Review: Kings

Directed by: Deniz Gamze Ergüven

Written by: Deniz Gamze Ergüven

Starring: Halle Berry, Daniel Craig, Lamar Johnson, Kaalan Rashad Walker, Rachel Hilson

Rating: [1.5/5]

Directorial debuts that display hoards of promise enlighten us to a new voice in the world of cinema that brings so much excitement for what lies next for them. This site is full of reviews where I heap praise to filmmakers who do something incredible in their first attempt and I state my intrigue for their next projects. However, as we know, not every director can live up to their greatest works and with Kings we see one of the most insane drop-offs in quality between a debut and sophomoric effort in quite some time. 

Amidst a tense time in South Los Angeles, Millie Dunbar (Halle Berry) takes in kids who need a home to provide them with shelter, even if her current kids see an issue. With having all of these kids in the house, the boisterous noise causes conflict with her neighbor Obie Hardison (Daniel Craig). As the hearing of the Rodney King murder at the hands of the police reaches its boiling point, she must do her best to keep her kids safe. 

The precipitous fall off from the incredible heights of Mustang to what we receive here needs to be studied because it makes no sense. To go from something as beautifully insightful and moving as the 2015 film centered on sisters to something so one-dimensional and rote leaves many questions needing to be answered. Commenting on this fall off has received this much word usage in this review because it displays a fundamental misunderstanding of this type of material as opposed to Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s first film and it warrants exploration but those answers lie with the director herself. We just have to review this film for what it is, which is quite terrible. 

In all fairness, crafting this film came with the best of intentions and the foundations of it shows proof of where Deniz Gamze Ergüven wanted to delve into a very topical issue in contemporary America. Peering through the trauma needs a delicate touch, especially when directly referencing the Rodney King murder that sparked protests and untold violence across the spectrum in the populated city. Ergüven sought to speak into this situation through the perspective of a mother just trying to care for her children. A good intention but one that fundamentally fails in grasping the situation, only made worse when looking at the inclusion of Obie Hardison in this strange white savior role that does not do this film any favors. 

When we look at these supposedly powerful scenes, they feel completely hollow in their representation of the events that transpire and how this family dynamic feels the impact of it. This only gets worse upon the inclusion of Obie and how he plays into this unfortunate situation. The film has these tonal shifts that make no sense and when we get to the hinting of a romance brewing between Millie and Obie that completely dulls the experience this film sought to capture as a whole. Poor decision after poor decision that did no favors. 

Seeing how this film played out makes one question what made Halle Berry and Daniel Craig sign on to this one. Part of me gets why, especially if they watched Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s feature film debut, Mustang. Being part of an incredible rise of a filmmaker attached to a good story has incredible prospects but unfortunately they got saddled with something not worth the assembling of their talents. At the very least, getting involved in a project like this one aligns with what Halle Berry’s agent continues to get for her inexplicably but for Daniel Craig to get involved with this surprised and he stood out the most in all of this mess. 

An all-around disappointment not because of the limpness of the story, but because of the incredible start Deniz Gamze Ergüven had in her career that this film has somehow haltered, at least in the world of feature film. She stretched herself in trying to tell a hurtful American story like this one and it just never came together for her. All the right intentions were present but that did not help in what we received in the lackluster final product that downright got me angry in the massive missed opportunity considering all the players involved.