Synopsis
A foster family in South Central a few weeks before the city erupts in violence following the verdict of the Rodney King trial in 1992.
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Cast
- Halle BerryMillie Dunbar
- Daniel CraigObie Hardison
- Lamar JohnsonJesse Cooper
- Rachel HilsonNicole Patterson
- Issac Ryan BrownShawnte
- Reece CodyTiger
- Flor de Maria ChahuaMaria
- Janet SongSoon Ja Du
- Rick RavanelloOfficer Camello
- Richie StephensOfficer Bilson
Recommendations
- 63
Movie Nation
The sprawl of it, the seeming disorganization, all work to its advantage and betray Kings' ambition. Ergüven wasn’t going for documentary, she was aiming for an impressionistic “feel” — terror, outrage, helplessness, a city and a system that aren’t built for you, even when you’re hurt, even when you’re in trouble. - 50
The Hollywood Reporter
For all its honorable intentions to address sensitive issues that still sting, Kings is an unconvincing tonal patchwork. - 50
Variety
Kings is a tangle of conflicting moods and emotions. - 50
The New York Times
The first English-language film from the Turkish-French director Deniz Gamze Ergüven (her 2015 movie “Mustang” was a foreign language Oscar nominee) is well-acted across the board, and contains more than a few outstanding, unpredictable scenes. But in tying its story to this particular moment in American history, the movie bites off more than it can coherently chew. - 50
Chicago Sun-Times
The English-language debut from the brilliant talent behind best foreign film picture nominee “Mustang” is a terribly uneven, borderline absurdist jumble that undercuts its own message again and again. - 42
The Film Stage
The missteps seem to never end as the director and actors struggle to bring some kind of coherence to this unwieldy film. Although it tries to be political and relevant to our times, Kings becomes such a confusing blur that one wonders where precisely in the process it all went wrong. - 42
IndieWire
Eschewing poeticism for an empty sense of prefab empathy, Kings is so determined to be hopeful that it forgets to be honest. - 40
The Guardian
There are sparks of interest and some powerful moments, but it is structurally disjointed, tonally uncertain, unfocused and unfinished, with some very broad drama-improv-class acting from the kids and a frankly unrelaxed and undirected performance from Halle Berry.
