The King
THINKFilm | Release Date: May 19, 2006 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
58
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 29 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
8
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
The A.V. ClubTasha Robinson
The King's perception of religion is hardly friendly, but it's only one aspect of a terrific drama, one that ultimately admits that people can be as much of a terrifying mystery as their creator. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
William Hurt can be so subterranean we don't know where he's tunneling. Here he seems to be one thing while becoming its opposite. Read full review
88
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
May strain credulity, but it still leaves a memorable mark. Read full review
80
EmpireDamon Wise
A compelling, intelligent and provocative sins-of-the-father story with a terrific ensemble cast, and a standout Mr. Ripley turn by the ever-versatile Gael García Bernal. Read full review
80
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
It's as good as anything that Hurt has ever done -- a study in explosive understatement.
75
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Surely among the darkest-themed movies ever made. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorPeter Rainer
The first-time director, James Marsh, and his co-writer Milo Addica (who wrote "Monster's Ball"), sustain a black-comic tone, and the performances, as far they go, are quietly chilling. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleRuthe Stein
Dark, disturbing and audaciously original in a way only indies are given license to be anymore, the film never telegraphs where it's heading. But you don't need a pathfinder to sense the general direction is toward hell. Read full review
75
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
Along with its allegorical elements, The King is also impressively specific in naturalistic detail. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Behind the sad and vulnerable eyes of Bernal's damaged Elvis is both a fierce rage and a desperate need for his father's recognition, but he's more enigma than person. Hurt is more nuanced as the sincerely spiritual man faced with a past that threatens his family and his future. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterRay Bennett
Beautifully shot and well acted, the film might well cause controversy among fundamentalist believers as a provocative allegory challenging the power of faith. Read full review
70
New York Magazine (Vulture)David Edelstein
Has William Hurt ever been this perfectly cast? He uses his groggy self-importance to make the pastor the victim of evil and the very fount of it. Read full review
70
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
The film survives on a thick diet of genuine acting moments...Probably no other actor (Hurt) standing today could've brought this much juice to such a potentially simplistic character. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesCarina Chocano
A dark and deeply unsettling movie with its roots in classical tragedy. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianM. E. Russell
The King feels like a morality play without any morals. Read full review
63
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Were there more meat on the bones of this fable about hypocrisy and spiritual hollowness, Marsh's pacing might seem deliberate rather then merely slow. Read full review
63
PremiereGlenn Kenny
Compelling and exasperating in pretty much equal doses. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
The King simply unsettles and bothers us -- and it finally misses both the true terror and the twisted redemption it needs for its wicked song, a would-be "Heartbreak Hotel" of horror, to really chill our spines. Read full review
50
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
Fitfully engaging, finally exasperating. Read full review
50
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Just about the only way to make sense of the film is to view its Christian family the way that the director, James Marsh, does -- with a contempt masquerading as social criticism. William Hurt, for one, deserves better. Read full review
50
Dallas ObserverBill Gallo
By all accounts, Marsh has absorbed classic crazy-killer thrillers like "Psycho," "The Night of the Hunter" and "Badlands," but The King isn't likely to join such esteemed company. Read full review
50
USA TodayClaudia Puig
A darkly disturbing melodrama anchored by some powerful performances. Read full review
50
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
Marsh and cowriter Milo Addica (Monster's Ball) strive for gothic tragedy as they unbuckle the Bible Belt, but despite some credible performances (Hurt is especially interesting) the effort feels willful. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
In James Marsh's The King, the usually wonderful Gael Garcia Bernal is all wrong for the role of Elvis Valderez. Read full review
50
Austin ChronicleBrian Clark
The most frustrating films are the ones that reach desperately for something great, but fall just short of capturing it. In his dark and twisted narrative debut, The King, British director James Marsh's reach extends so far we can hear his muscles strain, yet what he's reaching for is never quite clear. Read full review
40
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Director and co-writer James Marsh clearly thinks he has made a grim and telling satire about fundamentalist hypocrisy. But he and co-writer Milo Addica display such contempt for their characters and religious conviction in general, they reduce everything to one-note banality. Read full review
30
VarietyTodd McCarthy
The story of a veritable devil who comes to test and destroy a family of faith, The King is a noxious film morally and an aggravating one dramatically. Read full review
30
L.A. WeeklyScott Foundas
A lurid, overheated Southern Gothic that wallows in its own unpleasantness. Read full review
25
New York PostKyle Smith
There is no tragedy without character, yet the way The King drapes heavy situations around its feebly imagined personalities suggests a tire thrown around the neck of a poodle. Read full review
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