'The Rivals Of Amziah King' review: Angelina LookingGlass & Matthew McConaughey create buzz
Who died and made her the queen? We need to get to the bottom of this matter. The Rivals Of Amziah King stars Matthew McConaughey as the titular Amziah. He's a beekeeper and member of a bluegrass band stationed in a small town in Oklahoma who comes across a large amount of stolen honey alongside law enforcement and his compatriots. Meanwhile, Amziah's former foster daughter Kateri (Angelina LookingGlass) has returned to the area, her now being a young adult. The two of them reconnect and Kateri joins him for beekeeping duties as his farm is experiencing morbid financial difficulties. Things get exponentially worse when the farm's bee hives are stolen. Kateri takes charge and goes on a revenge mission in order to find the culprit(s) and retrieve the hives. Said mission puts her at odds with Dob McCoy (Kurt Russell), a wealthy businessman who has monopolised much of the area's agricultural business.
Firstly, the setup laid out above is a mere snapshot of what's going on here. For example, even the mention of Russell and his character feels odd considering when, why and how he's introduced. In his sophomore feature effort, writer-director Andrew Patterson (using the moniker of James Montague for his writing credit) has sculpted a shapeshifting genre fusion. "Rivals" oscillates between drama and comedy, between crime saga and neo-western, between musical bursts and screwball humour, and between a heist flick and revenge thriller. The ambition is on full display. That alone is refreshing to see in cinemas at this time of year.
Those looking for a more straightforward crime tale will likely be frustrated by what they're about to see, but originality is this movie's beating heart. It is rather hard to find comparisons, which is immensely exciting. Of course, the neo-western angle plays around with the fact that Kateri, our indigenous American protagonist, turns the tables for the second half while the white protagonist takes a backseat, and so the film is in conversation with classic westerns. But other than that, the extraordinary beekeeper gimmick (OK, Jason Statham is somewhere protecting the hive), tonal shifts and the genre mashup are just some of the factors that draw you in and keep you engaged. Rivals' singularity—the good kind—alone is a reason to check it out.
What's even better is that the reasons pile up as the movie goes on. Frankly, Patterson is sort of doing a disservice to himself by using a pseudonym because the storytelling and screenwriting are quite marvellous. You could see this being extremely tryhard and overstimulating in the wrong hands, but the character arcs as well as chaotic adventures, and even something as unimportant as plotting, have infectious energy running through their veins. Structurally, Rivals feels alive and unpredictable from the first frame until the very last one. And despite the overall busyness, Patterson's script finds plenty of time to dig into found families, sense of community, power of music, blurry lines of justice and lifelong connections. Plus, the film can be funny as hell as well. It's brilliant writing all around.
The writing gets an extra layer of radiance because every single character pops off the silver screen. It's not only about characterisation and dialogue; the casting (by Avy Kaufman) is stellar, too. Sure, there isn't exactly a barnburner of a performance in the bunch, but the ensemble is absolutely rock-solid. LookingGlass is an amazing discovery, McConaughey is able to reach beyond his well-known outsized presence more often than not and Russell is chewing plenty of scenery. Even those three would be enough to carry a project to a realm of excellence, but then you also have Cole Sprouse (as Oat), Jake Horowitz (Remick), Rob Morgan (Rippy), Scott Shepherd (Chimmy) and Tony Revolori (Colemar) putting the cherry on top. You can hear the lovely harmony that good actors, writers and casting decisions can create together.
Aside from some clumsy editing choices (Patrick J. Smith is the editor) and plot developments, which again shouldn't be the most important thing about any piece of art, there isn't really anything major that is dragging Rivals down. Cinematographer Miguel I. Litten-Menz shoots the picture handsomely, composers Erick Alexander and Jared Bulmer's music and the songs get you to tap your feet, and several set pieces are executed deftly and stylishly, especially when we follow Kateri later on.
All in all, the movie deserves the buzz. It is a unique, electrifying and sweet ride, and one you couldn't have expected. A knockout, you could call it.
Smileys: Originality, casting, story, structure, screenplay
Frowneys: None
Do you think Amziah called his wife "honey"?
5.0/5
Where to watch:
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