican accent, he convinces as the inveigling interloper, even if he perhaps lacks an edge to the menace that the script sometimes requires. William Hurt is back in form, as evidenced by his recent Oscar nomination, and is wonderful as the deeply conflicted Sandow. Laura Harring unfortunately gets few opportunities as Twyla, but Paul Dano makes the most of his role as Paul. The real star of the film however is Pell James, who’s entrancing as Malerie.

The King is a nicely constructed, if rather slow-moving indie film. It’s worth the effort though for its excellent performances, tight scripting and stunning climax. This is the kind of film that gets people’s minds and tongues going, as it doesn’t provide easy answers for its audience.

David Edwards

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The King

Director: James Marsh
Cast: Gael Garcia Bernal, John Hurt, Pell James, Paul Dano and Laura Harring
Release: Nationally on 23 March 2006
Rated: MA 15+