King Jack

Name: King Jack
Genre: Adventure, Drama
Released: June 10, 2016
Duration: 81 min
Rating: 72
Cast: Charlie Plummer, Christian Madsen, Cory Nichols, Daniel Flaherty, Erin Davie

2016

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 17 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 7 Ratings

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6.3	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 7 Ratings

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King Jack

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Movie Details & Credits

Well Go USA Entertainment | Release Date: June 10, 2016 | Not Rated

Starring: Charlie Plummer, Christian Madsen, Cory Nichols, Daniel Flaherty, Erin Davie

Summary: Jack (Charlie Plummer) is a 15-year-old kid stuck in a small, run-down town. He's got more problems than he can handle: an escalating feud with a violent older bully, a crush on a neighborhood girl, and having to go to summer school again. So when his runty younger cousin (Cory Nichols) comes to stay for the weekend, the last thing JackJack (Charlie Plummer) is a 15-year-old kid stuck in a small, run-down town. He's got more problems than he can handle: an escalating feud with a violent older bully, a crush on a neighborhood girl, and having to go to summer school again. So when his runty younger cousin (Cory Nichols) comes to stay for the weekend, the last thing Jack wants to do is look after him - but no one really cares what Jack wants. … Expand

Director: Felix Thompson

Genre(s): Adventure, Drama

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 81 min

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Critic Reviews

Helen T. Verongos

Jun 9, 2016

For everyone who ever had a close call as an adolescent and kept it from the grown-ups, King Jack will hit you where you live. The same for everyone who’s been pummeled by a bully or been left vulnerable by releasing a graphic selfie into the textosphere. Read full review

Time Out London Kate Lloyd

Feb 22, 2016

With references to sexting and a hazy Instagram-filtered look, it would be easy to write ‘King Jack’ off as just another modern coming-of-age-story. What sets the movie apart though, is its ability to capture the fear of teenage-hood, without patronising its characters. Read full review

Matthew Anderson

Jun 9, 2016

Thompson's strikingly assured and unflinching debut pumps new life into a well-trodden genre. Read full review

Timothy E. Raw

Jun 6, 2016

Harsh punishments are dished out in a way that jolts the material away from coming-of-age cliché. Read full review

Michael Rechtshaffen

Jun 9, 2016

Although he’s working with familiar tropes, writer-director Felix Thompson, in his feature debut, wisely keeps clear of big, dramatic moments, maintaining instead a palpable naturalism through dialogue that has an unmannered, improvised feel and acting that follows suit. Read full review

Fionnuala Halligan

Jan 12, 2016

It’s authentic without being grim; moody and tentatively hopeful. There’s a British verite influence at play, but King Jack’s heart is positively American. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Nick Allen

Jun 10, 2016

Lacking personality or insight, King Jack is a ho-hum tale of young aggression—been there, bruised that. Read full review

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User Reviews

LeZee

Dec 14, 2016

Stand up and fight back like a king!

Like everyone who saw it said a surprise film from a debutant writer, director. It is a powerful title, but the film was different. Like it focused to tell the story of a teenager named Jack who is regularly picked to bully by some older guys from theStand up and fight back like a king!

Like everyone who saw it said a surprise film from a debutant writer, director. It is a powerful title, but the film was different. Like it focused to tell the story of a teenager named Jack who is regularly picked to bully by some older guys from the school. The film opened with a payback act by Jack, but soon they get him back. This time it gets more serious than ever, and how it ends comes in the latter half of the film.

This is a short film and a good screenplay too. Initially I did not like much, it looked like another same old themed teen film. But the second half of the film completely changed, especially about bullying and how others see it, apart from the victim and offender. An awareness film, though the end drawn as what a cinematic storytelling required than the social message.

The kids did well, particularly Jack, Ben and a few others. There's no obscene materials, but in a sequence it gets bold like how normal teenagers are obsessed with those stuffs. That does not mean it is bad for them to watch. It is a much better film on this theme, and gets better while progressing narration. It is one of the under noticed good film of the year. It's not a must see, yet worth giving it a try.

7/10… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JLuis_001

Aug 19, 2023

King Jack is certainly not immune to several clichés, yet it finds its footing as the plot begins to move forward. Although it must be emphasized that it manages to find an appropriate balance point for the dramatic tension it poses.

Nevertheless, despite being a debut it is a well-executedKing Jack is certainly not immune to several clichés, yet it finds its footing as the plot begins to move forward. Although it must be emphasized that it manages to find an appropriate balance point for the dramatic tension it poses.

Nevertheless, despite being a debut it is a well-executed film that effectively maximizes its short running time. Debut films often struggle with maintaining a sense of brevity, but here, the director avoids overstaying his welcome.

At its core, King Jack may come across as yet another addition to the continuous stream of coming-of-age stories, since apparently, we can't never have enough of them, but while none of them manage to provide a distinctive perspective these days - and this film doesn't deviate from that trend - it's decent enough to validate its existence.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Tss5078

Jan 31, 2018

Following the unexpected success of Winter's Bone in 2010, these dark, modern, noirish type films have been all the rage in Hollywood. In fact, these types of films have come to define the 2010 generation of film. Mostly set in rural areas, focusing on the lives of less fortunate people,Following the unexpected success of Winter's Bone in 2010, these dark, modern, noirish type films have been all the rage in Hollywood. In fact, these types of films have come to define the 2010 generation of film. Mostly set in rural areas, focusing on the lives of less fortunate people, these films tend to focus on some life defining moment. King Jack certaintly fits this model, and much like Winter's Bone, it is also a coming of age story. Jack (Charlie Plummer) is an angry fifteen year old, who has been bullied his whole life and acts out by getting in trouble. After a family issue, his younger cousin Ben (Cory Nichols) is forced to stay with Jack and his family. At first Jack is upset to be saddled with his naive younger relative, until he comes to realize they're in the same boat, and in Ben he may have found a potential ally. I understand that the premise of the movie is that Jack is a bullied kid, befriends another bullied kid, and all of a sudden their lives don't suck as much anymore, except that they do. Just because they found each other doesn't mean the bullies have gone or that their family situations will necessarily be any better, so what was the point? Watching this film, was simply watching a couple of teenagers hang out in a bad neighborhood, waiting for something substantial to happen. A few events happen here and there, but nothing life altering, and certainly nothing to base a film off of. To be honest, the whole thing was kind of boring. In general, I love this new style of film making, but when it came to King Jack, there were a couple of crude jokes, some anti-climatic scenes, and just a whole lot of nothing going on.… Expand

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