Incest, murder, buried secrets and God all figure into "The King," a film that you might accuse of being gratuitously offensive if it weren't so calm and, frankly, dull. A story about a kid named Elvis (Gael Garcia Bernal) who leaves the Navy, sets out to find the father who doesn't know he exists and then ruins a lot of lives, the movie's pulse hardly varies. Characters argue, lose their virginity, kill things and clean up the mess, but if they're worried or passionate, the emotions never leak off the screen to infect us. Read the full review
Elvis Valderez, a 21-year-old dreamer, has just been honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy. With his duffle bag and rifle, he travels back to his hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas, where he seeks out his father — a man he has only heard about from his Mexican mother, who has since passed away.
Director: James Marsh
Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal, William Hurt, Pell James, Paul Dano, Laura Elena Harring
Run time: 105 minutes
Release date: May 19, 2006
Rating: Not rated.
On the web
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Austin American-Statesman: 2 of 5 stars
"Calling the whole thing an allegory might explain that muffled, unreal tone, but then you'd have to supply a plausible interpretation."
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