Kings (2018)

That was an excellent one.

Nice effects though.

Great Film overall

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

Others will tell you the story of the story; I'll just tell you that it had me within 20 minutes - from the love that shines from the very first morning children wake-up scene to the ending face of horror. I had no awareness of what I was watching - no pre conceptions - and yes, there is an element of 'European' to the story line - it doesn't connect all the dots for you, it doesn't try to guide you anywhere for anything - it just presents its' self to you and it is, in my opinion, left to you to make of it what-you-will - super-critically, that might have been done a little better, or smoother, perhaps overall - but it doesn't detract as the topic is fractured to start with. This is one of those films that *actually* causes a response in you - the constant background build-up of children stress and noise makes you realize you're holding your breath waiting for the moment to pass - if you can separate the experience from reality, you're a far more disconnected person than i - and that is part of the realisation that you're watching something interesting. The facet of the riots and the actual footage and trial coverage is well done and balanced - it's always on in the background of peoples rooms - saying the same thing, over and over; but it's not the reason for the film nor the focus; this is not a political shinty-stick norm really, an attempt at morale crusading - it's a slice of life at a particular time, and involving disparate characters that are all in the same chapter of the event - the ending was perfectly timed; where else could it go? Just on, and on, and on? - it has to stop somewhere, just not at the station that says 'Here is a nice and neat all tied-up with string and a bow ribbon ending' I like that, because it's true. Not a studio led must-have happy ending. I was captivated by Halle - Daniel Craig's character barely got away with its' self and could have had a touch more to it which would have helped with understandings and sympathies greatly; but it's OK without - it's the film that is the story here, not the lead characters.The three youngsters were brilliant and will, I am sure, go far, if they haven't already - both new to me - the dissident young lady and Halle's eldest child and self described "friend"; whose future was an under current from the get-go. Watch this with no expectations and judge it accordingly. If you choose to criticise (any) film for what it doesn't do, then you must self-question what it was you thought its objective was. This film is entertainment, and observation, from a certain vantage. It doesn't try to be anything more than it is - and the sum of its parts are worthy of a 7 without question.

...The saddest thing about Kings is the fact that the movie had so much potential. I am talking about the talents ...Daniel Craig...Halle Berry...and also timeline of the story chosen "Post Rodney King's trial" riots. Sadly the director was unable to utilize the potential and ended making a movie in which the plot is everywhere......As in really!, what is this movie about?, starts off like a story about a foster mom struggling to care for her foster children...Then before you know it, there is a teenaged girl rebelling something at school thrown in the mix....now you probably think, she is gona be connected to the foster home story...but she is just kept on the sidelines...Then there is Daniel Craig placed in as a neighbor...as in was he significant to the story, even if it's based on true story, the director had to keep some sort of a focus ...you don't just carelessly thrown anything in the mix....Then there is the riot...If this movie was given to good director with all the potentials that sorround it...might have been a great movie

In the credits this movie was dedicated to a young man, I would guess someone that lost their life in the riots and this was NOT a good memorial. This movie was all over the place. It appeared that Halle Berry was channeling the character from Monsters Ball??? I mean dazed and confused should not be the only emotion one can emote. If this was based on a real person, I wonder how they felt portrayed in such a manner? It was completely unbelievable that children would be in the care of such a person. The story line was all over the place. I think the film was to be a coming of age and experiencing first love in the midst of the chaos of the race riots? Just way too much going on simultaneously while not pausing to fully develop any of the ideas. I went into this film excited to see the experience of the riots (and the buildup) from a regular family's point of view, this was highly disappointing and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

"Kings" (R, 1:32) is a crime drama, with romantic undertones, written and directed by award-winning director Deniz Gamze Ergüven (2015's "Mustang"). Although the title is never really explained, the film is about a family of foster kids in South Central Los Angeles who struggle to deal with endemic racial discrimination - and to survive the L.A. riots following the 1992 Rodney King beating trial verdict.Oscar winner Halle Berry stars as Millie Dunbar, a foster mother who loves children and has a special place in her heart for troubled kids. She has a house full of them - boys and girls of different races and ages. She loves all of them as if they were her own and she works multiple jobs to take care of them. That last part means she's often away from home, and care for the younger ones often falls to her oldest, Jesse (Lamar Johnson). Jesse is intelligent and responsible, but he struggles against the instincts of his short-tempered best friend, William (Kaalan "KR" Walker), and a short-tempered neighbor, named Obie (Daniel Craig), who complains about Millie's parenting - and the noise coming from her house.The film uses a re-enactment of the fatal March 16, 1991 shooting of teenager Latasha Harlins by an L.A. Korean convenience store owner and news of the shooter's conviction, but subsequent sentence of probation, to set the stage for the events to come. As frustration in the black community builds, the film's plot remains focused on Millie's make-shift family and their relationships with their friends and other members of their neighborhood, including Obie. When it is announced that the police officers who beat Rodney King on the night of March 3, 1991 have been acquitted, rioting begins. Millie's kids are involved in the mayhem in various ways and she fights to find and protect them, with Obie helping her."Kings" is a personal window into the lives of average people during one of the most upsetting and violent moments in recent American history. Although fictionalized, the story is nevertheless affecting and the film is dedicated to one of the young men who lost his life during the riots. Some of the plot points feel contrived, but the film's effective at delivering greater understanding of and compassion for those affected by the L.A. riots - and the issues that led up to that episode - some of which clearly continue to plague society today. "B+"